Feature of the Week-er: Okebon Cookies!

WARNING: YOU MAY FIND THIS POST TO BE A COMPLETELY IRRELEVANT AND FRIVOLOUS DISTRACTION THAT CAUSES YOU TO LEAVE THE OFFICE ON A COOKIE RUN. SORRY.

Okebon’s Cookies are the oh-so-lucky winner of my first ever

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Feature of the Week-er !!

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I have now tried two types of this brand’s cookies (the sugar sprinkled Girotondo and the slightly orange flavored Panal) and I like them. They were also really cheap: ARS 6.25 at the chino around the corner. These two facts come together to make these cookies the “Most Delicious Bang for your Buck”.

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Dunk ’em, munch ’em, crumble them over your mate for all I care. The package is surprisingly large so its great for hoarding for yourself sharing with friends.

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I’m not saying that these cookies could pass for homemade (although they would be delicious as ddl (dulce de leche) cookie sammies) but for your basic snack cookie they do the trick. A little “oo!” even escaped from my mouth after my first taste (TMI?).

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So CONGRATULATIONS to Okebon for creating a cookie that I actually want to buy again.

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Buns of Steel…for FREE?

Looking for free, creative ways to exercise in Buenos Aires?

I always do! Gyms are expensive and, considering they are closed on Sundays, not always convenient for us professionals. My thinking is that if you can work out outside, you should. Anyway, it’s probably better for our lungs AND our self esteem (any one see those gorgeous leggy Argentine girls in Saturday evening tops, leggings and their hair down? ugh). I also downloaded the GymPact app that literally takes money from your bank account (with your permission of course) everytime you miss your weekly workout goal. Harsh, but useful. Sort of like my mom charging my sister for leaving things on the floor when she was younger, its definitely using the stick rather than the carrot. But hey, if it works…

So don’t think this is about to be an infomercial pill that will whip you in to shape. I expect you to actually work for those glorious glutes. But I’ll at least give you a hint as to where you can exercise without having to drop the cash that gyms in the city ask for.

Estaciones Saludables:

This new city initiative to get porteños fit provides some wonderful exercise opportunities that anyone can take advantage of. The stations offer a variety of services and activities including basic health information, yoga and aerobics classes, and access to bikes. The stations are all over the city, located in different parks. On a recent Sunday in the Rosedale in Palermo I was lucky enough to get there just in time for the dance aerobics class. Oh yeah. I shook by bum like the rest of the ladies and was informed that the class had actually started at 930 AM with a jog/walk around the lakes and that dancing would be followed by yoga/stretching. Not too bad for free.

 

Days and time vary from station to station and activities I believe, change frequently. It seems like the only way to really know whats going on is to go, so pull on your running shoes and run hop the subte over to your closest park to check out whats going on!

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Mejor en Bici:

This free city bike service lets you pick up a bike from a bunch of stations around the city and use it for a full hour without paying a cent. Sounds like the perfect excuse to see the sites and work up a mighty sweat at the same time. Register here.

NOTE: You have to have some sort of proof of residency to do this. So if you pay a bill you might be able to take advantage. I, of course, cannot. Snap.

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Outdoor Gym:

hate the idea of working out in side but love the way those gym machines make your muscles bulge? Get the best of both worlds with one of the free outdoor gyms provided by the city. Thank Israel in Palermo Park’s Plaza Israel by using the machines the country donated (cute, but still wondering who came up with that one). Or have a view of that massive silver flower to keep you motivated (why, I don’t know). Add in the biking/running lanes right in front of both areas and these open-air gyms become the cheapest way to get in shape. (Plaza Justo Jose de Urquiza, in between Ave. Libertador and Ave. Figuero Alcorta and next to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes OR Plaza Israel inbetween Av. Figueroa Alcorta y Los Ombúes, in Parque Tres de Febrero).

Classes at your Neighborhood Centro Cultural:

Just about every neighborhood in the city has a cultural center that provides free or super low cost classes. In terms of exercise, centers have everything from yoga to tango classes. Do a little of your own research and check our your best bet using this list . Many centers have their own webpage with listings too so here is a more general list of what some centers offer.

