Odd Crew Eating in Buenos Aires

While feasting on my daily red meat at a local "parilla" (restaurant focused on meat) that was recommended by the Lonely Planet the other day, i was greatly amused by the scene there.

As it was not a prime eating time, there were only two other tables occupied in this vast and ornately decorated eating hall (e.g. large murals of cattle and cowboy "gauchos" out of the range). Aside from me (shamelessly knocking back a bottle of red in the mid-afternoon while flipping through my Lonely Planet, the equivalent of carrying a flashing neon sign with the words "Tourist Located Here"), the other patrons were clearly tourists as well. Seemingly trying to fit right into this "gaucho" mood, a heavy 50-something year old American sat with a large cowboy hat, a huge cowboy-style moustache and a 20-something Argentina woman at his side. Next to them, sat a tiny Asian woman, alone with her plate of 3 thick steaks, each of which appeared larger than her head. The conversation of all three tables was pretty much limited to low grunts and pointing to items on the menu. Oh, and i think i asked for "ketchup", lest the already disdainful waiter had any doubts about my tourist status. As I was attempting to get photographic evidence of the comical scene, the waiters, even after the Asian woman finished all three of her huge steaks, seemed generally unimpressed.

Tomorrow i will fly to Brazil, but just for a day before heading onto Cape Town, South Africa...

By the way, i have uploaded more pictures to my www.flickr.com account, including "Adventures of Pocket Wookie". (Pocket Wookie, who is escorting me on my travels, is the buddy of my brother in law, Dave Stone.) Check them out!