Eating at the Expo: Argentina0

★★☆☆☆

If you’ve been living in a cave (or the United States), then you may be one of the few people on this planet who don’t know that the Shanghai Expo 2010 has arrived.  It is glorious.  And what better way to celebrate its glory than through food?

This entry marks my first of (hopefully) many “Eating at the Expo” posts (I’ve shamefully excitedly bought a 7-day pass to the ‘Po…).  And my first stop is the Argentina Pavilion – which is oddly located between South Africa and Slovenia (what?!).

The Argentina Pavilion itself was not the most memorable of the lot, but while walking out, we passed their restaurant featuring the food and wines of the country.  We immediately went inside.

Perusing the menu, we noticed that the prices were pretty erratic.  A glass of their house wine was 100元, while some appetizers were as low as 30元.  And although this is an international event, so prices will tend to be on the higher side, we found it odd that they were charging so much to get a taste of their region – which, in my mind, is kind of the whole point of the Expo (not to rip us off, but simply let us sample some of the things that define the featured countries).

Nevertheless, we ordered a few dishes for a ridiculously light late lunch.

We ordered their blood sausage and beef empanada appetizers, and a salad featuring shrimps, endive, and avocados.  We paired these dishes with their featured house wine (100元), which was actually the only wine offered by the glass.

When our food arrived, we laughed pretty hard.  Thinking that this would be a great opportunity to receive Argentinean food from actual Argentineans, we quickly found out that the presentation (at least) was merely the Chinese interpretation of what they thought the food of this region was supposed to be.  We received a single sausage and a single empanada.

Although the portions were miniscule, the sausage was rich and bold, and unlike any sausages found in China.  The flaky empanada boasted tender Argentinean beef that was best enjoyed with our glasses of wine.

The salads, however, were a bit confused, to say the least.  The endive was gritty, I think I only counted two shrimps and three cubes of avocados, and the dressing was…Russian.  Don’t get me wrong, I like Russian dressing, but I thought I was supposed to be transported to South America with this meal.

If Argentina is any indicator as to the food offered at other Expo pavilions, perhaps this quest of mine won’t be as tasty (or as inexpensive) as I initially thought.  But, since I’ve started this mission, I will continue and go forth in search of the best food found at the Shanghai Expo 2010.

**Notice: Even if the food of the Expo doesn’t appeal to you, still check it out – this place is Disney World for adults.