Vegetariano, no mas!

It's me, Trish. Finally materializing on my promise to post as a guest author, about the glorious beef! I have no excuses for my tardiness. So, here goes...

I think we planned this trip six months ago. At that point, I was back on the wagon , after a year or so of intermittent foraying into a carnivorous lifestyle on a random, impulsive basis. I was a true vegetarian for 15 years and then simply could no longer ignore the craving. So, getting back to Argentina - I bought the Lonely Planet book once we were officially going, and quickly realized I was traveling to beef mecca. Interesting. I am also going to Africa later this year and decided a while back that I will definitely eat meat there, so I made a conscious decision that it was in my best interest to eat this famed beef in Argentina.

I embraced this decision by going into training. I had my first bite of steak since middle school, in December (thanks, Terry). I figured, no reason to risk potentially making myself sick from this venture, so it was probably better to ease myself back into things. Next, I had a Dick's cheeseburger. My first Dick's burger EVER. Then, a beef empanada at La Isla, thanks to Katrina's sophisticated palate. I digress - the point here is that on my Rediscovery of Meat Adventure, I realized I hated chicken, while I felt an uncontrollable carnal love for beef. Red meat. This is not what I expected.

We had our first dinner in Buenos Aires on Thursday. Let me preface the following by saying that Mary, Lara, and I all agree that our dinner at Parilla 1880 was one of the best meals and dining experiences of our entire lives. Were we so jet lagged and deliriously happy just to be alive and so fortunate to have the ability to travel as we desire so as to make you think we'd say that about anywhere we went at that point? Perhaps. But, I'm telling you - it really was that good. The ambiance was magical and we had a three course meal (that included a giant chunk of "baked provolone" as an appetizer - YUM), wine, and dessert for the equivalent of about $20 USD each. Amazing!

Lara was immediately interested in steak but I declared that I wasn't ready for it yet. Thankfully, I momentarily came to my senses and realized that this is what I came here for. I had no idea what to order, so Lara guided me through the process like a wise sage. When the slab of meat was placed down in front of me, I have to admit that I was a little nervous. Am I really ready for this? I took up my fork and knife with courage and cut myself my first little bite. By this time Lara was already reacting to hers with incredible enthusiasm. So I took my bite. And, Oh My God. I can't actually articulate with words how or why this particular piece of steak tasted so good. Lara said it melted in her mouth. That's completely accurate. But there was something else about it. It was almost scary how good it was. In the sense that after each bite I felt an overwhelming, all-encompassing sense of sheer satisfaction. Similar to, but inherently different to the feeling of pleasure I receive after polishing off an entire pint of Ben & Jerry's in one go.

So, does Argentina have the best beef in the world? I may be a novice but I do believe the title is well deserved.