Blogilates:

And if its raining or just gross outside, google your free personal trainer Cassey Ho. She may be over bubbly for someone doing squats, but Cassey will make you sweat and curse her at the same time. Do 3 videos and call it a day. (Another similiar (but not quiiite as fun) website is FitSugar.)

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Best butt wins a prize!  A ‘frugal’ prize of course…and what that means not even I know.

The Frugal Way to Vote from BA

Alright, I’m going to get this out quickly because you DON’T HAVE MUCH TIME. If you are a U.S. citizen currently living in Argentina (holla!) and you got a wee bit lazy with your voting you’ve still got some time before the big day. Fedex is offering discounted rates for express shipping so you can make sure your vote counts!

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Note: this is for those who are ALREADY REGISTERED. If you didn’t register, get on that for the mid-term elections please !!

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Here’s how you can vote for your man before the big day (one day I’ll be able to say woman!):

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First, make sure you are not one of the lucky bastards ducks who can send in a write-in absentee ballot via via fax or e-mail (Arizona, California (fax only), Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Washington, and West Virginia).

Second, if you aren’t one of those guys, print out your ballot by following the steps on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website  and get it ready to send. If you are, still go to this website and fill out necessary info.

Third, head to the Overseas Vote Foundation’s Express Your Vote page and follow directions.

Remember, you CANNOT go to the U.S. Embassy in BA to vote on November 6th. They made that quite clear in an e-mail. Although, how COOL would that be?

Hope this helpful! Don’t you love that I even found you a discount to VOTE? I take my job seriously.

Country Olive Oil in the Big City

If you have ever once wondered why BA supermarket olive oil is so expensive and, uh, bad unsatisfying to the pallet, I’m with you. But when I found Quetec I knew the days of oddly perfumed food were over. Located in three different areas of Capital Federal, this shrine to all things Mendoza is so so so worth the trip. The quality of their products is wonderful, but the best part is their prices. Or maybe its the olive oil and olive tastings. You can decide for yourself when you get there.

1 liter of olive oil (really good and what I use for cooking and drizzling alike) is something like $35 pesos. A WHOLE liter! Aside from olive oil they have green and black olives, a huge wine selection, jars of jam and other preserved treats and even a cold area where they can serve you up a part of a whole leg of jamon crudo and dried chorizo. They also have massive jugs of table wine which I haven’t been brave enough to ask about (or carry) but which look like they could be a fun party additive.

If you are mesmerized by the wine selection and can’t seem to choose there was one that I thought was delicious, especially for its price: La Íride, Cabernet Savignon. At $33 pesos I felt it was just what my asado needed.

Last time I went to the store on Riobomba they had these deals:

1 bottle of wine + 1 liter of olive oil (mixed olives) = $70 pesos

1 Liter of olive oil (mixed olives) + 1/4 liter of olive oil (single olive) + 1/4 kilo of olives = $55 pesos

So next time you think about buying Cocinero olive oil for $40+ pesos in your local Carrefour, think again.

Quetec

Riobamba 448, Congreso/Balvanera area

Gallo 1640, Barrio Norte/Palermo area

Av. Cabildo 196, Palermo Hollywood/Las Canitas area

Going to the Movies for Cheaper in Buenos Aires

It’s a Sunday or its raining and you feel like a nap movie. You could browse the options on your favorite movie site, but you feel the need to leave the house. An obvious option? The movies, of course! Here are a couple of ways to see movies without using all of your entertainment budget in one go.

CouponStar

 You may have seen the signs for this in the subte. The premise is simple: send a text, recieve a coupon. The great thing is that the coupons are things you would actually spend money on anyway. Couponstar has 2×1 deals at Cinemark, Multiplex, Showcase, and even IMAX Showcase theaters. When I originally saw it I immediately wanted to know just how many spam texts would flood my box after that coupon. Three weeks later I can say that I haven’t gotten any. Each coupon costs AR$ 1.20 + minimal taxes for Movistar, Personal, Nextel and Claro, which is how they make their money. Please, do me a favor and never pay full price again.

