Convenience vs. Culture
Driving through Argentina, one of the first things you notice is the specialty shops. Small stores tucked into streets and corners, each one devoted to a single craft. A place for cured meats, another for raviolis, a third for leather goods. Each shop stands as a monument to its trade. My friends here have strong opinions about which butcher to visit for each specialty.
“You wanted chicken? Why are you buying from this guy? He’s beef through and through.”
When something breaks, there’s almost always a shop nearby—a shop run by someone who has spent years mastering the repair of that one thing. Sure, a few supermarkets have sprung up, but nothing like the big box stores that stretch their shadows across America.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not immune to the lure of Costco. There’s a certain satisfaction in walking out with a cart full of bulk. But back home, there’s a distance in it. You rarely speak to the person who made the product. There’s a sense of trade-offs in every aisle—a speed and ease that comes at the cost of connection.
Here in Argentina, I find myself rooting for the small artisan shops. Yes, I’m all for importing electronics and the like, but I hope they hold onto their specialty stores. The shops where a craftsman knows his niche and doesn’t mind staying small.
Recently I was driving on a long dusty road to the lake and saw a tiny little store where an artisan sandwich shop was setup. A young man named Ezequiel. Ambitious with broken English. Has his own cured meats he slices in front of you. Bakes his own bread, sources local honey and olive oil for his sandwiches. Delicious. Is he as fast as fast food? Definitely not. But is the sandwich better, absolutely.
It takes more stops to shop this way. It slows the rhythm of life. But maybe that’s the point. Somewhere along the way, we chose convenience over culture. It was an easy choice at the time, but now, it shows.
If Ezequiel wants to spend his days perfecting sandwiches and cured meats, let him. His sandwiches taste better than ours.
