Chinablocks
I’ve been to a few Chinese barrios in Chicago, New York, Toronto, London and Tokyo to name a few, and every one has their own charm and character – from the steet names in Chinese in Chicago to the immensity of Toronto’s Chinatown – each hold their own gems. But there are none so small as what I’ve found in Buenos Aires. I prefer to call it, “Chinablocks”.
My friends Mike and Alicia sent out an email to their friends the other day inviting everyone out to Chinatown for a 
food safari! What a great idea. At noon, seven of us met on the corner of Juramento and Arribeños. We caught up with one another and headed to a cafe to start the safari with a whet palette and good cheer. Among those who attended were Maya and Tom Frost (www.mayafrost.com), Samuel Warde (www.goodmorningba.com), Deby (www.tangospam.typepad.com) and a few others – of course including Mike and Alicia (www.yanquimike.blogspot.com) who were so gracious as to lead our tour.
We headed down Arribeños to the Casa China supermarket where, on Sundays, they sell food on made in the moment. We tried variations on the Argentine empanada – stuffed with cabbage and spices, others were made of a dumpling material and stuffed with mushrooms and rice – a divine treat glazed in a not too spicy sauce with a little kick.
Maya and Tom spent a lot of time living in Japan and surprised us with a treat that they found at one of the stands selling food. It sounded like “Kyoki” and was a small spongecake filled with cream. It was slightly sweet and really a nice combination in contrast to the spicy dumplings that I had just eaten!
I was on a hunt for tea tree oil that day and luckily for me, Maya had some great suggestions as to where to find it. I’m also on the hunt for the infamous drink that Javier and I fell in love with when we were in Japan: aloe vera juice with little grapes. I may just have to buy some aloe vera juice and grapes seperately and do it myself.
We ended up our tour by turning down Olazabal and finding some outdoor seating in a cafe on Avenida Libertador. It was a really nice time just relaxing, strolling and enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon.
matthew is really enjoying his chicken on a stick
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Hi Gina,
Sorry to have missed this outing. It looks like you had fun.
Besos,
Frank
Hi Gina,
Thanks for the fun recap of the outing!
The little sweet cakes are actually called “tai-yaki”–tai is a fish and they are usually fish-shaped. Glad you liked them!
Good luck finding the tea tree oil and aloe vera juice!
Besos,
Maya
Oh Thanks Frank! I know you would have really liked it! We were in great company all day. Well, hopefully you can make it the next time!!
And Maya – thank you so much for correcting me. I must have asked you and Tom five times what they were called and by the time I came home and began writing my blog, the name of the “tai-yaki” became something else.
I have to wait until next weekend to find the stores on Juramento for the tea-tree oil. I’m almost out of mine so I better make sure to get to it.
[...] my friends Mike and Alicia are foodies at heart. They decided to invite their friends out for a food safari in Chinatown a few weeks ago – and what a great idea! We walked through the streets of Chinatown photo by [...]
Hi there,
I was wondering where you found the tea tree oil in Buenos Aires, and what do they call it in Spanish. I want to find some for my husband’s aunt.
Thanks!
Tracey
Hi Tracey!
Thanks for asking! Tea Tree Oil is called Aceite de Melaleuca in Spanish. And here are a few places you can try:
Devas on San Juan 777 / Tel. 4361-3045 (try calling first)
Farmacia Pena on Corrientes, just outside of the Pasteur stop on the B (red) subway.
Maya also mentioned that there was a place on Juramento in Belgrano with “Angel” or “Angelito” in the name – but on the rare occasion that I get to pass by Juramento, I look but haven’t found the place yet.
Well, I hope these suggestions can help!
[...] my friends Mike and Alicia are foodies at heart. They decided to invite their friends out for a food safari in Chinatown a few weeks ago – and what a great idea! We walked through the streets of Chinatown photo by [...]