This town is awesome. Really walk friendly too. What rhymes with latte but is obviously way more addicting for some? If you answered mate’ (pronounced Mah-tAA) you are correct. When walking about in this place I happened to notice an abundant number of folks enjoying this hot tea-like beverage. There are three pieces of equipment needed to partake. First a special mate’ cup and filtered straw, and also a thermos. The thermos is necessary because once addicted you can’t let go. Once the liquid is consumed you will find in the bottom of the cup or mug a sludgy greenish-brown paste; much like long chewing tobacco which has been thoroughly enjoyed. See the many images that a snapped surreptitiously. People of all ages seem to be enjoying this stuff. In America mate’ exists, however like the original Coke Cola of 1906, it does not contain the addictive ingredient.
After a lengthy walk in order to get these candid shots I developed a powerful appetite. Consequently I dropped into the most amazing assembly of BBQ restaurants I have ever seen. The place was called Mercado del Puerto. Translating to “market at the port.” It was a huge market at one time. Now it plays home to about 20 or so BBQ joints. They start cranking up the grill at about 10 AM by burning special varieties of logs. The fire burns from behind the actual grill and then the hot coals are shoveled forward under the grills as needed. I happen to enjoy an amazing slab of beef tenderloin from Argentina. The aromas in the place could even make a vegan eat meat.
