The first day that I arrived in Buenos Aires, I was excited to go out to dinner to try some new food. At about 5:30 p.m., I walked down the street in my neighborhood looking for a parilla. Parilla means "grill" in Spanish. Parilla restaurants are the best place to find delicious grilled beef, which is one of Argentina’s signature dishes. There were plenty of parilla restaurants in my neighborhood, but none of them were open!
“Is it a holiday?”, I wondered to myself. I continued walking and realized that many of the stores were also closed and the street was really quiet. Finally, I found a kiosko which was open. A kiosko is a small corner store where you can buy candy and snacks. I asked the woman behind the counter why all of the stores and restaurants were closed. She smiled and let me know that it wasn’t a holiday, it was just too early! She told me that most restaurants don’t open until eight p.m. or later, and many store owners close their doors for siesta between two and six p.m. My stomach grumbled. I usually eat dinner around six p.m. at home! So, I thanked the woman at the kiosko and bought a granola bar to tide me over.
A few hours later at eight p.m., I ventured back out of my apartment.
