I’m really fortunate to have my small group of expat girlfriends. Unfortunately, we don’t get together on a regular enough basis – usually one of the girls will send out an email letting the others know that it’s time to catch up. She will set the date (usually a weekday so as not to disturb our heavily packed weekend social calendars) and time (since we all work, dinnertime just seems to fit perfectly). This girl then has taken on the mother of all responsibilities -cooking for her friends who show up with bottles of wine or champagne or even sometimes a little dessert for the group.

My friend Louise has hosted more “girly-nights” than anyone that I can recall. She’s probably also the most organized out of all of us and probably the most resourceful chef so it’s no surprise that the rest of us clear our schedules when she asks us over for an evening of dinner and chatting.

Just as they say that music can influence our moods and emotions, our conversations tend to be influenced by the food we’re eating. They might start out light, over a picada, some bread,perhaps some soup or salad and range over various “safe” topics such as art, families, work,vacations and friends who have come and gone. By the time our pallettes are whet and perhaps our tongues are loose from a little wine, we start with the main dish – and the topics move toward more passionate topics of dating, sex and gossip and by the time we start on dessert and coffee, we’ve moved on to the final major subject of the night – the topic that gives comfort to all – food.

What is so wonderful to me is that my friends open up when talking about food, and inevitably reveals sometimes fragile but always interesting parts of their lives. This is part of the way we connect to each other, learning about each other’s personal histories and relating not only through our common situation as women living abroad but as women with histories and sensible nostalgia for our families, friends and distant places. And no matter what our ethnic background is, the easiest common denominator to open these doors is through the digestive tract.

One topic that often gets brought up is sometimes how limited we feel when we want to express ourselves through food. Sometimes the language is the problem and that’s usually solved by tapping into the collective-mind dictionaries. But other times the problem lies in finding the ingredients that make those special comfort foods from home. The answer is that it’s difficult to impossible to find some berries and other veggies such as parsnips or purple carrots. I’m so desperate for some foods that I am planning my organic terrace garden for this summer already.

But where can I find those ever elusive herbs that you just can’t find in the local supermarket or vegetable store? Well, for herbs, teas and sweet treats, I have a new favorite store that I want to share with you. Just a block off of Santa Fe on Bulnes is a modest store that’s been open only four months. It’s welcoming and warm with its big windows and wood floors and upon entering, the smell of various herbs and chai work well as a feel-good aromatherapy.

The store’s name is Kler, and if you’re looking for spices and yummy teas, you HAVE to check this out. The walls are lined to the ceiling with a seriously (really really) excellent variety of herbs, spices and teas. The presentation has me sold already with the arrangement and organization of all of these great condiments but as a bonus, I was quite surprised at how reasonable the prices are. In fact, try comparing Kler’s prices to your local supermarket. I did last afternoon and was pleasantly surprised.

We found cocoa (yes, real cocoa that’s not “Nesquick”) and garlic powder, Jamaican and middle-eastern seasonings, HOT curry and much more. Apart from all of this goodness, they had homemade teas (and great gift boxes), homemade chocolate truffles and candied oranges and ginger that are simply scrumptious. The owner was there and as we got to talking, she seemed very knowledgeable not only about her stock but about the herbs in general and offered some of her homemade dipped chocolates to the waiting customers.

I hope that she does well in her new business and for sure she gained a new regular customer when I walked through that door. Anyway, I just wanted to share this information with you in case you were on the lookout for a place like this. plus they might have some nice ideas for corporate gifts or personalized gifts for me or other friends who like to cook or perhaps miss their spices from home.

Kler is located at Bulnes 1815, just a block and a half away from the Bulnes stop on the D-Line Subte. They’re open from 9 – 21 hs Monday through Friday, from 9 – 20 hours on Saturdays and closed on Sunday. The telephone number is (+54 11) 4822-6314.

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