markets, bars, & wellness brought to you

So, ever since we arrived in Baires, we've been a bit over the top (typical) about exploring our health food store/restaurant & farmer's market-style options...and naturally, the search has yet to come to a halt (note: I find it necessary to enter every single "dietetica"- natural food store, to ponder the selection even though each store basically sells the same items for basically the same amount. It's too much, I know.) A few weeks back we discovered one hidden gem that must be jotted down: El Galpón. Open just two days a week, this marigold painted, barn-like market can be found nestled next to/behind the train station La Estación Lacroze- a sketchy area no doubt, rough around the edges, but delightful nonetheless- a true diamond in the rough.

A pot of gold at the end of the road.

Due to the small size of the building, the setting is intimate and communal...and the vendors are absolute characters! My favorite is probably the dairy man who can usually be found sporting a cap, scarf, and grin. A vibrant wee man he is, always ready to dish the biggest, baddest testers of all time- we're talkin' hunks of whole butta atop a little pan, or even better, scoops of dulce de leche. He doesn't mess around. Best part is, he has black and white xerox copied photos of his farm, including the animals that produced the product you are about to purchase..."That milk right there...you can say thanks to Margarita!" he says, pointing to the photo of his prized vaca. Can't get enough of the guy.

He wins my heart each and every week...

Oh and then there's the spunky marmalade lady, Rosa, who reminds me a bit of my mom, chattier than all get out. Her spreads are to die for...some of her featured flavas: cherry w/walnuts, carrot & kumquat! Offering everything in it's organic form- from olive oil to wholesome yogurt, fresh produce to raw honey...El Galpón gets me thoroughly stoked on food.

I think that all of the vendors, including dear Rosa (above), have come to know Col and I as the foreign chicas who are always on the prowl for testers.

In other news (though still related to nourishment), Col and I have been running a Lara bar factory right out of our home, producing some of the best all-natural raw goodness I have ever eaten in all my 22 yrs. Seriously. If you are like me and fancy little energizing treats of the sort, I urge you to run on down to the mercado to pick up some dried fruit and nuts, and get crackin'- you won't regret it. For some inspiration, featured below are a few of our creations:

• La tierra: 1 cup pitted dates (the stickier the betta) . 1/2 cup finely chopped cashews . 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts . 1 cup sliced dried apples . 1/2 cup raisins . lil' nutmeg (little goes a long way) . cinnamon . flaxseed (optional) .

• El choco-coco: 1 cup pitted dates . 1/2 cup finely chopped cashews . 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts . 1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate . 1/2 cup shredded coconut . lil' nutmeg . cinnamon . flaxseed (optional) .

• El sueño pacana: 1 cup pitted dates . 1 cup chopped pecans .

Sidenote: Measurements are all a bit rough...just try and keep it equal parts dried fruit and dry ingredients, all of which can be mixed & mingled a su gusto (other nice additions to experiment with: almond butter, seeds, oats, honey, dried apricots...) No holdin' back folks...get creative. "Go on get!"

Tasty lil' suckers.

The whole bar kick-off really got fired up because Col and I posted ourselves on craigslist (no surprise here) offering a "Wellness Package." You can pretty much have anything and everything delivered to your doorstep here in Baires (medication, groceries, ice cream till 2am- no joke)...so why not deliver a bit of wellness? SAMATHA ("stopping, calming, breathing" in Pāli) is the title of our service :) ...bringing people a 2-hr session of pilates, massage, and of course, the homemade bars paired with a calming tea. Heavenly right? All we need now is the clientèle...

a few nice lines

"A man needs to travel. By his own means, not by stories, images, books or TV. By his own, with his eyes and feet, to understand what he is. To some day plant his own trees and give them some value. To know the cold, to enjoy the heat. To feel the distance and lack of shelter, to be well under his own ceiling. A man needs to travel to places he doesn’t know to break this arrogance that makes us see the world as we imagine it, and not simply as it is or may be. That makes us teachers and doctors of what we have never seen, when we should just be learners, and simply go see it."

Amyr Klink

smuggling georgie

Kate sadly bid us adieu a little over a week ago, but I thought it absolutely necessary to feature two absolutely incredible photos of her...the first is a head shot that makes me chuckle every time I look at it. Oh I miss that girl! The second is at the San Telmo Sunday street fair, where Kitty bonded with a colorfully clad Native Indian from Peru. He asked her out on a date for later that evening...

Post-Kate's visit we found ourselves with an unexpected guest: Mr. Georgie. We first crossed paths with George in Florianopolis, Brazil, through the family with whom we couchsurfed. He graciously played our tour guide for a day and we were instant friends. A brief low-down on Georgie: real name "Jorge", Bolivian-American, U.S. home base = Los Angeles, film producer, yogi, vegetarian, extremely clean, can't stand the cold, nomadic tendencies... Given our ridiculous "no guests for more than one night or else we'll make you pay" apartment situation (don't get me started,) we had to be super suave about sneaking Georgie in and out of the building. I am not quite sure how we managed to keep our guest a secret, but we pulled it off. We failed with both Jodie and Kate and were tagged with the $200USD fee. Frustrating. Just a few other things worth venting about: 1. Our neighbors (who we never see) complain that we shut the door too hard (what?!?) 2. Leo, the awkward doorman, his sister Roxanna not only cleans our place once a week, but she is also secretary to the owner of the apt! All eyes on us. 3. New rule imposed: $500USD fine for noise complaints after 10pm. Hard to abide by when the walls are paper thin- and although we have come close, we have yet to get our first warning. Fingers crossed. Anyway, having Georgie here was great fun- lots of cooking, good conversation, and speaking Spanish (he was a wonderful influence...kicking our desire and need to speak Spanish with one another into full throttle.) Looking forward to seeing him soon as he will be settling down in BsAs for a while after his trip to Bolivia...

Georgie expressing some raw emotion at the ArteBA exhibit.

Me, Col, Mauro (Georgie's friend), & G at "Bomba del Tiempo"- a Monday night percussion showdown that really gets ya movin'.