Culture Differences...

The culture in Argentina and very different from the culture in America. It is a lot of getting use to but I do like parts of their culture. This might be a series of post as I keep learning about the culture but we will just have to wait and see. I'm just going to mention what I remember now as cultural differences.

Timing: Argentines have a very long day compared to Americans. They have breakfast and lunch around the same time as Americans but then they have siesta from around 1-4pm. Which is like the greatest thing ever. It's a scheduled nap time or rest time. So I either nap or just chill on my computer watching TV and such. Then they have a little pastry and coffee snack time around 5pm because dinner is really really late like around 9pm at the earliest. If it is a weekend, most of the younger people go out to a discoteca. Those normally open around 2am and close around 5-7am. Yes their clubs open at 2am which is the time they close in America on a college campus. It's just absurd. This is why siesta is so important. They also take forever at dinner. Like its just a social event where you spend hours eating and everything is a sit down and enjoy kind of meal. Unlike in America where we have fast food and eating is something we do because our bodies need nourishment like an inconvenience to people. Like in America if we could go without eating we probably could because we want to get back to whatever else we were doing. Unlike in Argentina when a meal is a time to enjoy your company so you can take your time at a restaurant talking and just chilling. Argentines are also not huge with time orientation. So they do set times for things but really they are all approximations.

Food: The food isn't too too different but the norms are not the same. Argentines' are in love with ham and cheese. You can get something with ham and cheese for every meal. I know I eat it for breakfast every day so far. lol. They also eat a lot of pizza but it does not have as much sauce and no matter what kind there is a green olive on every slice. Its great for people like me who love olives but not that many people love olives. There is a lot of pastries or carbs in general which is horrible for someone on a low-carb diet. So I kind of ditched the diet for this trip. They also eat a lot of steak or at least the steak is popular. Like the sandwich I had called Lomito and a breaded steak called Milinase. It is all really good. Restaurants are very different. The waiters are not all about turning over the tables as fast as possible like they are in America. In Argentina, its all about enjoying your meal so you have to flag down the waiter at the end to get a check. You can just take you time and enjoy your company and the meal. Restaurants are also different because you have to pay for water so it comes in bottles. Plus you have to order water without gas/carbonation. They love their carbonated water.

Greetings: Argentines' personal bubble is basically none existant. It is kind of difficult for me because I do have a personal bubble but I think I am getting use to it so I kind of like it. When you say hi to someone you just don't say hello and keep your distance. You say hola and kiss them on the cheek. I think it is suppose to be the right cheek because every time we have met someone new it has always been the right cheek. It could just be because everyone goes to the left and that is the norm of the world but I am not exactly sure. Apparently for guys saying hi to guys it is different they basically do a bro hug (grab each others hand like you are shaking it then you do that one armed hug). You also do that same thing when you are saying adios or ciao. That is something else I found weird... They say ciao (hello/bye) and prego (you're welcome). Which is Italian but they don't really use anything else that is Italian but whatever.

Social Gatherings: There are different types of social gatherings and I wish we could bring them back to America. Like I mentioned the other day about Mate and how they just sit around sharing Mate and eating little cookies. I think it is so cool just to chill with friends sharing Mate and talking. I also like the little coffee time they have at 5pm, that is also a time to meet up with a friend and catch up or something like that. There is just a different atmosphere of people being close compared to distant. Like people stand closer together when they talk. People are just more open with sharing and being a close compared to America where we are distant and there is a personal bubble.