Today was about as varied as a day can get, but it was both amazing and entertaining. After oversleeping about 30 minutes because I forgot to synch my cell phone with local time and from being completely exhausted (no worries, I was still on time since I am always early for everything), we headed to a meat packing plant called Quickfoods. If you've ever eaten Pecos Bill beef jerky, then you've eaten a Quickfoods product. Good news for anyone who might care, it was clean and they made us dress in complete white suits with mouth and shoe covers (pictures to come tomorrow).The plant we visited only makes hamburgers, both for consumers and for McDonald's in Argentina. They said about 3 out of 7 days a week, they only make burgers for McDonald's. It was a great tour, and most people in the group tried a hot dog and burger before 10:30 a.m. I couldn't stomach serious meat that early in the morning, but was impressed at those who could give it a try.
After the meat packing plant, we came back to the hotel to change clothes and grab a quick lunch. There is an empanada place just down from the hotel, and it is delicious. I plan to eat there everyday we're here in Buenos Aires. Although, apparently, I am also going to eat the most delicious steak I've ever had as well. Needless to say, the food here is great. I'm glad to be walking so much everyday...otherwise, all this delicious food could pose a problem.
Although the embassy took some time to get into due to security, it was well worth the trip. We met the Ambassador to Argentina, which was unexpected. I got to introduce myself and the group. We also had some foreign service and commerce department folks make a presentation. I think I could have been interested in what they had to say for the rest of the evening...however, tango was awaiting.
I'll admit, I was a bit skeptical about how much I would enjoy the tango lessons and show, but it was a blast. Since unfortunately my dance partner is back in states, I thought I would be standing out on the side during the lessons. However, soon entered an awkward high school kid with his parents, without a partner, so we paired up. No need for Jeff to worry...any 17 year old kid dancing with a person of 30 is justifiably, completely mortified. But, Dennis was a good sport, and to show my thanks, I helped him partner up with some of the cuter young ladies in our group after I had learned most of the basic moves (or, as I like to say it, choreographing my own moves). It was so much fun. For about one minute, one of the performers grabbed me to show me how to dance the steps properly...now there was someone who could lead! After the lessons, we had a delicious dinner, and then all the performers put on a fantastic show with dancers, the tango orchestra, and two singers. Literally, it was broadway material, and at some points, I got goose bumps because it was so good. Even the guys who were skeptical ended up really liking the show and saying they'd like to see another one...I'm sure the red wine flowing so freely at our dinner table didn't really hurt matters. On a serious note, those people are incredibly talented, and I'd go to another tango show during our visit here in a heartbeat.
So, even though today had a wide variety of activites, it was pretty incredible. I saw raw hamburger being processed into frozen patties, met the US Ambassador to Argentina, and took tango lessons. Pretty good day...
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