So yesterday I decided to take the afternoon easy, just run some errands, take a siesta, and read "Slumdog Millionaire." A nice, relaxing day in Buenos Aires.
Until I tried to run those errands.
All I wanted was some yogurt. Some nice, Activia 0% strawberry (frutilla) yogurt, to mix with my cereal in the morning. Instead I was unwillingly dragged through the gates of hell and my soul was ripped into itty bitty pieces that no amount of glue will ever be able to put back together in its original form.
Yes it was that bad.
Let me elaborate. Ever visit a supermarket when right before a big storm, when everyone stocks up on bottled water, canned soup and pop tarts? It´s super crowded, no one knows what´s going on, and everyone´s IQ drops 40 points.
Now imagine that atmosphere in the supermarket EVERY FRICKIN DAY. People in Argentina stock up on groceries like the world is ending. Might have something to do with the food being so tasty.
I thought Wegmans on a Saturday afternoon in Ithaca was crazy. The Argentine supermarket COTO just kicked Weggie´s ass and spit in its eye.
The sign of the devil is no longer 666. It is C O T O.
The actual shopping part isn´t so bad. Everything is well organized, and there´s an excellect selection of food. It`s tough selecting what I need, versus what I want (still unsure if oreos with dulce de leche filling are a need or a want). It´s waiting to pay that is murder.
Now, one of the keys to being a good Argentine citizen is patience. Unfortunately, I was born in Philadelpia so I was not born with this attribute. When I get in the "15 items or less" checkout line, I expect to get out of the market pretty quickly. Not wait 45 minutes to pay for 15 items.
Because, much to my dismay, the main 15 items line in COTO is also for the elderly. And unlike in the United States, people in Argentina tend to respect their elders. So no matter how long the line is, the elderly are allowed to cut in front of you. 20 gallons of Sprite and all.
Also, apparently, the elderly are allowed to leave the 15 items or less line to see if there are any shorter ones. And if they can´t find a smaller line, they´re allowed to resume their old spot in front of you.
By the way, I should mention that most people in Argentina don´t have credit cards. They pay in cash. So what cards these little old ladies were giving the cashier, that took him FOREVER to swipe, I have no frickin clue.
I eventually got to the front of the line and started piling my yogurt (which I blame for all of this) onto the conveyor belt. But apparently, it´s not really a conveyor belt. It just looks like one. You have to find a way to slide all your food down it, or the people behind you will just push it and give you dirty looks...or that just happened to me.
I´m still loving Argentina more than life, but from now on I will either buy my food at an express store, or never eat yogurt again.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Hell is COTO
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2 comments:
45 minutes?!?! That's insane. I would go nuts if I had to wait in line for that long. That's how long you're supposed to spend shopping, not checking out. This is Lisa btw. I am so glad that you are safe and having a great time!
Hi! I'm from Argentina and ran across your blog by chance. Finding someone so in love with this country amused me quite a lot. I mean, you said people's nice here... now I'm afraid to travel abroad =)only god knows what they'd do to me.
No, seriously. It was very enlightening to be able to see my own country from a different perspective and made me wonder if I've been missing something this whole time. I want to go out and know more about where I live now because many of the things you mention are so common to us, we don't even notice them. Plaza de Mayo for instance... we've all been through the square a zillion times while going to work but we seldom stop to actually find out what the strikers are complaining about. Most of the time we just want them to shut up and go away so we can cross the street safely and go to the office. Because there are other strikers there besides the mothers of the disappeared children... in fact, we have a different strike every day of the week (literally. my mother has worked in front of the Plaza for 30 years I know about it).
Oh, and not all our showers are like the one you had in your room. Just the ones in secondary bathrooms where they lack the space or cheap hotel rooms, but most houses have a bathtub in their bathrooms.
Anyway I'm glad to read you've enjoyed your stay here. My boyfriend and I have always wanted to try the travel and work experience there, but we still haven't found the chance to do so.
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