My American-style barbecues look very different than his traditional Argentinian asados.

Jordan Mautner

Even though I’ve been a vegetarian for 20 years, I still love the idea of getting together for a barbecue with friends and family. I can slap a veggie burger on the grill, make some side salads, pop open a beer, and enjoy the afternoon with loved ones. 

When my boyfriend first invited me to an asado, a traditional Argentinian barbecue, with his friends, I was thrilled. But it wasn’t until I arrived that I realized how different our barbecues were.

The asado didn’t quite look like a typical American cookout with burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, pickles, and various condiments.

Instead, there was an array of grilled meats, from pork and chicken to beef and sausage. It was a meat lover’s paradise, and I’ve since learned that, in general, Argentines really love their meat.

Luckily, there were some excellent vegetable-based sides as well. They grilled whole potatoes and asparagus and stuffed bell peppers and mushrooms with eggs and cheese. They even grilled provolone cheese in a small clay pot. 

The chimichurri sauce more than made up for the lack of ketchup and mustard. At most asados, this sauce — made of olive oil, finely chopped parsley, garlic, and oregano — is the only one you’ll find, and it’s outrageously delicious.

Drenching my grilled vegetables and provolone cheese with this divine sauce made the asado a vegetarian’s paradise as well. Even if it wasn’t exactly the barbecue I had in mind, I still ate like a queen.