No fast moves at this Disco

A chain of grocery stores here is called Disco. It is popular because it is close - just 3 blocks from the apartment. That is the only reason.

We had been warned by everyone about the problems shopping there and yet, like a car wreck you are drawn to it.

• You cant find those small baskets to carry groceries around in while you shop.
• For several weeks during the strike there was no dairy or beef.
• From week to week, there will be some products there and then, the following week, the entire shelf will be replaced by something else. Kinda like Costco, if you see it and you want it, buy it - it may not be there the next time you are in to shop.

But the piece de resistance is the check out. There are 10 checkouts and we picked the wrong one.....but the rest were all the same. There was only three people ahead of me and it took 68 minutes to get through the check out. Paying with a $100 peso bill is like trying to sneak a thousand dollar bill through at Safeway, at home. The check out ladies are seated. They scan everything .....slowly. Some bottles of wine have security tags on them and a security guard has to be waved over to come and unlock it each time someone buys one.

We shop at Carrefour now, it is a bit of a walk and a $10 peso taxi ride home, but worth it.

But the best Disco story was.......A guy I used to work with many years ago does some business in Argentina. He would rent an apartment for a few months at a time and woul commute from Houston. Mimi and I went to dinner with him last week. Mimi hadnt met him before. Now you gotta know this guy...very serious, very studious, all business. We were walking around the neighborhood, in no particular direction, when we came across the Disco. Mimi asked him "So, do you go to the Disco?" He responds. "O no, I'm not that kind of guy - I dont have time for that sort of thing when I'm here."

When it all was sorted out, we all had a good laugh!