Traveling to a new country can be an exciting experience filled with new things. What makes a trip great are the experiences, people, and especially the food. Different countries have a lot of different foods compared to the US. With the argentine exchange students at Assumption, I learned more about their country’s food. How different is the food from Argentina versus the United States?

Chiara Mechna stated that one main big difference is the chicken. Most in Argentina eat more red meats and beef, while Americans eat more chicken. She also said that the chicken quality and taste in the U.S. is a lot different because of the seasonings used and because it’s fried in the United States. Seasonings are drastically different in the two countries. Mechna explained that many foods in the U.S. seem spicy to her because of the excess seasonings. In Argentina, oregano is the main seasoning used on meat. She said that her favorite food in the U.S. is Chick-fil-A and the wraps.

Mealtimes in the U.S. look a lot different that Argentina. Argentineans usually don’t eat breakfast they eat lunch around one and then dinner at nine. However they have a big snack time in between lunch and dinner at home.

The most typical fast-food place in Argentina is McDonalds. Mechna emphasized that Americans eat out at restaurants lot more and the portion sizes are much bigger. Argentineans eat more at home during the week and only go out on the weekends. Every Sunday most Argentineans have a big family dinner where they eat asado which is barbequed meat. Another staple food for Argentinians is called mate. Mate is a tea like beverage and it’s usually drank during breakfast.

Food can make or break a trip and so far, it hasn’t been too bad for the exchange students. American and Argentinian foods both have their pros and cons.