Argentina (continued)

I have returned to Chile, the more expensive neighbor of Argentina. After an 8 hour bus ride through the Cordillera, the mountain range that divides the two countries, it was good to get back and stretch my legs.

It was a very awesome 3 day visit to Mendoza. On Saturday we switched hotels, one with towels, unripped matresses, and privacy. We signed up for a wine tour that was 25 pesos. We saw two vineyards, an olive oil factory, and a chocolate factory.

The vineyards were neat. We saw the whole wine making process from vine to bottle. It smelled sickeningly sweet throughout the entire factory. We saw them crushing the grapes with machines and then placing them into tanks in order to ferment, then moving them to barrels to age, and finally the bottling plant. Apparently, that region of Argentina is known for Melbeck. When I asked our guide what he thought of Chilean wines he said that their popularity was mostly due to marketing. Apparently, there`s a rivalry. We also learned how wine snobs judge wine. Apparently there`s a lot of ridiculous stuff like looking at the color of the wine through the glass into a napkin, swirling, smelling, and drinking etc...I thought it was a big waste of time, either drink it or don`t.

After the two vineyards we went to an olive oil factory. Apparently, olive oil can be made from either pressing the olives or putting them in a centerfuge. Extra virgen comes from pressing which I liked better then the other way. Extra virgen seemed more flavorful. At the end, they gave us samples which was great because I love olive oil.

Next, we went to a chocolate factory. Not quite Willy Wonka´s and it was disappointing not to see any Oompa Loompa´s. Although the free samples were nice.

Dinner on Saturday was awesome. We ordered a parrillada which is a plate of different grilled meats and vegetables. I think they must have killed 7 animals, at the very least, in order to make our dinner. There was beef, chicken, lamb, and pork in the big plate in the middle of the table. All sorts of grilled kidneys, tripe, ribs, wings, blood sausage etc...Fantastic. I found Argentinean beef to be of really high quality and it tasted really different than American beef. Apparently, most cows in Argentina are all grass fed in comparison to our hormone pumped cows in the US.

Another thing I noticed is that the vegetables in our meal acted as meer garnish. I read a quote somewhere that "a vegetarian in Argentina is like a duck out of water". Partly true, they do have great pastas so I`m sure the non-carnivours could find something to like.