Food *insert nom nom sound here*

Going to eat in Argentina, or even getting a cup of coffee in Argentina, is like going to see a show. Every meal is like a little coreographed performance.

A cup of coffee is not just a cup of coffee. You get the coffee, but you also, no matter where you go, get little sugar cookies and a shot glass of mineral water. No extra cost.

If you go to a restaurant and order water, you don´t just get chucked a bottle of Poland Spring or get a glass fresh from the tap. No, you get your choice of "agua sin gas," which is just regular mineral water, or "agua con gas" which is the same thing carbonated. I´ve heard that agua con gas is an aquired taste, but personally I love it.

And when that bottle of water comes, it comes in a glass bottle. Never plastic. And the waiter will open it one handed with a bottle opener. And pour it for you, typically into a wine glass.

And there´s more! It´s a culture snafu to ask for your waiter. There is a process to get your waiter´s attention, which, for those in the States, I recommend to try and play along at home.

Step one: make eye contact. She or he should see you and come right over. My friends and I have contests to see who can make eye contact first.
If step one fails: look at the waiter and raise a finger, but don´t say anything and don´t raise your hand high. Shoulder height is good. Then make eye contact.

Step two: make a hand gesture that looks like you are writing on the air. Hold your index finger and thumb together, and just wiggle it around a little. Again, do not make this gesture high in the air, do it about shoulder height. It shows you want the bill(en español, "la cuenta").

If all else fails, and seriously, I mean ALL else fails, then you call for the waiter by verbal language.

I will say, that all the food in Argentina is so delicious (and for the most part, all the waiters are so polite and friendly but that´s another story for a later time), that it´s worth the little performance you have to put on to actually get the food.

Best food I have had so far: alfajores. Pronounced alpha-whories. Singular is alfajor.
Now this baby is an Argentine pastry that is the United States equal of the doughnut or brownie. You can get them everywhere, and they are ALWAYS delicious. It´s essentially two soft cookies with dulce de leche in the middle, or sometimes fruit. They often have a chocolate coating on the outside, or the cookie is made with chocolate. They come individually wrapped where ever you get them, even at a restaurant, and are GLORIOUS. The nicest restaurant to the cheapest food stand sells alfajores, and they are also available on the subway, in bus depots, coffee shops and candy kiosks.

Strangest food that I haven´t had, but was offered to a friend for dinner last night: