One thing that made traveling through Argentina different than traveling through Europe is that, largely, the food was all the same.

When we were in Europe, it was nice to get variety. We had “American” food in England, sausage and currywurst in Germany, pasta and paninis in Italy, awesome everything + produce in France, avant-garde flavors and crazy meats in Spain, crusty fruity things and chocolate in Vienna, all different kinds of beer and wine. By the time we got sick of one thing, we were moving on to the next country.

This is not the case in Argentina. There is a lot of the same food everywhere we go. And spice seems to be a 4 letter word. The food is good, but it's a lot of the same.

The typical Argentine meal: giant plate of meat, seasoned with salt. To be consumed with an amber lager, or malbec.

In Bariloche and Mendoza, we finally got a bit of a break from the monotony of caramel + red wine + salt + meat, but I still craved some foods I just couldn't get. In fact, I there were some foods I wanted so badly, I finally started keeping a list.

What you miss when traveling in Argentina

(Not a 100% comprehensive list, but here are the biggies.)

Lime
Peppers (jalapenos, serranos, red pepper, wasabi) Really, I’d even be happy for a regular supply of black pepper on my salads
Anything acidic/tangy
Fresh fruit—especially berries and melons
Sushi
Vegetables outside of butter lettuce and white onions
Herbs (basil, mint, cilantro - - - oh God, I miss cilantro)
Avocado
Good pizza
Sandwiches—I'd kill for some fresh bread, turkey, cheese, veggies, spreads, pickles, and peppers

Not surprisingly, first meal I made when we got back home? Limey, spicy, cilantro-packed tilapia tacos with a side of mango salsa. They weren't the best things I'd ever made, but after a month of meat, they were the best tacos on earth.