I´m in Heaven...

Oh my god.
I am so happy right now.
(Well technically I was so happy right then...
 as I needed a few days to upload my pictures so you could really visualize just how incredible all this was :)
..................

No, I am not 100% fluent in Spanish yet.
No, I did not find a Gaucho tall enough for me.
No I did not win  ___________.
(fill in the blank with whatever would make you feel like you were in heaven)

ENCONTRÉ  EL CAFÉ PERFECTO!
While Courtyard Coffee will always be my cafe heart back home, I am proud to say, I have found a temporary replacement.

The story follows...

Roaming the streets last night, Li and I strolled across this little tea shop. While we weren´t in the mood for tea, I thought, "Perfect, I´ll go study there tomorrow!" So after a very long night resulting in my wake up at noon (I never wake up that late! I have to force myself to stay in bed past 8:30am...) I thought "It is time."

I got up, I got out and I got walking. And then I got lost. Along the way I saw a sweet shop nestled into the corner with lime green painted walls. While it intrigued me but it was not the "Tea Connection" shop I was determined to go to. After realizing I left my wallet, camera AND chapstick at home (3 things I never leave without) I turned around and walked back.

The "sweet shop nestled into the corner with lime green painted walls" in foto form.
aka: Be Frika. Read on for details :)

After a moment of thinking why that was possible meant to happen to me, I grabbed my prized possesions and made the long journey (four blocks :) to Tea Connection! I arrived, and upon arriving I realized there was no room for me to sit. Not only was there no room for me to sit, the menu was over priced, the room undersized and the staff hardly lukewarm. I took the unwelcoming nature of the arrival and walked out. Back on the street again, no coffee shop success.

Sidenote: It is hot here! Very very hot. Granted it is summer, but it is also humid, semi-polluted and I don´t have that sweet grace of the sea breeze I´ve been spoiled with my whole life. It takes me about 5 minutes outside to start sweating! It doesn´t help that I walk at the speed of a racehorse and it doesn´t help that there are gorgeous people everywhere dry as a desert stone. Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America.
 Just as I was thinking this I see a man walking towards me, I can feel him sizing me up and I wait for it, wait for it, wait for it and then he goes¨"¡Que Divina! jbvdbvrnkjsn njfbkjsbf fsjbfbrfob (I couldn´t catch everything he said) kbvghjfkre Divina!" And we both kept walking our owns ways, with no looking back. Then I thought, "Hmm, Maybe sweaty works for some people."

That is how it´s done here. Men call you Divine as you walk past them on the street. At first I found it frightening, then bizarre, then I ignored it and now it´s kind of growing on me. Whispers of "¡Que, Hermosa!" ¡"Muy Linda!"  And long (creative I´m sure) sentences sent in my direction and if only I could fully comprehend them I may be flattered or I may be outraged, but for now I´m just pleased. Of course the man sending the piropos does indeed change the reaction. They come in all shapes and sizes, some are younger than me and some are older, so as you can imagine, the majority erred on the side of creepy.

Now as I am down to the last bite of my sándwich divina I am reminded why I began writing today. The coffee shop.

So after leaving the Tea Connection I remembered that Lime Green Building. I headed in that direction and we met again. "Be Frika." Yes, I beleive you have already figured out how this story ends.
Happily Ever After...

I open the door to find there are happy people enjoying food and drink, smiling staff and an open table beckoning me to join. "Puedo mirar a una carta por favor?"
I should have asked, "Puedo vivir aquí por favor?"    


Now 3pm and have eaten nothing since the previous night, I start off with a zanahoria licuado (with some other ingredients I couldn´t quite understand, but assumed were vegetarian friendly :)

Yes. Those are sesame seeds on the rim.

I pull out my computer and access their glorious Wifi and began my studies (meaning checked my email, facebook, yoga school status and then...) began my studies. Already I have my final next week! Thursday we have a written exam and Friday we have an orla exam.

That 4 weeks of school went by fast. As of today, I have been living in Argentina for 40 days, I am one week away from finishing my first class of the program which will mean Spring Break for a Week (going to Mendoza the wine country!) And then I will return to begin my second class. Intensive II Spanish Language . 5 days a week, 3 hours a day, leaving me with 10 more hours than I have now to explore the city.

Whew. That was a lot.

"Be Frika" has provided a great atmosphere. Nice people, more than reasonable prices, Wifi, cozy environment (does still feel a little too comercial), and incredible food! Wow, the food. I ordered a veggie Panini and waited in excitment for it to reach my table. Viewing the food of those around me I had complete confidence it was going to be good.

Angels were singing.

Gorgeous and huge and with a surprise side of fresh french fries! It was more than a beautiful surprise, delicious and nutricious and all for about  4.50 USD.  I took a bite and Mmmmmmm Mmmmm Mmm!
Whole wheat bread, fresh grilled zucchini, sweet potato (on a sandwich? crazy and I love it!), some other veggies, plump sun dried tomatoes, home-made pesto, and a light amount of cheese just for garnish at the top. I usually overdue the proportion of ketchup to fries, but here they tast so good, ketchup is an interference! After savoring this first bite I opened my blog to write (hints the title).

Now I realize I have devoted a fair amount of time and energy and words in this blog to describe a sandwich. What´s the big deal? The big deal is I love food. I love to make food and I´ve been perfecting the art back home and not to mention I am blessed with Mama Mario, the worlds best kept secret. Now I love my time in Argentina, and I have been learning a lot here, but one thing it has not provided is comida increíble. The food is fine, but I haven´t had many dishes that made me close my eyes when I take a bite (see blog from Jan 25th for the last meal that had this effect on me).

Be Frika only got better when I went upstairs to use the restroom. On my way to the damas room I was distracted by the hidden lounge! It was unfortunatley closed today (but I ventured in anyways...) and fortunately, it exists! A whole upper level that feels as if it has been transformed into a coffee shop from an old wooden home, with a small lookout porch (currently used for smoking) that looks over the street. The next time I come to Be Frika I know where I´ll be sitting :)

All in all it offered the bit of comfort I was hoping to find. And on top of all that it is literally a 4 minute walk from my house. How is that for convienent?

Lesson learned: Sometimes it´s good to get lost. You may find something better than what you thought you were looking for.


Wishing an abundance of perfect coffee shops your way,
Ki