Buenas Donuts

Dear Members and Constituents,
My trip to Buenos Aires last week opened my eyes to a few interesting contrasts I thought I’d share with you this morning:

• Wide vs. Narrow: The old San Telmo neighborhood is crossed by narrow cobblestone streets and you can walk them right-up to Avenida 9 de Julio, reportedly the widest street in the world. Talk about over-compensating.
• Friendly to a Fault: Our hosts were extremely friendly. So were some older gentlemen on the street who were making cat calls and harassing younger women walking by.
• White vs. Pink: While Cristina Fernandez, the current occupant may be a woman, the seat of government has always been pink. I was surprised to see how accessible the pink house was.
• America vs. Europe: The city had some very European architecture. Palermo Chico, Calle Alvear, la Recoleta and San Telmo all had an old world feel to them. On the other hand, villa 31 (an illegal settlement condoned by the government) reminded me of a favela
• Food vs. Fit: A common thread throughout the trip was food. Argentina has a well-earned reputation as having some of the best steaks, but it also has unimpeachable Italian food. At our business meetings, it seems food was being brought-in almost every hour. With all this delicious temptation all around, you’d think there would be a high obesity rate, however the contrary seems to be the case. Fit folk are to be found all around. Perhaps the fact they don’t eat dinner until 9 PM has something to do with it?

With all these contrasts, it seemed fitting that I would have all forms of dessert but could not find a single donut (they may be out there for all I know). Not so today. Anthony Christie (donut boy) marks his debut in the FDC with four dozen delicious LaMar’s donuts. Come try one for yourself.

Happy Friday!