Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

FARE OF THE COUNTRY

FARE OF THE COUNTRY; TEATIME: A BIT OF BRITAIN IN ARGENTINA

FARE OF THE COUNTRY;   TEATIME: A BIT OF BRITAIN IN ARGENTINA
Credit...The New York Times Archives
See the article in its original context from
June 23, 1985, Section 10, Page 12Buy Reprints
TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers.
About the Archive
This is a digitized version of an article from The Times’s print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them.
Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions.

''Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea,'' Henry James wrote of the British custom in his novel ''The Portrait of a Lady.'' Luckily, the British carried the tradition to South America in the early 1800's when they came to build the railroads, and in Argentina not even the Falkland Islands war of 1982 has uprooted the practice.

Since the Anglo-Argentine community of 100,000 still maintains some influence over the habits and manners of the middle and upper classes, afternoon tea remains engrained as a tradition in Buenos Aires. At around 5 P.M. well-dressed women come in from the suburbs to meet their friends at one of the city's tea houses; secretaries unable to leave their desks put out a cake that had been tucked away at lunchtime, and busy executives dispatch office clerks to fetch their tea.

Nonetheless, in South America the tradition has its Latin idiosyncracies. For example, some people prefer an empanada, or meat-stuffed pastry, with their tea instead of thin sandwiches and cakes, and the tea, being locally grown, is not so full bodied as most travelers might wish. However, the tradition is still carried out in style, and teatime provides visitors with a good opportunity to people watch. Moreover, it makes the wait until the late dinner hour more bearable.

Perhaps the most popular place to have tea is the 80-year-old Richmond Cafe in the center of town, which has a roomy, wood-paneled dining room reminiscent of a men's club. Billiards are played in the basement. One of Graham Greene's characters in the ''Honorary Consul'' liked best to stuff herself with masas, or cakes, there. It is called by some the salon de las gordas, which literally translated means the plump women's drawing room, but the expression refers more to the class of women who have time to take tea than to the clientele's physical heft.

Tea at the Richmond, as at most other places, consists of toasted thin sandwiches of cheese and ham and a selection of cakes and pastries. Unfortunately, most places no longer bake their own pastries, and Argentine sweets suffer from too much sugar and not enough butter. It is best to choose those without extra candied items, and unless you enjoy very sweet pastries avoid those with dulce de leche, a caramel-flavored filling.

One place that does do its own baking is the Ideal, several blocks from the Richmond. Founded in 1912, the Ideal has changed some from the time when it served tea on the second floor to the accompaniment of an orchestra. Tea is now served on the ground floor in a large room broken by pillars and lighted with bronze chandeliers. Many of the waiters have been there for 35 years or more, and one Anglo-Argentine who used to meet her father there when she was a young girl, said that it still retains its old charm.

Derek Foster, an Anglo-Argentine and food critic for a local English-language newspaper, says that the best tea is served at the Lancaster Hotel, a small hotel on Avenida Cordoba. T he setting is a room with 14-foot ceilings, leather chairs and fresh flowers on each table. The room combines spaciousness with coziness, giving the impression that one has been invited to the home of a wealthy English friend. The croissants and brioches, although heavier than those in France, are served warm and are among the best in Buenos Aires. On the day I had tea at the Lancaster, a well-dressed woman came in and took one look at the tray of pastries, giggled in delight and turned to her companion, saying, ''How adorable.'' For the most part, however, the clientele at the Lancaster is more reserved than at other places. Since it is a little away from the main part of downtown, it is almost empty at teatime on some weekdays.

It used to be that tea was primarily served in the downtown cafes, but since the development of Barrio Norte, an upper-middle-class neigborhood on the north end of the city, many an afternnoon is wiled away at one of the cafes on the Recoleta. Any cabdriver should know the four-block area named for the cemetery, which sits at the far end of a plaza. The cemetery is worth a visit in its own right, for it includes examples of almost every style of architecture and is a veritable Who Was Who of Argentina. The plaza also has a row of restaurants and outdoor cafes. On a sunny day, it seems as if a good portion of the Argentine population is lounging on the grass - eating some of the best ice cream in South America - or sitting in one of the outdoor cafes.

One of the best places to have tea in that area is La Biela, a corner cafe that is always packed. A visit to La Biela offers an idea of Buenos Aires cafe society. No matter how well you are dressed, you will be underdressed, which does not matter and is half the fun. The cafe is full of rouge-cheeked women and men with slicked-back hair. There is much competition to use the phone at the bar, which is free for local calls, and one gets the feeling that if Argentines are trying to get rid of their pesos, they are putting them into heavy gold jewlery.

As in all eating places in Argentina, the service at La Biela is exceptional. One can comfortably sit for hours without feeling pressured to leave. The tea sandwiches always arrive warm and crispy, and there is a large selection of cakes.

The Augustus, several doors from La Biela, offers an alternative for those who want to spend a more quiet afternoon and who value the taste of the pastry above the atmosphere. Its pastries are made on the premises and are not overly sweet. The clientele is more sedate, and with its wood-paneled rooms and two overhanging balconies, it has the feel of a Bavarian mountain lodge. which may be a reason why it attracts more than Anglo-Argentines. On the day I had tea there, four older women, dressed in wool suits, were huddled next to me in animated gossip. I tried to eavesdrop, but they were speaking German. IF YOU GO There are thousands of confiterias, or cafes, in Buenos Aires, most of which serve tea and sandwiches from noon till closing time. Most also serve drinks and trays of chips, nuts and olives.

The price of a complete tea ranges from $2 to $2.50 and generally includes a cup of tea, toast, thin sandwiches and pastry. Here are some recommendations: Richmond Cafe, 468 Florida; Ideal, 364 Suipacha; Lancaster Hotel, 405 Cordoba; London Grill, 455 Reconquista; La Biela, 600 Quintana; Augustus, 1863 Junin, and Alvear Palace, 1891 Alvear (one of the few places that serve scones). L. C.

LYDIA CHAVEZ is chief of Buenos Aires bureau of The New York Times.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section 10, Page 12 of the National edition with the headline: FARE OF THE COUNTRY; TEATIME: A BIT OF BRITAIN IN ARGENTINA. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT