This week spring is in full force and we've had a lot of rain. Not the best weather for exploring, but good for all kinds of indoor activities. Yesterday, in an attempt to continue my culinary adventures, I tried to make gf empanadas. It seemed like a simple task...stuff ingredients into a pastry shell, seal, bake, enjoy. I even had premade gluten free pastry shells! In my excitement I hastily plopped tomato, avocado and cheese onto the dough and folded it in half. Naturally the whole thing fell apart and I created a huge mess. After salvaging what I could, I made a rice cake sandwich and put the process on hold. Today I decided to show those empanadas who's in charge. This time I used two masa (dough) circles, figuring more room = less breakage. Again, total mess. Not to be deterred, I mashed the dough into a ball, reformed it into two semi-flat circles and before I long I had a veggie filled object that kind of resembled an empanada! It baked into a golden and flaky creation that looked like it belonged in a Martha Stewart magazine. These Argentines have gluten free figured out. It was delicious and actually tasted more like a pot-pie than anything else. I think the last time I had a pot pie was in 1994, so that was exciting all by itself. Next time I'm going to try a new filling (mmmm...black beans and red peppers!) and try to modify the oven temperature (no degrees on our oven, just hi/lo). Very exciting stuff.
The other fun event of the day was a trip to the hospital. I've been trying to kick a sinus infection for a while now and I'm still full of snot. Yuck. I asked a teacher at school if it is possible to purchase antibiotics at the pharmacy and she told me I needed to have a prescription first. Then she shuffled me into her office, made a quick phone call, and told me her boyfriend is a doctor and I could meet him at the doors of hospital for a free rx. All of this was in Spanish and I had to ask her to repeat the info again. Then I realized that she meant I could see him for free and he'd give me an rx. Excellent! Health care is free in Argentina, but it's not uncommon to wait more than five hours to see a clinician. Yikes. My friend and I took the bus to the public hospital (where feral cats roamed freely), called Gaston (the doctor boyfriend), described my snot in broken Spanish and left with an order for amoxicillin. YES!!! I was surprised that the meds were so expensive, but mostly I'm thankful that 1) I'll soon get rid of this nastiness and 2) I didn't have to wait a lifetime to see a clinician.
One last note on Argentina. Upon meeting someone or saying hello--basically any greeting--it is custom to kiss on the right cheek. It's very friendly and much nicer than a handshake, but also a bit odd. Most of the time I love it, but what about after pilates class or futbol when we're sweaty? What about at the hospital when I know I'm sick? It seems like a bad idea to offer and receive a kiss when I know I have an infection, but it's also considered rude to skip it...so what do you do? Such a conundrum.
Until next time, buena salud y buena comida!
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