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Tipping

Posted on June 22, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Expat Tips, Culture | 8 Comments

If you are coming from the US where tipping has gotten completely out of hand, you will be glad to know that tipping inflation has not yet arrived in Uruguay.

When I arrived in the US in the early eighties, tipping was beginning its upward creep from 10%. In a few short years it grew to around 15% where it stayed for many years. Now 15% is the absolutely minimum allowable value, rounding up from there, often way up. People I know tip 20% on a regular basis and even more when in groups. Read more

Mate

Posted on April 12, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Culture, Vocabulary | 11 Comments

Sooner of later, any blog about Uruguay must talk about mate. Although I am not Uruguayan, I grew up in Southern Brazil where the mate culture is strong and where mate drinkers abound. In spite of being very familiar with the custom, the extent of the mate culture in Uruguay surprises even Argentinian and Brazilian gauchos. The sight of people carrying a thermos bottle and a mate everywhere is almost uniquely Uruguayan. And it is common to see people drinking mate in public at all hours. To illustrate how prevalent the habit is I actually witnessed a homeless man drinking mate, a policeman in a moving cruiser drinking mate and a moped driver somehow carrying a thermos under one arm, mate in one hand and steering with the other. Read more

Say Cheese

Posted on April 4, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Vocabulary | 5 Comments

Last time I was in Uruguay I meant to conduct a broad tasting of Uruguayan cheeses, but ran into some problems. Unfortunately, I didn’t do any prep work and ended up a little confused. As a result I didn’t get to complete my mission the way I had intended. The things that got in the way were … well, let me explain by way of a comparison.

In France where small cheeses abound, a cheese ignoramus can walk into a shop, point at something faintly resembling a cheese and proceed to take the whole thing home. Later, at leisure, he/she can figure out whether it was cheese, butter or a door stop. Hmm, I must admit to having employed this technique. But that was before I learned French. Anyway, I was counting on using it again on a large scale to save time. Unfortunately Uruguay did not cooperate with my plan. There, the most popular cheeses are of the large type, sold in wedges (fraccionado). This means that you need to take a number at the deli section and ask for what you want. No biggie right? Were it not for the fact that in most delis there are relatively few types of cheeses but MANY brands of these same cheeses. And like everywhere else, the handwritten notes on the slabs, meant for the initiated, were terse and capricious. They sometimes referred to the type, sometimes to the brand, sometimes the characteristics of the cheese. Read more

Dulce de Leche

Posted on March 25, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Culture | 4 Comments

Dulce de leche is to Uruguay what peanut butter is to the US and vegemite is to Australia. That is, foods people find hard to do without, yet not well known outside their local regions. In Uruguay, dulce de leche is found in so many things and in so many places that it would be hard to avoid it. Warning, if you’re not accustomed to sweets, you’ll probably not care for it. No matter, because if you live in Uruguay resistance to dulce de leche is futile and assimilation inevitable! So you might as well get started on the right foot. Here’s what you need to know. Read more

Uruguayan Beer

Posted on March 13, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Expat Tips | 4 Comments

If you like beer and are headed towards Uruguay, be prepared. The beer is inexpensive but there is little variety to choose from, especially in the interior. The Uruguayan beer market is essentially a monopoly, controlled by QUINSA, which is owned InBev, the world largest beer manufacturer. This same company also has a virtual monopoly in Argentina, Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil. And if you look at their brand portfolio, you will find so many familiar names that it’s almost scary. Read more

Dulces, Mermeladas y Jaleas

Posted on March 9, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Vocabulary | 10 Comments

To say I have a sweet tooth would be the understatement of the year. I get a lot of pleasure from loading a crusty-bread with honey, fig or strawberry jam. So I was on cloud nine when I discovered artesanal jams and sweets are sold everywhere in Uruguay at incredibly affordable prices. Read more

Land of Milk and Honey

Posted on March 7, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink | 4 Comments

