Starting at the beginning: Breakfast in Buenos Aires

The sun rising over the Atlantic in San Clemente del Tuyú, Argentina.

We're back from South America, and since I wasn't able to keep up the blog from down there, I have returned with notebooks full and thousands of photos to share with you. I am quite overwhelmed by this. Rodgers & Hammerstein's sage advice urges me on, though, so I have decided a very good place to start is "at the very beginning.)

Pictured above is the intersection of Piedras and Carlos Calvo in Buenos Aires, where we began the South American leg of our adventure. The pink building on the right is the friendly corner cafe where we had our cafe con leche y medialunas every morning the first week, and several times before departing. My mind reels at the amount of medialunas that must be made and consumed on a daily basis in Buenos Aires. These sweet, buttery pastries are the staple of the Porteño breakfast and usually served by twos or threes with a cup of strong coffee mixed with steaming milk (for the bargain price of between 2 and 4 US dollars). You could also order your coffee cortado (with just a bit of milk) or just ask for an espresso. The huge Italian influence in Bs As almost guarantees that the coffee will be fresh, potent and delicious.

Medialunas are just a subset of the myriad of facturas (pastries) available. The flaky pastry is made even more delicious with the addition of dulce de leche, membrillo or crema pastelera, or any combination of these.

If you get bored with facturas, or fancy something savory and a little more substantial, order a tostado. This toasted ham and cheese sandwich on pan de miga (delicate white bread with no crusts) is also a great afternoon snack with an espresso.

 If coffee isn't your thing, you can have a submarino, steamed milk served with a chocolate bar (not always submarine shaped) for you to stir in for a first class hot chocolate.

Special thanks to my hand model, Carmel.