Barbecue talks: the heroes’ barbecue, necklines, salads and “the drunk uncle”

“Good evening, come this way, it’s twenty thousand a place.” As soon as they entered the Quinta de Olivos, the libertarian deputies, from the PRO and some radicals, met with the two collectors, who only accepted debit cards and not the leading app of the friend of the house, for example, to pay for dinner. Before, they had to leave the phone in a bag, which ended up in a basket, to be returned only to those who left. They did not even return it to the hands, even for a short period, of those who went out to smoke.

The idea, of course, was that no one could take photos of the evening in which Javier Milei entertained the “87 heroes” who with their vote protected the veto that prevented an increase in the passive salaries of the savage retirees, willing to bankrupt the country just for the sake of getting an extra kilo of milanesas on their table, every month. Of the 87, there were finally 71. The absentees: nine PRO deputies, the three from the Independencia bloc who answer to the governor of Tucumán, Osvaldo Jaldo, and three radicals. Freedom Advances, only registered one absence, that of Rocío Bonacci.

They had arrived there in three packed minivans that left Congress bound for the presidential residence minutes before 8pm on Tuesday, although some deputies preferred to go on their own, mainly those from the PRO. “Let’s see if they take us to visit a prison on the way”one of them was heard to say, laughing. Others complained about the police operation, as the motorcycles that were in front of the procession were hitting the windows of motorists who were driving at that time. Maipu Avenuewhich caused everyone to be insulted. “It was excessive,” said the moderate libertarians, already in the Quinta. They entered through the back of the residence, to avoid the octogenarian protesters who were making noise on Libertador.

The reception included cold snacks, something retro, like toast with pate. They had just entered the main hall when the President arrived, who greeted each of the attendees one by one. With a table arranged in a U shape in the Quinta de Olivos barbecue area, President Javier Milei gathered the “heroes.” Despite his football past, when taking the floor the head of State used an example from another sporting discipline and He asked the legislators to “all form a scrum together”Some people were already standing up from their seats when they understood that the request was not literal, but rather aimed at joint work on the legislative agenda.

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Manuel Adorni extends his “black” card to pay for dinner. Karina Milei also took advantage of the promotion of the generous barbecue for $20 thousand.

This fact changed the mood at the table. The libertarians had long faces, while the PRO members were smiling, since they also occupied, to their surprise, the places closest to the President and his main table. That is, Milei took for granted an alliance for 2025 and a sort of unified block, a fact that does not please the pure-blooded libertarians. Some of them, in addition, remained far from their friend. Martin Menemwho went to the central table with Karina Milei, Santiago Caputo, Manuel Adorni, Patricia Bullrich and Guillermo Francos. Thus, the LLA remained silent for a good part of the night, muttering anger.

The President also explained why it was necessary to uphold the veto, and asked that the scrum resist the next “populist” attacks. That is, the new projects that will come to Congress to expand spending. The curious thing is that there was a second leader who asked to speak, and he was given the opportunity: the radical Mariano CamperoThe Tucuman was branded as “the drunk guy at the party”since he first left a wine for Milei, despite being an abstainer, and then called on everyone to fight for the country. He readjusted the President’s war cry: “Long live the Fatherland, Damn it!” he howled, and all the attendees looked at him blushing, with some anger at Campero’s eccentricity, but also with “embarrassment for others.”

Necklines, distances and salads

The anxiety was great: many of the men and women of the lower house were looking forward to meeting the president’s dogs, especially Conanor at least their spirit. But they were left wanting, because there were no animals at the meeting.

The barbecue for the “heroes” was billed to the Casa Rosada buffet account. In fact, the workers who collect the menu every day at Balcarce 50 were called at the last minute to work at Quinta de Olivos. As a prep, a knife-cut meat pie. Then, Chinchulines, blood sausages, kidneys and chorizos were part of the starter. The main course: strips of roast and vacuumalthough some diners pointed out that it was strictly a roast tapa “a little dry”. It could be repeated. The salads: arugula and parmesan, mixed, carrot and egg, and potato and parsley. The wine chosen was Hacienda Del Plata, Arriero Premium Blendvalued at $18,000 on Mercado Libre. For dessert, a chocolate mousse replaced the traditional flan mixta that had been served lately at Olivos. It was decorated with a caramel roll. Coffee and tea to finish. A bargain for just $20,000.

A dish that got people talking was the Damián Arabia’s Potato and Egg Saladwhich I prepared especially because “I don’t want to go home empty-handed.” Intended for six people, it ended up serving twenty. The dish was questioned because it lacked two key ingredients: mayonnaise and parsley. The first was justified, since the dressing could have ruined the freshness of the tubers.

Some went hungry, such as Patricia Vasquezwho is celiac and couldn’t get a gluten-free dish prepared for her. The funny thing is that she ended up eating the initial empanada. Others brought their own wine, like Oscar Zago, who fell with a Trumpeter.

The one who drew attention was the libertarian deputy Maria Celeste Poncewho prepared her look early and showed in a photo on her social networks that she chose gold and sparkles for the dinner. Provocative, with a neckline and a slit that left her legs exposed, she was described as “daring” by her fellow candidates. And, of course, she did steal the gaze of the men, who nevertheless preferred to sit far away so as not to have an awkward moment. “Alberto’s soul should not appear,” said one of them, laughing.

Ponce was very upset when she found out that, despite all her preparation, she was seated at the end of the table, far from the iron triangle but also from her friend Lilia Lemoine. There are those who say that there was some bitterness between them and Lilia ended up giving speeches for a good part of the night to a tired Gerardo Milman. Lilia was also far from Marcela Pagano, her block enemywho was on the other end with men from the PRO, like Cristian Ritondo or Diego Santilli. In that space they were surprised by the “human” nature of the President, who stayed until the end of the meeting. “When we met up with Mauricio, he would only appear for five minutes,” they compared.

Another one that was specially prepared for the agape was the Advisor Santiago Caputo. Although those close to him initially said he would not attend the meeting, he finally showed up, but not before shaving. It turns out that hours before, Lisandro Catalán shared an image in which the “hand of the king” could be seen next to Guillermo Francos and Karina Milei, trying to deny friction in the cabinet. The image received numerous criticisms for Caputo’s new style, and it seems that the bullets entered, since he chose to change it before the meeting at the presidential residence.

The preview

The topic had already been discussed in Congress before: Maria Eugenia Vidal She left an hour before the plenary session of the committees, after signing the majority opinion for the Clean Record project. “She is in a hurry because of the barbecue,” she said in passing. Vanessa Siley. While speaking Karina Banfi (co-author of the project), Juan Manuel López stood in the middle of the room and started making jokes about Peronism. “What if we make our own barbecue? You say you like chorizo, but I’m sure you like morcipán.”

Also Agustina Propato He asked him -without a microphone, from a distance- Silvia Lospennato (President of the Petitions Committee) with whom she was going to have dinner tonight. “Do you care what I do with my life? Who are you going to have dinner with today? I have the right to have dinner with whoever I want, it’s my life and I don’t have to tell you about it,” she replied, red-faced, and gave the floor to Paula Penacca, who finished: “Today I’m going to fast, if anyone is interested, because I’m going to show solidarity with the retirees who after the middle of the month can’t buy food.”