The most important part of Argentina

I'm sure you're all dying to hear about how Argentina is going. I could go on and on about our orientation and the people I've met and even my host family and how big but easy to navigate the city is, but I know what you're all waiting for: the food.
Even since my first meal here, it is evident that there is no way that anyone could survive as a vegetarian in Argentina. There is so much meat, and the steak is quite incredible. The first night we went to a restaurant off of one of the main streets. I ate the chorizo which I thought was a sausage like meat but it was just a nicely grilled steak. The girl across the table from me was a vegetarian "even though she likes meat" and I'm pretty sure she was drooling. Screw veggies, i'm going carnivorious from this moment on.
Empanadas, individual pies with fillings like corn, spinach, ham and cheese, beef and veggies, etc, are a pretty typical and oft-eaten food here. So you get the idea, I've had them for the last 3 of 4 meals, and that was a coincidence. Actually there was an empanada at my dinner table tonight so let's say 4 out of 5 meals. On Friday during our lunch break, some friends and i found a cute cafe and all ordered empanadas. They're each about US$1, and are delicious, so it's a pretty ideal meal. my drink was actually more expensive than my 2 empanadas combined. Then after meeting my host family, who are awesome and so nice, and waiting until 10:30 to eat, my host mom Verónica and I made empanadas. They're really easy to make and it's very fun, I got into a nice rhythm. We made almost 50 and there was more beef stuffing, so we're going to be having leftover empanadas for a while. That's okay by me though. Tomorrow I don't have any obligations until a walking tour with my small group in the neighborhood of Palermo (think Borges) at 3 PM, so I'm going to explore the Sunday market in the neighborhood of San Telmo. There are lots of places to eat there, but I'm going to stash at least one empanada in my bag to ward off hunger.
One food that I have never been fond of eggplants, and much to my father's chagrin, I've been eating them! The argentines cleverly fool me with the name (berenjenas) which I finally mastered, so between the confusion and the overwhelming essense of garlic, they have become part of my diet. I even told my host mom that was one of the only things I wouldn't eat, and then it was on the dinner table a few hours later.
Last but obviously not least: desserts. So far I haven't had nearly as many opportunities to eat sweets as I would like, most people haven't been ordering them in restaurants so I don't want to hold everyone up. We've eaten fruit a few times--not that exciting. However, during my walk along Avenida Corrientes, a main street near FLACSO (my program), I was lost and hungry so I stopped at a gelato shop and got dulce de leche ice cream with chocolates. SO. GOOD. At the market tomorrow I'm definitely going to stock up on all sorts of pastries and sweet, but especially dulce de leche.
Let me just conclude by first apologizing for the lack of pictures. I've taken 3, and one was at Logan Airport. I'm not ready to look like a tourist and have all of my belongings swiped from me while I aim my camera at every old building (hint: there are lots). And secondly, to all of my dear friends and family dealing with the rain and the cold: it's sunny and in the 80s, I have to wear sunscreen tomorrow. Sorry your lives are not quite as warm as mine.
Kilos of carne,
Rachel