Espacio INCAA, Congreso

 If your Spanish is on the rise, and especially if you have already achieved some gold stars in your lunfardo class (please see El Tano Pasman for examples) this is the place for you. This heavily goverment-subsidized theater boasts Argentine films at extremely low prices. A ticket rarely if never goes abouve AR$ 10 and usually floats around AR$ 8. Its also even cheaper for students, averaging a whopping $AR 2 pesos less. So if you can’t wait to see the new Darin movie, this is probably your spot.

Club La Nación

 If you are interested in staying up to date on the news and getting some discounts at the same time then this is your best option. With a subscription to La Nación (can be just the newspaper once a week and a magazine per month) you have unlimited access to the company’s discounts. Many movie theaters throughout the city (the theater in the Abasto Mall, for example) give you a 2×1 price that is rarely available without an Argentine credit card.

Village Cinema

 This is a little chip off the price and good for those who feel the need to buy movie snacks. The movie theater at the mall in Recoleta and Caballito gives students, teachers, and retirees the possibility to apply for a card that gets a bit of a discount. The card costs AR$ 5 for administrative fees but it gets you the Wednesday matinee ticket price (AR$ 32 instead of 42) throughout the week and before 4 PM on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You also get some sort of discount in popcorn combos (hence why this one is particularly good for you pochoclo fiends). All you need is proof of your status. If you are a retiree or teacher from Argentina I can imagine you know more than I do about this. For students, I know that you can get an offical letter declaring your status at a student (I’ve used this sort of letter to get some really nice dicounts on long distance bus travel) from your Argentine University quite easily, especially the private ones. If you are up for a little bureaucracy maneuvering, try this one out!

Showcase Belgrano 2×1

If you have internet access you can do this. Fillout the form and get 2×1 everyday and 2×1 in 3D movies on Thursdays using your very own scannable code. I saved the image in my iphone, ready for when I need it. Also 2×1 in 1/4 kilos of ice cream at Chungo. Nice. 

Cuevana

 If you really don’t feel like leaving the house afterall and you just want to curl up on your couch/bed/floor with your laptop then this is your best friend. Its self explanatory and entirely free so I’ll let you browse on your own. cuevana.tv

One final tip: If you’ve really gotten into this frugal thing, pop your own instant popcorn at home and buy a box of candy at the kiosko down the street. A good backpack or an over-sized purse will cover your tracks.

Happy Movie-ing!

La Cabrera Happy Hour: The Steak you Came for at the Price you Hoped For

This is a big one. If you haven’t heard of La Cabrera you haven’t done your research.  In fact, you haven’t done ANY research because it is one of the most popular tourist steakhouses in the city. The New York Times has written about it, its all over Tripadvisor.com and I am sure there are hostel shuttles that take you directly to the door. Thats not to say that Argentines don’t fall under its charms too–in fact they seem to be fairly jealous that mostly tourists tend to know about it. And I’ll tell you why in one word:

Steak.

Yes yes the city is full of parillas with full animals roasting over coals in the window. And sure, you could probably find one cheaper. But I’m not sure why you would especially after what I am about to tell you.

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But wait let me first explain the carnal sin (heh, carne is meat in Spanish) that is a meal at La Cabrera.

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You sit,

they bring you a wonderful bread basket with three dips,

you order,

they bring you mini plates (about 6) of mashed potato and butternut squash, pearl onions, zucchini fritatta, and more that you didn’t order,

you feast,

they bring you what could only be an up-cycled antique ski carrying little plates of salad with a poached egg, mini caprese, etc. all for the taking,

the meat arrives and you wonder if they are fattening you for a similar fate because the meat is probably HUGE,

you enjoy some of the best steak you have ever had,

if you decline death dessert they bring a lollipop tree to seal the deal,

waddle home,

Scene.

