One of the disadvantages of staying in a hotel for long periods is that you can’t just pop into the kitchen to make yourself a cup of coffee or raid the fridge for whatever you fancy. Unfortunately the café facilities at the hotel here are very limited and my room has no fridge or tea and coffee making facilities. As a result I have got to know the local cafes and restaurant and their staff very well

Argentina’s food has been heavily influenced by the Spanish and Italian settlers in the country. Bread, pastries and pasta form a large part of the daily diet. Another favourite is the Empanada (basically a sort of mini Cornish pasty but in my view nowhere near as good).  There are few veggie stalls or fruit shops here in town and the selection of produce in these is small when compared to some of the little shops I saw in Buenos Aires.  This lack of choice, naturally enough, is reflected in the café menus too.

 Jose the local cafe owner was somewhat bemused at me taking photos of his pastries and declared to the rest of the customers “she is from New Zealand” by way of explanation 

Here in Anatuya, the poverty of the region becomes apparent when you scour the supermarket shelves for yummy things to eat. There is not much choice and what there is, is plain and relatively expensive. I read in the paper today that inflation (in relation to food) is running at 12% since January.  Its no wonder that families struggle to make ends meet.

Obesity in all ages is a big big problem in Anatuya (excuse the pun). Diabetes is a huge issue in the region with children as young as 8 being diagnosed. There are apparently 70,000 type 2  diabetes patients in the region. The people here  guzzle enormous amounts of sweet fizzy drinks and ice cream (due in a large part to the heat I have no doubt).  They also have a great love for the evil dulce de leche – the caramelised condensed milk you find in banoffie pie- it’s everywhere! Somewhat surprisingly, there are no brand name fast food/burger joints here. I suspect this may be influenced by the fact that the local mayor is/was a doctor.

The local restaurant serves fantastic steak (as you would expect), has a great selection of wines from Mendoza and the ravioli is authentic and delicious. But after a couple of weeks of steak or chicken with salad for dinner, my palate is craving something a little more fragrant and colourful. For example, eggs benedict with fresh wilted spinach straight from the garden. Watermelon, ripe avocados, and sweet baby tomatoes. Prawns cooked with Lemongrass, ginger and chili. Lamb skewers with brightly coloured peppers sizzling on the BBQ washed down with a Mission estate Sav. I crave the heat and flavours of a Thai red curry and I go to sleep dreaming of the smell of the juicy red strawberries currently in our garden, freshly picked and still warm from the sun. Torture!   However before I start to feel too sorry for myself, its worth remembering that most people here can’t afford the luxury of eating in cafes and restaurants or incorporating steak and nice wines in their diet. A sobering thought.

So, as it is I think very soon I will be suffering from the local condition of ‘bread spread’ – basically a widening of the hips and backside caused by sitting down to consume copious amounts of ‘pan’. Oh lord it’s going to be a long and painful month at the gym when I get back…..