The vegetable crisis

Tomatoes have reached the eye-popping price of $15 per kilo! As such, they have become luxury items. The classic side salad of lettuce & tomato is now pricier than the main dish (meat) it was meant to accompany. Area parrillas are quietly dropping vegetables from their menus.... The great vegetable crisis is the talk of the town today, with Clarin devoting pages to the subject and TV crews now jumping on the story to interview vegetable vendors and consumers live on the streets. The cause? A tough winter is one explanation. Another is that soy farming is so lucrative--with a robust export market based on dollars (instead of pesos)--that the veggies for the domestic market aren't getting as much attention.

I just went to one of my favorite verdulerias--on the corner of Borges & Charcas--and confirmed the $15 per kilo price for tomatoes. A splurge: I bought three small plum tomatoes & then the strawberries for $10 a kilo seemed like a bargain--although I swear they were just $6 a kilo last week.