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Nobody loves Argentine beef more than Argentines. They eat more beef per capita than anyone else in the world. But beef prices have been going sky-high. Inflation and a severe drought, along with government price controls, have forced cattle farmers to liquidate their herds. In fact, many cattle farmers in Argentina have switched to planting soy, which can be more profitable. Correspondent Julia Kumari Drapkin found plenty of vegetarians and plenty of food for them to enjoy in Buenos Aires. (Photo: Matthew Gilgoff)
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MARCO WERMAN: Nobody loves Argentine beef more than Argentines. They eat more beef per capita than anyone else in the world. But beef prices have been going sky high. Inflation and a severe drought, along with government price controls, have forced cattle farmers to liquidate their herds. In fact, many cattle farmers in Argentina have switched to planting soy, which can be more profitable. Correspondent Julia Kumari Drapkin found vegetarians and places that cater to them in Buenos Aires.
JULIA KUMARI DRAPKIN: In a country where beef on the grill might be considered a sacred rite, Agostina Senese says eating vegetarian can feel like an act of heresy.
AGONSTINA SENESE: You are doing something really wrong if you don’t eat meat here, you know, it’s like a sin.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: It’s not easy to go vegetarian in the world’s biggest beef eating nation. On weekends and holidays, a beef barbecue is the signature social event and Senese says she feels left out.
SENESE: Here I don’t have friends that are vegetarians. It’s really, really difficult for me.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: But it’s getting a little easier. There’s a small but growing community of vegetarians in Buenos Aires and a new crop of markets and restaurants that caters to them. Like the Almacen Casero. The vegetarian grocery opened three months ago. Behind the counter stacked with cereal bars, owner Maria Magdalena gives Senese a pep talk.
MARIA MAGDALENA: In the beginning you’ll find it very lonely but you’ll get to know more people when the people around you start to adapt.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: Perhaps but last year the average Argentine ate 154 pounds of beef. That’s about two servings a day, every day.
MAGDALENA: Our ancestors, the gauchos, butchered the cows and ate the meat. It’s a tradition. It’s deeply rooted in our culture. Why do people change things? Well they do it because everything changes.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: And things have changed a lot in Argentina, especially since the economic crisis here a decade ago. Angelita Bianculli is the owner of La Esquina de Flores, the first vegetarian restaurant in Buena Aires. Bianculli said she trained people how to use soy in 2001 to save money and after the crisis ease, an influx of health conscious foreigners began to transform the city’s cosmopolitan restaurant scene. Bianculli says suddenly vegetarianism made sense. Still, vegetarian eateries like La Esquina thrive mostly in the capitols of upscale neighborhoods where many ex-pats live. I ask a young man at the register if he’s a vegetarian. Estas vegetariano?
MAN: No hablo espanol muy bueno.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: You’re American?
MAN: Yes.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: It turns out he’s from New York. Still businessmen like Fernando Baz say a homegrown vegetarian clientele is emerging.
FERNANDO BAZ: There is a demand.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: Baz is the owner of Jardin Organico which delivers organic produce to Buenos Aires homes.
BAZ: 60, 70% of my clients and consumer are vegetarian.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: And he says his business is growing about 20% every year. Back at Almacen Casero, Maria Magdalena isn’t raking in the profits just yet. But she’s optimistic.
MAGDALENA: I don’t know if there’s a great future, but there is a future.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: She notes that her store is far from the trendy restaurant scene popular with foreigners.
MAGDALENA: We’re in Almagro, a middle class neighborhood and it’s starting to be accepted. We can even see it our own families. They are already making some room on the barbecue. This is going to grow. It’s going to grow.
KUMARI DRAPKIN: It looks like its already growing. Not far from Magdalena’s shop there are several local restaurants with signs in the window that say “comida vegeteriana.” Vegetarian food is available here. For The World, I’m Julia Kumari Drapkin in Buenos Aires.
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