Life According to Argentines - part 1 in a series

The following are just a few observations that I have made since I've been down here.  Some are meant to be humorous, some are just very Argentine, and all of them add something special to this wonderful country.  I am not passing any judgments here (except for the first one, there I have a very set opinion), I am just observing, and trying to share a bit of every-day Argentina with all of you.  Enjoy!

• Meat - and especially steak - should be cooked well done.  Medium-well at the very least. (As I said, this is the one thing I will absolutely judge - WHY when you have the best steak in the world, would you cook it to death?!  I am a medium-rare girl and I just don't understand!)
  
• Meat (or fish, chicken, or eggplant) can and should be beaten with a mallet until flattened, breaded, and then fried.  For all of the above, this is called "milenesa."  If it is steak, then it is best topped with an egg.
• Eggs go with, in, or on top of everything.  
• If there is no egg (or even if you do have egg), all things can be improved with onion.  And/or pumpkin for that matter.
• Green olives are also an excellent garnish for just about everything - especially pizza margarita
• Locks on bathroom stall doors are really not necessary
• Soap in public restrooms, restaurant restrooms, or any restrooms outside of the home is just not necessary (nor are paper towels for that matter)
• One should make-out with ones enamorada/o on the street corner, the train, the bus, in clubs, ice-cream shops, or anywhere else for that matter, at any and all times
• Car alarms should not just ring - they should include a song as well
• Everything is to be taken literally - if one says "does this have milk in it?"  the answer is "No, no milk.  Cream"
• Everything starts and ends between 30 minutes and 1+ hour late
• Graffiti looks great on the stairwells and hallways of the University of Buenos Aires
• The internet and wi-fi are totally different things.  Just because you have wi-fi in your cafe does not mean you have internet
• Electronica is the best music on earth.
• Chivalry is NOT dead - if an older woman, or a pregnant woman gets on the bus, you absolutely get up and give her your seat.
• There is no such thing as a "fast" coffee.  Coffee, and all other things consumed, are meant to be enjoyed very slowly
• Coffee is never just coffee - it is always accompanied by a little shot-glass sized glass of sparkling water and small cookies.
• When you meet someone for the first time (and whenever you greet someone or say goodbye to them) you kiss each other one time on the right cheek
• Small squares of wax-paper make excellent napkins 
• All music is better when blasted at full volume 

As I said before, though some of these things have been a bit hard to get used to, they all just add to the charm of living here.  It really is a fantastic place.  Ciao for now!