The David Pakman Show

I was recently lucky enough to spend time in Argentina, the country where I was born and lived before coming to the U.S. at age 5. Since 1989, I’ve visited most summers, or every other year, although this was my first trip since 2006. Upon landing at Ezeiza, the country’s largest airport, just outside of Buenos Aires, I was instantly back into the culture and atmosphere of the city.

Within minutes of getting off the 10-hour flight from Washington, D.C., I was approached by countless plain-clothes “drivers,” cleverly offering “official taxis” into the city, hoping the word “official” would convince you they aren’t one of the kidnappers and crooks attempting to pick up unknowing travelers, still dazed from the overnight flight into the port city. They won’t waste time with locals, though, and after responding in Castellano – the version of Spanish spoken in Argentina – that I already had a ride, they were very polite, even welcoming me back to the country.

Upon arriving at the furnished rental apartment where I stayed in the Palermo neighborhood, the rental agent made sure to repeat instructions: I shouldn’t turn up the heat or hot water – I did, it was cold. I must keep the door dead-bolted at all times. I couldn’t let anyone into the building at any time for any reason, no matter what they looked liked, regardless of whether I thought I had seen them inside the building. “They’ll understand and they can get in with their key,” the agent said.

I admit, there was one time where I let a young girl in behind me. She had her key out and she really looked like she lived there!

One of the most pleasant things about traveling to Buenos Aires is the exceptional service at restaurants – not to mention the food. In absolute contrast with the norm in the U.S., Argentinean waitstaff tend not to be college kids or temps. Therefore, being rudely told they must “check with the manager” about whether you can have a side salad instead of rice is unimaginable.

Because of the current U.S. dollar-Argentinean peso exchange rate, great meals are incredibly inexpensive; the bill at dinner for a group of four at a restaurant that in New York would be considered “high end” was $50 – that’s for all four of us – including drinks, appetizers and desserts, but not the 10 percent “maximum” tip that is customary for good service – and the service was very good. Not having to worry about water quality or food contamination as in many other countries makes it all the better.

The most striking negatives of being dropped back into the noisy, polluted, crowded city include broken sidewalks, graffiti everywhere, as well as the constant threat of mugging attempts, which I experienced.

When walking in broad daylight through what didn’t strike me as an unsafe area – or “unsecured” as a cousin comically, and literally, translated from the Spanish “inseguro” when practicing his English – I was approached by a 20-something guy saying he “needed to talk to me about something.”

I was confused, but said no, and started to walk around him. He closed the distance between us and said it wouldn’t take long and he really needed to talk about “working on something together.” I quickly walked around him to a busier part of the street, and he walked away.

The person I was with, who didn’t speak Spanish, noticed a second person closing in on us. The situation could have turned ugly, but didn’t. Talking with family and friends about the incident, I was told very casually that it’s happened to them too, and most likely it would not have turned violent. The young guy was trying to get close enough to grab my wallet out of my jacket.

With my family, politics are inevitably discussed, and there is always much interest in my radio/television program, which through the Internet they are able to follow from 6,000 miles away. When I asked how they imagined Americans felt about Barack Obama, there was one word that was mentioned every single time: “Desilusionados,” or disillusioned.

I’m always fascinated by how my politics are perceived there. In the U.S., Midweek Politics is considered “liberal” by all but the most leftwing individuals. In Argentina, I am considered moderate overall, and even conservative on financial issues. At the same time, many in the U.S. consider me “conservative” on issues related to Israel and Palestine, while in Israel I would be considered liberal.

This only confirms that the political spectrum is subjective, something that is easily forgotten when engaging in politics within the U.S.

I hope to get another chance to sample the asado, sandwiches de miga, alfajores, facturas and everything else that I love from Argentina, hopefully next time without the attempted mugging in broad daylight.

David Pakman, host of “Midweek Politics with David Pakman,” writes a monthly column. If your newspaper or website is interested in running the column, contact us.