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OK so now that you know how it works let me tell you the best part about this place. They have half price Happy Hour on weekdays from 7-8 PM. You say, “but you didn’t even mention the drinks so why should I care?”. And I chuckle, pat you on the hand and say, “but that includes the dinner menu too”. Yes, ladies and gents, I mean to say that you can eat at this carnival of BBQ (I am sorry but these puns are just coming so EASILY) for half of what they want to charge you at peak hours. You generally have to be in and out within the hour, but who cares? Coupled with the generosity of portions and included side dishes, one cut of meat is more than enough for two peple meaning you could get away with an amazing steak dinner for two with wine for less than 200 pesos. And I would even venture to say easily.

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And yes, I accept thank you gifts.

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La Cabrera

Cabrera 5099

4832-5754

Cine Migrante For the Masses

In the mood for some currency-free culture? As of Tuesday, October 9th the 3rd annual Festival Internacional de Cine y Formacion en Derechos Humanos de las Personas Migrante put on by the non-governmental organization MigrantCine began showing films throughout the city. Lets just make it easier and call it Festival CineMigrante.

The film festival’s objective is to contribute to national, regional and international conversations about migration through film screenings, workshops, and conferences. Films cover a huge variety of topics and come from all over the world.

And boy is Buenos Aires the perfect venue. Did you know that Argentina is considered to have one of the most open immigration policies in the world? By law as of 2003, migration is a human right and Argentina provides all migrants with access to health, education, and family reunification services at no cost. So yes, thats why they patched you up for free at the Public Hospital.

Films will be shown until October 17th at various locations around the city, including the Centro Cultural de la Cooperacion, Cine Gaumont (AKA Espacio INCAA in Congreso), Centro Cultural de Espana of BA. Check out the show times for more details.

Films you might see me at:

Sin Pais

Vol Special

Silent River

A Life on Hold

Ulises

The Runner

A Menina dos Olhos Grandes

Anita Bakery: My Neighborhood Bakery Away from Home

When lunch hour strikes and I want something filling but not heavy, reasonably priced but not empanadas or veg from the stand next door, and free of the block of melted cheese that often accompanies lunch, I go to Anita Bakery. This doll house of a sweet shop has become my go to take-out spot for delicious tartas (quiche) with a side of salad with homemade dressing or oven-roasted potatoes. At $28 pesos this is a great option when last nights dinner just didn’t make it to the tupperware. They also do sandwiches on homemade bread for $30 and salads for $35, making this place one of my favorites in BA.  If you want to splurge for a key lime pie, Anna also has you covered.

Take-away if you want or sit in one of the three stools to chat with a friend while you eat, but know that this place is mini. Located right near the corner of Charcas and Armenia on the edge of Palermo Soho

UPDATE: four months later and I am still going back, even if its just for a chat (SHE IS SO NICE). Lunch continues to be delicious and reasonable and I have to absolutely give a shout out to Ana’s holiday pan dulce. Even a day later and after being squished in every direction on an overnight flight, it was perfect.

Stepping into Traffic

If you are timid you never cross the street. Not here in Buenos Aires. In a smaller town, even a smaller city cars will stop, the person in side might wave you forward. In Buenos Aires it seems they would rather see you pancaked to the ground than allow another car to slip in front. So in true BA style I am stepping into traffic. Its not aggressive pedestrian-ism, nor is it too reckless. Its simply Bold. I am finally giving an idea the chance to make it to the other, poo-strewn sidewalk (you know what I mean).

And this traffic thing is a two way street. In giving myself a chance I am giving you one too; the chance to take full advantage of this city without wanting to set fire to your credit card for fear of violating your bank account. I am NOT proposing a nun/monk like existence of free church concerts and guided tours. Not at all. I even propose splurging from time to time on that delicious meal, that segway tour, or that pair of shoes. But wont you feel better splurging when you know you saved in other, not-at-all painful ways? And while we are on the subject of delicious meals, just because you are a frugal traveler or a student does not mean you need to exist on empanadas and watch movies exclusively when you can find them online (although do not doubt that I will include Cuevana.tv on this very blog). 

So its time to get started. Let me help you save those monedas and pesos. In an economy plagued with this much inflation there is no shame. None AT ALL. If its there for the taking, then by all means take! Graciously of course, and spread the word. Now lets go get our moneys worth.