The Word of the Day is: "morcilla"

Some people learn their foreign languages through repetition, others through natural talent. And on some occassions, you learn new words and phrases through searing personal experience.

The Setting: an intimate Buenos Aires restaurant in the hip Palermo SoHo neighborhood over Thanksgiving weekend.

The Characters: Bill, Dana, Andrea and Katie, two friends from La Paz

The Plot: This being Argentina, Bill orders a steak dinner, which arrives accompanied by two side dishes. The first side is a chorizo that heartily lives up to the high standards of Argentine cuisine. The second side is a little less identifiable.

Since he's already venturing into the table's third bottle of wine, Bill boldly samples a forkful of the black, sort-of-gelantenous sidedish. Numb taste buds still draw a blank.

"Andrea, try this and tell me what you think it is."

Andrea, who, I should note, is a vegetarian, digs in.

"I'd say some kind of black bean puree."

That sounds pretty good to Bill, but he calls the waiter over anyways for confirmation.

"Senor, que es eso?"

"Ah, esa es morcilla", waiter responds. Then, in English, "Blood sausage."

Andrea gamely looks down at her plate and suppresses her gag reflex. Neither one of us speak again about our coagulated pigs blood dinner. Evening ends with a fourth bottle of wine.