"It's a 'Veterinario' Restaurant!"

Uruguayans love their animals.

Usually with a little bit of salt, slow cooked over a wood fire...har har har....

When I first arrived in Montevideo I spent the first 3 months or so in a deperate search for a vegetarian restaurant that had somehow escaped the discovery of any of the other bloggers.

Of course, veternarian offices are more common than mini-marts in the US, so everywhere I would go, I would catch a glimpse of a sign that said, "Veterinario" and for a fleeting instant hope it was a restaurant...HA!...maybe in Korea. I'd think I'd found the source of deep-fried tofu and Qorn "naked cutletts" -- Only to find it was just another vet's office when inspected closer.

Here at the office we have a couple of established dogs that terrorize the neighborhood by barking at each and every living being that dares walk across the front of the home anywhere between our sidewalk and the river, a good 75 meters away.

We have a new dog in the office these days. Luna, pictured above, is Santiago's beloved yellow lab puppy. She is amazingly cute in everything she does. And, it's a good thing because despite great progress, her house training still leaves a little bit to be desired. My coworker calls her a cute "poopy" - a latin mispronunciation of puppy, but apropos in this case. (As an aside, in case you've never been to montevideo or haven't read much, the sidewalks are covered in the evidence of Uruguayos love for their pets and their disdain for cleaning up after them).

If you come to Montevideo, bring your love of dogs. But, leave behind your hope for a good vegetarian restaurant. The only meaningful exceptions to this are the Italian Restaurants (and pick and choose off the menu, or OdeFusion's Montevideo Vegetarian Food. Luckily, I have a connection at OdeFusion. :)

ciao for now,

fuBarrio