Vino es vida

If I could choose one word to describe Argentines, it would be Passionate.

Argentines live with ferocity. Everything they do — from eating to arguing to partying to kissing — it is all incredibly full of life.

One of the best examples of this passion is evident in Argentine food. Lunch and dinner are spectacles. The food is rich, generally centering around Argentina’s most famous and succulent delicacy — beef. Mendoza, the city I am living in, is known internationally for its fine, rich wines, called “Malbec”. Consequently, wine is served at both lunch and dinner, with children, parents and grandparents enjoying the fruits of the vine together. As my host father said, “Vino es vida,” which translates to “wine is life.”

On special occasions, the family uses la parrilla, which is an outside grill made out of bricks, to cook “asado,” an especially tender steak, served with spices, tomatoes and of course, wine.

A little about the Argentine schedule during the work week — just to emphasize how important the enjoyment of food is here — at lunch time, everyone returns home from work or school to enjoy the meal together. After lunch, there is the siesta, where everyone takes a couple of hours to sleep and digest their food.  Then it’s back to work until around 10 p.m. when there is another luxurious meal followed by a satisfied night’s sleep.

Argentines have passionate opinions on everything from politics to government to the personal lives of their family members. Often during mealtimes, the family will get in to shouting arguments about anything from the healthcare system to what my host brother, Luis, should be studying at his university.

However hostile their arguments with each other might be, people make up for them with their affection for each other. Anytime they are greeting one another or are saying goodbye, they kiss each other on the cheek. Another thing about Argentine affection is that it is not private. PDA, (Public Display of Affection), is simply not a problem here. It is normal to see couples making out in the park, on the street, in the living room … you get the picture.

Another thing Argentines do passionately is party. On the weekends, they will go out to a bar until 2 a.m., when the boliches or discotecas (dance clubs) open and then dance until 5 a.m. The boliches are loud and filled with music perfect for dancing to like reggaeton, salsa, or Latino rap.

In comparison, our fast-food, tightly-wound, work-before-play lives in the United States are often times more focused on succeeding at school or completing the goal or task of the day instead of living in the moment. Perhaps we could take a glass of wisdom from the Argentines and make some time to disfrutar or “enjoy” this moment in our lives.