I spent the seventh day in Buenos Aires in truly classic form: I was mainly in restaurants. After my lecture to journalism students, I went to a farewell luncheon with the wonderful faculty of the Univerisad del Salvador. I then walked around the city and ended up at the most popular pizza restaurant in the city.
My class with the journalism students was extremely interesting, The students speak excellent English and we had a long and frank discussion of the changing market and perils of the new media. These students are in a very difficult positions in a country where newspapers and television stations are openly partisan. While we complain (for good reason) about bias in our own coverage, it is nothing like what one encountered in Latin America where there is often no reliably neutral local publication. These students want to do honest journalism but face the prospect of echo-journalistic assignments. I was incredibly impressed by every one of these students. They are incredibly smart and eager to do good work as reporters. I truly hope that they are given the chance.
I then went to Chiquilín for lunch, a great bodegón porteño founded i 1927, It is a bohemian style interior with rioplatense elements. The food is excellent and there is a large antipasto bar for lunch. We spent hours eating and talking over a great classic Argentinian meal.
After walking around more of the city, we ended up for a late dinner at one of the most popular pizza places. The huge Italian influence in Buenos Aires is evident from the Italian pronunciation of the Spanish and certainly the food. After beef, pizza is viewed as one of the classic Argentinian meals. We went to Guerin which was packed with locals. The pizza is divine. Fresh provolone drips from the pans with fresh tomatoes, olives, onion and other toppings. We had a stuffed pizza with a thick topping of onion as well as a Napolitano pizza. We loved it. We also had their signature Guerin cake which we happily shared among the four of us. We were as stuffed as the pizza in the end. This is a must for a visit to Buenos Aires. It is a no frills place but full of the sounds and smells of Buenos Aires.
