As I prepared to attend the Uruguay study abroad, I was most excited for three things. 1) Experiencing a new culture, 2) Playing with some beautiful cattle, & 3) Trying all the new foods. Between all three things, I was most interested in the opportunity to try the new foods. I have always been adventurous when it comes food and life in general. In the past, I have eaten everything that has been thrown my way, but I had yet to eat things like blood sausage or intestines. I knew those would be available in Uruguay and I couldn’t had been more excited. Upon landing in Montevideo, we had a really strong start in the food department when we had the national dish of Uruguay for lunch: the Chivito. This monstrosity of a sandwich includes steak, ham, fried egg, lettuce, cheese, tomato, and a white bread bun surrounded my French fries. Of all things I have ever eaten, this easily makes it in the top 10 and for most people it showed that Uruguayan’s know how to eat! In the United States the average person eats about 40kg of beef a year, in Uruguay they eat about 80kg per year. Needless to say, beef was on the menu every single night and it was glorious. I wont lie and say that you will always feel great after eating beef more than you ever had, but you cannot help to appreciate how amazing the beef is and the work that went into producing it. Additionally to the beef, Uruguay is full of amazing Italian food and the most wonderful deserts. The study abroad lasts for 11 days and I paid for maybe two meals the entire time. If you love food, love beef, and love spending hours at dinner taking everything in as I do, this trip will be a dream come true!
