Stay-at-Home Orders Lead to Changes at Argentina’s Steakhouses

People no longer join long lines to get a table at Don Julio, a well-known steakhouse in Buenos Aires.

Since Argentina's government ordered people to stay at home on March 20, the restaurant has had to change. Don Julio has become a high-end butcher, with plans to sell street food.

Pablo Rivero, the owner of Don Julio, said the goal was to keep alive the feeling of a corner grill¹, or ‘parrilla.' That idea, of a local eatery, is central to Argentine culture – much like a cafe in Paris or a pub² in London.

"We are not going to lose it," Rivero said, "so it is a question of finding³ a way of getting through this."

Argentines have been told to stay at home unless they are considered a key worker or are buying food or essential goods.

The stay-at-home order has meant restaurants and cafes are closed, while small bakeries, grocery stores and butchers remain open.

"The idea of the butcher shop is to give people a shade of Don Julio," said Rivero. He said they would not deliver cooked meat because it was hard to keep up the quality. He added that his business is making plans to sell street food.

"This way we can engage people in something that can represent an income until activity restarts," he said.

Rivero said his 100 employees were still working during the nationwide lockdown - either in the butcher shop or helping⁴ to remodel⁵ the restaurant.

Gaston Riveira is the head of La Cabrera, another of the city's top parrillas. He said the restaurant was experiencing difficulties during the lockdown, which has been extended⁶ to at least May 24.

"We are in a difficult moment because there is no tourism and Argentines are not going out because of the quarantine," Riveira told the Reuters news agency⁷. He added the restaurant had "transformed into a food factory" doing deliveries⁸ on a reduced menu.

The coronavirus crisis⁹ has hit international demand for Argentine beef, with many restaurants closed, from Asia to Europe. That information comes from Mario Ravettino, president of Argentina's meat exporters group.

Francisco Palazzo lives with his girlfriend in Buenos Aires. He said it was important for people to be able to get a taste of normality. Before the lockdown, the 28-year-old usually ate an ‘asado' mixed grill three times a week.

Recently, Palazzo said he bought cooked meat, sausage and black pudding from a parrilla that was now doing take-out.

"It was late, and it made us want to eat an asado [barbecue] and continue with our old habits," he said.

I'm John Russell.

Words in This Story

steakhouse – n. a restaurant that serves mostly steaks

butcher - n. someone who cuts and sells meat in a shop; a store that sells meat

key – adj. central, major or important

shade – n. comparative¹⁰ darkness and coolness; the darker part of a picture

deliver – v. to carry or transport something

income – n. money received; wages or pay

lockdown – n. a security¹¹ measure to prevent people from entering or leaving an area

tourism – n. the operation of vacations and visits to places of interest

menu – n. a list of food available at a restaurant

habit – n. the usual way of behaving

1 grill   

n.烤架，铁格子，烤肉；v.烧，烤，严加盘问

参考例句：

• Put it under the grill for a minute to brown the top.放在烤架下烤一分钟把上面烤成金黄色。
• I'll grill you some mutton.我来给你烤一些羊肉吃。

2 pub   

n.[英]旅馆，小店，酒馆

参考例句：

• He is the landlord of this pub.他是这家酒店的店主。
• They saw that four large men marched into the pub.他们看到四个彪形大汉走进了酒吧。

3 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 remodel   

v.改造，改型，改变

参考例句：

• Workmen were hired to remodel and enlarge the farm buildings.雇用了工人来改造和扩建农场建筑。
• I'll remodel the downstairs bedroom first.我先要装修楼下那间房间。

6 extended   

adj.延伸的；伸展的；延长的；扩大的v.延伸(extend的过去式和过去分词)；伸展；延长

参考例句：

• an extended lunch hour 延长了的午餐时间
• France has greatly extended its influence in world affairs. 在世界事务中，法国的影响已大大地扩大了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

8 deliveries   

投递( delivery的名词复数 )； [法律]（正式）交付； 分娩； 表演

参考例句：

• Deliveries of mail could be delayed because of cost-cutting. 由于削减成本，邮件的递送可能会延迟。
• We have developed rapid order processing to expedite deliveries to customers. 我们已创造了快速处理订单的方法以便迅速将货物送达顾客。

9 crisis   

n.危机，危急关头，决定性时刻，关键阶段

参考例句：

• He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明，在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
• The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

10 comparative   

adj.比较的；相比较而言的；相对的

参考例句：

• After many hardships,he now lives in comparative ease.经过许多困难之后，他现在的生活相对舒适。
• Let's make a comparative study of the two languages.让我们将这两种语言作一下比较研究。

11 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。