Gracefully Abroad: Asado
By Grace Carballo ‘17
Last week I went to my first asado, which is essentially what in the U.S. we would call a barbecue. After speaking with the Argentinian students present, apparently this wasn’t a “real asado” because it was more of a meet and greet (or meat and greet if you catch my drift) for the international students than the extensive sit-down affair that asados normally are. Still, I’m counting it as an asado because it had all the makings of one (chorripan, which is sausage on a toasted bun, a parilla, which is the big open-fire grill, and lots of sides and ensaladas, thank goodness.)
I feel it is important to note that my first asado was followed immediately by my second, in sort of an asado double-header. The morning after my first asado, my housemates (all international students at various universities in Buenos Aires) decided over breakfast that we should probably have one at our place, and who was I to turn down such an opportunity? So not only have I been a guest at an asado, I have also half-heartedly co-hosted one.
At the first asado, all the international students were invited along with our afitriones who are local students at the university there to show us the ins and outs of the school and how to live life to the fullest in Buenos Aires. I was paired with two of these hosts, one of whom, Mikaela, has a life plan eerily similar to my own. (Stay tuned for if we take the LSAT together in Buenos Aires in June- wouldn’t that be a hoot?) I’m very excited to get to know her better and even more so to have an automatic slightly-obligated friend. We’re hanging out after our classes tomorrow and she just informed me she has a car, so look out world, your girl doesn’t have a 90-minute public transit voyage home!
The asado was full of good people and good food and that’s a tradition I can get behind in any country, even though as a vegetarian, it’s probably odd that I enjoyed myself as much as I did at what is essentially a meat-themed gathering.
(pictured above: Katy, a fellow Trojan, was not shy about bringing home some leftovers of the chorripan)
The second asado, the one I co-hosted with 6 others, had a bit of a rocky start. Though I pulled my own weight by buying the carbón (coal) and showing our guests where the functioning bathroom is, a miscommunication (probably due to language barriers) left us with significantly more guests than food. The ratio was shocking and it brought out the worst in some people, as “hanger” often does. People hovered over the grill like moths to a light and that can be pretty dangerous, in either situation, because one could get seriously burnt.
I was still finishing my homework when the guests, mainly French and Belgian students, started pouring in, and who could blame me- I’ve lived my whole life reserving Sunday nights for procrastination compensation and little else. So when everything started to go awry I was, thankfully, far from the commotion listening to “Stress Relief”, my Spotify go-to and writing a short story using Lunfardo or Argentine slang, for my Spanish class. Essentially what I missed is that we forgot to buy food, specifically meat, and our guests did not know we had assumed it was a bring your own carne (BYOC) sort of deal because apparently when one hosts an asado, there’s an assumption that said host will provide both the home and the sustenance. Lesson learned!
My roommates, Katy and Lisa, ran to the nearest grocery store and bought copious amounts of meat, as well as berenjenas and patatas for the token vegetarians (of which our household boasts two). They also bought more carbón although multiple people at the grocery store insisted the quantity I bought was sufficient. It’s possible I miscalculated the kilograms of food we were preparing because unlike the rest of the world, I’ve never learned the metric system and I don’t know that I can now at this late stage in life, even if I wanted to.
Once people started being fed, the mood lightened and overall I thought the night went really well. My perspective may be somewhat lacking, of course, because I left the terrace every twenty minutes or so to work on my assignment and also to get away from the smoke. I love Buenos Aires and my housemates but it seems like everyone and their brother has a lit cigarillo on them at all times and your girl’s asthmatic and looking to live well into the triple-digits so I don’t actively seek out carcinogens.
To summarize, if you ever find yourself as a guest at an asado, or really a guest anywhere, it is polite to bring a little something to share. And if you ever find yourself hosting an asado, you should probably have an adequate supply of a hearty main course (meat or otherwise) because your guests did not just come for the ambience, however pleasant it may be. Also have salads available because the vegetarian lifestyle is international now and even your Argentinian guests may be practicing it.
I eagerly await my next asado invitation, and always have a pimiento or berenjena (bell pepper or eggplant) handy in my fridge on the off chance I’m invited to (or God-forbid hosting) another spontaneous asado.
Besos para todos (although I still cringe a little every time someone kisses my cheek),
Grace Carballo
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