There are several things about milk that may surprise you in Uruguay. Unless you are lactose intolerant, you will be happy to know that milk costs only 10.70 pesos for a liter. In contrast to France and Portugal, milk in Uruguay is significantly less expensive than the cheapest wine or beer. That is good, I guess. But you may be surprised to learn that unlike wine, milk is only sold in one-liter containers. Read more

Café Glaseado

Posted on March 3, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Expat Tips | 4 Comments

One the few big disappointments I had in Uruguay had to do with Coffee. No, I am not a coffee aficionado that always shops for the best boutique coffees of the world. As a matter of fact, I am not even a huge coffee drinker. But when I do drink it, I expect to be able to, well, drink it.

As part of my research into the daily life in Uruguay, my wife and I tried coffee at several establishments throughout Montevideo and Uruguay. Sadly, in most cases, we were unable to finish the coffee and in the few times we did, it was in order not to make a scene. Read more

Honest Wines in Uruguay

Posted on March 2, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Culture | 2 Comments

In contrast to Brazil where wine is normally associated with the elite, in Uruguay, it is consumed and enjoyed by all social classes. Coming from Brazil, I had always been fascinated by this aspect of the Uruguayan culture, but never had the opportunity to explore the inexpensive and the affordable wines. Read more

Empanadas

Posted on February 27, 2007
Filed Under Montevideo, Food and Drink | 1 Comment

By now probably everybody in the world already knows about empanadas. At the risk of treading on the well known and the familiar, I will revisit the subject and add my two cents.

The basic concept behind the empanada is to take a round 12-15 cm thin dough cutout, deposit one of 50 possible fillings near the center, fold it and crimp it around the edges. The end result is a fat, half-moon looking thing, which is then either deep-fried or baked. Read more

Fruterías

Posted on February 25, 2007
Filed Under Montevideo, Food and Drink, Vocabulary | 4 Comments

For people who appreciate fresh, ripe and inexpensive fruit, Montevideo is a treat. Sprinkled throughout the city one finds small stores that only sell fruits and vegetables. Some of them also make home deliveries, or pedidos a domicilio. The offerings are usually limited and seasonal, since they tend to be locally produced. So don’t go to a frutería expecting to find exotic, or imported fruits. Read more

Bread in Uruguay

Posted on February 22, 2007
Filed Under Food and Drink, Vocabulary | 2 Comments

Man does not live by bread alone, but with some butter and red wine, I think it’s doable. If you enjoy good bread and are curious about what you can expect in Uruguay read on. I’ll cover red wine and maybe even butter in a future posting.

If you are the type that still buys pre-sliced bread in a plastic bag, you’ll have a great opportunity to ditch this bad habit whenever you get to Uruguay. If like the French, you enjoy a fresh, crisp baguette with your café au lait, you’ll feel right at home. Read more

Supermarkets in Uruguay

Posted on February 20, 2007
Filed Under Montevideo, Food and Drink, Expat Tips | 4 Comments

Couldn’t I find a more boring subject than supermarkets in Uruguay? Apparently not. Believe it or not, I am fascinated by supermarkets. Whenever I go on vacation to another country, I love to spend time visiting supermarkets, the way some people visit cathedrals or museums. I feel you learn a lot about a country by looking at what people buy and what they eat.

To my pleasant surprise, I discovered that a significant percentage of Uruguayans still shop for groceries and other items at street markets and small shops rather than in large supermarkets. Read more

Lunch on a Budget in Uruguay

Posted on February 18, 2007
Filed Under Montevideo, Food and Drink, Expat Tips | Leave a Comment

You are in Uruguay, it’s lunchtime and you are on a budget. Where do you go?

In Montevideo, many restaurants offer a menu ejecutivo which usually includes bread, salad, a fixed entrée and a dessert (and sometimes a glass of wine or bottle of water) for a fixed priced. The day’s offering is often displayed on a sign outside the restaurant. Prices range from 80 to 160 pesos per person depending on the caliber of the restaurant.

Lunch can also be had at many other types of establishments. They come in variety of styles and may be called a number of things Read more