Have you ever walked into a McDonald’s in Buenos Aires ? It is one of the more puzzling experiences you will ever have. They are clean, well-maintained, and full of people. There is a separate section called McCafé in which you may buy pastries, desserts, and coffees that competitively rival what any American Starbucks would produce.
In fact, I bought a vanilla latte the other day for 12 pesos (a little under 3 dollars) and it was served to me with two little cookies and a small glass of carbonated water. Each layer of the drink, the espresso, the milk, and the syrup was a separate strata in the glass (yeah… glass) in which it was served. How many Mickey D’s in the states serve coffee in glass and plate it with sweets? It looked so good; I nearly didn’t want to drink it in order to preserve its aesthetic appeal.
The prices for the coffees are comparatively cheap, especially considering the higher quality of the product. However, if you were to look to the right at the regular McDonald’s menu, the prices for meals range from 31-40 pesos. So doing the math real quickly – keep in mind that there is roughly 4 pesos for every US dollar – I realize that these meals are actually the same price, if not slightly pricier than McDonald’s meals in the US. Confusing.
To further compound my bewilderment, there are also McDonald’s curbside windows lining the streets. Here you can order McDonald’s ice cream (soft-serve) for about 1 US dollar. I tried the soft-serve, deciding it was worth the one dollar investment. It was delicious. So was the double quarter-pounder I tried. It was far less greasy than its American cousin and in terms of taste, the beef most resembled the other Argentinean burgers that I’ve had. That is to say, it was damn good.
I don’t want to give the impression that I have simply been meandering around Buenos Aires clinging rigidly to Americanism, seeking out McDonald’s and Starbucks as though they were American embassies. This is not at all the case. I have been to McDonald’s twice. Well, three times if you count the ice cream I bought on the street. Regardless, I bring up McDonald’s because I think in a very basic yet important sense, an experience at McDonald’s can encapsulate my Argentinean experience thus far in Buenos Aires.
A clear and perhaps helpful analogy can be established between McDonald’s and the city of Buenos Aires as a whole. The inherent identity crisis of an American company operating in a Latin American country, while trying to be European in its manner of service, is truly an interesting sight to behold. What I mean to say is that parts/aspects of Buenos Aires seem to simultaneously embrace some American culture, strive for European-ness, yet all the while, maintain a powerful and distinct Argentinean identity.
It is impossible to walk several blocks in Buenos Aires without seeing a café on a street corner. Similarly, in most of the plazas of the city, it is likewise impossible to fail to recognize the allusions to and imitations of European architecture. In many ways, Buenos Aires resembles Paris. Yet to leave it like this would be an oversimplification and an injustice to Argentine culture.
There is of course an undeniable (North)American influence. American music is played over the radio and in restaurants and bars. Many concerts for American stars are held within the city. Not to mention that the new Captain America film is currently being shown in virtually every commercial theater across the city. The irony is actually almost laughable. Or that every time I buy a ticket for the subway, I see an advertisement on it for Cars 2. Like I said, there is a definite influx of North American culture here.
Although Buenos Aires, like McDonald’s, retains many American and European customs, it is not just an amalgamation of North America and Europe. There are tango bars, centers for folkloric dance, theaters, and political party headquarters all over the city. Note that there are a huge number of political parties here but only a few major players. People greet each other with one kiss on the cheek, argue passionately and angrily about politics, drink mate (an herbal infusion) out of their own gourds. The people here are, on the whole, very friendly and patient with foreigners who attempt to speak in Castellano. The heart of the city beats with a uniquely Latin American pulse.
