The Jewish Portenos and the Beginning of my First Week

Portenos is the word used for people who live in Buenos Aires. They are not Buenos Airesian or Buenos Airites or Buenos Aireslings; all those terms were just too much of a mouthful so they chose portenos, which means 'port-people' (Buenos Aires is a port) and is spelled with an 'enye,' the n with the squiggly thing on top that I don't have on my keyboard.
Over the weekend, which also happened to be the first days of Sukkos, I got to experience the hospitality of the Jewish portenos in Belgrano (the barrio, neighborhood, that I am currently living in). On friday night I went to Jabad Olleros (they spell Chabad with a J; Olleros is pronounced as if the ll is a soft J), and to Jorge and Raquel Goldfarb (Yair's uncle and aunt) for the meal. The food was amazing, and I experienced the beginning of, what I think, is turning out to be the traditional way of eating in Buenos Aires. The company was also amazing, and I managed to communicate with the Goldfarbs, including two of their grandchildren and a number of their children, with basic Hebrew. They also had an Israeli girl on her traditional post-army trip who, besides for speaking fluent Hebrew, spoke a decent English as well. Between the three languages I am trying to juggle I am mucho mitbalbel.
I walked about half an hour to the only Orthodox Ashkenzi shul in Belgrano, run by Rabbi Oppenheimer. The community was very friendly and welcoming, and I had enough invites for more meals than were left. I ate by Rabbi Oppenheimer the first lunch in his large backyard sukkah (the second of the growing trend) and had great English conversation with him and his wife (from Toronto; except for Yuval's wedding, I don't think I was ever so happy to see a Canadian). I'm kidding; I love Canadians and Canada is awesome. I hung out at the rabbi's house until Maariv, and after Maariv I was directed by Rabbi Oppenheimer to go to Pablo's. Pablo's was amazing. Pablo himself spoke basic English, and I was able to give a toast (l'chaim) with him as translator. Matti was also there with his wife, Uri with his, another fellow whose name escapes me, and Michel (pronounced Michelle with a long i, like ee, but it is a guy's name). These guys were all a ton of fun, but Michel was amazing. We spoke mostly in basic Hebrew, and most of the time he spoke in Spanish to the other fellows, but his face, his mannerisms, and the way he talked and laughed were exactly like Josh Wisotsky (a fellow who goes to our shul back in Teaneck; Josh, if you happen to read this, you may have a long-lost bro in BA. Also, you will probably correct me for spelling your last name wrong). Michel was very cool; he travels to China for his business of selling video game consoles.
The food at Pablo's was stellar, and yet again the service was similar. Perhaps I should explain. I am used to the American-Jewish style of Shabbos/YomTov meals. We start quite soon after we get home from shul (unless we went to hashkama/early minyan, in which case we still usually start by 12:30), and we have courses, at least fish and main, if not a soup in between. The table starts off empty, besides for the challah and wine, and the food is brought out on serving plates, each course subsequent to the clearing of the prior. In Buenos Aires people eat late. Very late. Really really late. The family yom tov meals were fine, though we waited at least an hour between shul and lunch (shul finished at 1 the first day, 12:30 the second) and at dinner we waited a hour as well, though shul ended at 8:30. We didn't finish dinner until 12, and yes, there were little kids. The portenos, however, are absolutely nuts, and think nothing of going out at 12 in the middle of week. People here start their nights out at 12 or later on weeknights. It's a jewish schoolmom's worst nightmare.
The table is set with numerous salads and vegetables and perhaps eggs and other appetizer/starter foods (think at an Israeli Sefardi table but even more so) and everyone's plate is either empty or plated with a fish and various veg. The starter/salad course goes on for a long time with everyone eating and talking and eating and talking and eating and eating and talking and then the salads are cleared, as are the plates, and plates are brought back with food on them. You don't take your own food, you do not choose how much to take, you just get the food on your plate (and if you aren't careful, when you are finished, you will get more). This is the formal porteno meal (so far). The food is good and plentiful here, and, especially once I find the kosher heladerias, I am sure I will come back a bit larger than I left.
After havdala at the Jabad Olleros, the Goldfarbs and number of other congregants hosted a port-chag party in the chabad sukkah. They had cholent. They had amazing thick-cut pastrami. And they had more cholent. The guys giving out cholent gave me a small plate full at first; when he asked if I wanted more I told him I might have later. The second time around he asks, and before I answered he grabbed a plate twice the size of the original and filled it with cholent until both the plate and I could take no more. It is awesome here.
On Monday after class I got my first tour of the city when Kendra (yes, Kendra), a girl in my Spanish class, showed me the student residence hall (I may move) and the Congreso area of BA, including the Congress, the Obelisk, and 9 de Julio, supposedly the widest street in the world. To go off on a tangent, the streets here are named after dates and the street that I live off of is 11 de Setiembre. Weird. Pictures are on Facebook.
At night Taglit had a BBQ at our hostels sukkah, so all the residents were invited, and tahnk goodness too. I was starving, and I ate enough chorizo to give a marathon runner a heart attack. Chorizo are like sausages, but they are to American sausages what Prime Grill is to McDonald's. Chorizo are over an inch thick and bursting with flavor. Oh man, my mouth is watering.
This morning I went to the American Embassy (not too impressive, I wanted to find out how to get a Visa for Brazil), the Palacio San Martin (pics on Facebook) the Jardin Botanico (ditto) and, after class, the Hillel of Belgrano! A five minute walk from me is the nicest Hillel I have ever seen, with American students studying abroad and a pool! A pool in a Hillel! This place is amazing. Details may follow later, I am off to meet someone in a fantastic looking tea shop.
Chao!