Reply #8: been in Buenos Aires for about a year and a half.

[Runcible Spoon]

moved here to be with my fiance. I miss American food big-time. Argentinians are not well-known for their culinary curiosity and if you want that you hafta pay a lot more. Example: there are no cheap taco joints, so if you're craving quick Mexican you have to go to an expensive Mexican restaurant. Same for Indian and just about everything else I love.

Inflation is kinda going crazy here too, although it's much cheaper. There are a lot of US expats in the city, especially now that I've found "the" expat bar :evilgrin:

The men are gorgeous, the nightlife is great if you're here for only a few weeks but I would love more outdoor festival type affairs. Doing the whole tango bar thing is only fun once if you're a drunken tourist; locals don't really do it unless they dance regularly then they have their own spots where expats are less likely to be found.

There has been a lot of political unrest this year between the Cristina Fernandez Peronists and the agricultural industry over tariffs on (mostly) beef exports. That resulted in a few weeks where milk and meat was almost gone from the city and there were big protests. Nothing really got violent. As someone who swings socialist, the feeling on the street is that the gov't doesn't pour stiff taxes and tariffs back into the economy, that they are somewhat corrupt and/or inept, but also that the "farmers" aren't really to be pitied because they represent huge industrial agriculture conglomerates and actually the gov't is fighting Monsanto, which is nice to see.

Argentina is easily known as one of the most lax places in the world when it comes to law enforcement of things like tax evasion, so you see a lot of foreign industry taking advantage of labor that isn't taxed on either side. However, the cops are very militant here and you don't want to end up in the Argentinian courts. A nightclub burned down here four years ago, hundreds of kids died because the owner kept the doors locked to prevent people from sneaking in. Just NOW has the case come up for trial, and it hasn't even started yet.

Healthcare is cheap here, although medication can be somewhat expensive without a presription and there are often several "tiers" of prices depending on who you are. I don't even try to buy anything without a price tag since I am obviously American; I just send my fiance in to get the "local's price". Aerolinear Argentina is in the process of being nationalized; I always liked that airline so am anxious to see what happens with service and price.

SOrry, I'm rambling!