GRIP, Internships Abroad An Ode to Chori

Social Impact in Buenos Aires, Argentina

As an inherently rational person, I don’t tend to believe in fate. However, the ideal location of Chori, a choripan restaurant here in Buenos Aires, less than 500 meters from my new apartment, defies explanation by anything else. From the moment I laid eyes on the bright yellow walls at the end of the trendy alleyway, I knew this was going to be a happy place. With the smiling sausage mascot beaming down at me, the allure to enter was overwhelming. Their varied menu of unique salsas and toppings provided new vocabulary for my expanding internal Spanish Rolodex while the shockingly low prices ensured that regular visits would be anything but prohibitive. While the simplest definition of a choripan includes just two slices of bread and a halved pork sausage, Chori goes above and beyond. Immediately, my new objective (one might even go so far as to call it my calling) was to try each different sandwich at least once, eating my way down their extensive list of creative culinary masterpieces. Currently writing this love letter, I have visited the spot 6 times for lunch, despite having only been living in BA for 2.5 weeks. I’ve introduced two previously uneducated friends to the magical world of messy, dripping sandwiches that explode with flavor in every bite, and plan to do so for many more.

The cashiers there know me, and I love the Argentine twang my name has coming out of their mouths when they announce that my food is ready: “Char-lOOOOOt!” Somehow, after only a few weeks, I’ve achieved the coveted title of a ‘regular’ that always eluded me, despite living in the same small suburb for the entirety of my childhood. As a South American city populated with millions of European immigrants, Buenos Aires has incredible variety and range of food as well as a cultural emphasis on eating and enjoying. While it may appear silly on the surface that I chose to return, day after day to the same spot, Chori is my place. I can explore delicious new tastes while simultaneously enjoying the cozy feeling of familiarity. Each time I return home to my apartment, my host mother, Elsa, greets me with the question: “¿Cómo fue tu almuerzo?” to which I inevitably respond “Fui a Chori otra vez.” As we laugh together, I feel a sense of comfortable settling-in that I’ve rarely experienced in my travels before.