So the other evening, around 9:30pm, I was walking through my neighbourhood after class. As the warm weather has rolled in, everyone has “rolled out” onto the streets. Just a few months ago a side-street would be empty, a side-walk sitting area non-existent, and people bundled up in coats and scarves while leaving the theatre. Not now. Now things are opposite, different than the winter months. During the winter (June-September), everyone is out during the day and inside restaurants or their homes by 10pm. When I walk around even at 11:30-midnight, everyone is out enjoying the evening breeze and taking a stroll down the most popular streets to soak in the atmosphere.
It’s always been normal here to eat dinner extremely late by North American standards, no matter what the season. If you show up at a restaurant by 9pm the waiters are surprised that you want to order dinner. Most people eat between 10-midnight on any given night, then either go to a show, go out for a drink with a friend, spend time with family, or go home and relax before the next work day.
The youth, teenagers, and 20 somethings are loving it though. The warmer the weather means the less clothing, no paying for coat check, and the later they can go out. It’s very common to see a family eating out at a restaurant at 11pm, ages 3-100. So much for my parents making me eat at 5pm and sending me to bed by 9pm when I was a kid!
As I’ve traveled across South America I have noticed a common theme of the evening being a time to get together with everyone and eat or drink, relax or play. The late afternoon is to laze in the setting sun after your workday and the night is for dinner, socializing, possibly going out, and sleep. Here in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, the nightlife lasts a very, very, long time. In Canada, the evening is, for the most part or generally, to yourself to relax and unwind from the day, not party and socialize. It isn’t very common to have a large dinner party on a Wednesday in Canada. Although, I’m considering starting that concept, even if it means having everyone over in their suits right after work at 6pm. In BA, they have what they call that the “After-Work Bar” where everyone goes in their work attire to have a drink and socialize before going home or out to dinner. There is even a very popular club called ‘Museum’, where Wednesday nights it’s specifically an after-work club. From 8pm-2am you can show up in your suit and party as if it was a Saturday at 5am, then get home at a relatively decent hour to ensure you get to work for the next morning.
Now, that aside, does the weather have something to do with it? I’ve found that if the climate is hot or even just warm, people are more likely to have shorter days and longer nights. Even the incorporation of a longer lunch time for a nap or to escape the heat is very popular. In every South American country I’ve been to, the nights are very long and eventful, even for locals that have university or a job. In Buenos Aires, the nightlife is legendary and it’s all night and into the morning, no matter what age you might be. I’ve seen 70 year old women getting together for a 2am coffee or glass of wine, while their husbands are playing pool and enjoying a whiskey together. Mind you, that is mostly between Thursday-Saturday, not a Monday.
Also probably contributing to this is the collectivist nature of the culture, as well as the massive size of the city. Maybe one day Toronto will be up late on side-walk restaurants and cafes, partying until 7 in the morning, bringing their children out to join them, and generally enjoying the company of others rather than the company of electronics.
Just a random thought.
Random Thought #5
Posted by jonahmademesignup on November 13, 2008
So the other evening, around 9:30pm, I was walking through my neighbourhood after class. As the warm weather has rolled in, everyone has “rolled out” onto the streets. Just a few months ago a side-street would be empty, a side-walk sitting area non-existent, and people bundled up in coats and scarves while leaving the theatre. Not now. Now things are opposite, different than the winter months. During the winter (June-September), everyone is out during the day and inside restaurants or their homes by 10pm. When I walk around even at 11:30-midnight, everyone is out enjoying the evening breeze and taking a stroll down the most popular streets to soak in the atmosphere.
It’s always been normal here to eat dinner extremely late by North American standards, no matter what the season. If you show up at a restaurant by 9pm the waiters are surprised that you want to order dinner. Most people eat between 10-midnight on any given night, then either go to a show, go out for a drink with a friend, spend time with family, or go home and relax before the next work day.
The youth, teenagers, and 20 somethings are loving it though. The warmer the weather means the less clothing, no paying for coat check, and the later they can go out. It’s very common to see a family eating out at a restaurant at 11pm, ages 3-100. So much for my parents making me eat at 5pm and sending me to bed by 9pm when I was a kid!
As I’ve traveled across South America I have noticed a common theme of the evening being a time to get together with everyone and eat or drink, relax or play. The late afternoon is to laze in the setting sun after your workday and the night is for dinner, socializing, possibly going out, and sleep. Here in Argentina, especially Buenos Aires, the nightlife lasts a very, very, long time. In Canada, the evening is, for the most part or generally, to yourself to relax and unwind from the day, not party and socialize. It isn’t very common to have a large dinner party on a Wednesday in Canada. Although, I’m considering starting that concept, even if it means having everyone over in their suits right after work at 6pm. In BA, they have what they call that the “After-Work Bar” where everyone goes in their work attire to have a drink and socialize before going home or out to dinner. There is even a very popular club called ‘Museum’, where Wednesday nights it’s specifically an after-work club. From 8pm-2am you can show up in your suit and party as if it was a Saturday at 5am, then get home at a relatively decent hour to ensure you get to work for the next morning.
Now, that aside, does the weather have something to do with it? I’ve found that if the climate is hot or even just warm, people are more likely to have shorter days and longer nights. Even the incorporation of a longer lunch time for a nap or to escape the heat is very popular. In every South American country I’ve been to, the nights are very long and eventful, even for locals that have university or a job. In Buenos Aires, the nightlife is legendary and it’s all night and into the morning, no matter what age you might be. I’ve seen 70 year old women getting together for a 2am coffee or glass of wine, while their husbands are playing pool and enjoying a whiskey together. Mind you, that is mostly between Thursday-Saturday, not a Monday.
Also probably contributing to this is the collectivist nature of the culture, as well as the massive size of the city. Maybe one day Toronto will be up late on side-walk restaurants and cafes, partying until 7 in the morning, bringing their children out to join them, and generally enjoying the company of others rather than the company of electronics.
Just a random thought.
This entry was posted on November 13, 2008 at 2:04 am and is filed under Questions and Comments. Tagged: Buenos Aires, nightlife, south america. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.