Serendipity. That happiest of things. That great gift.

I was walking down Defensa after class.

…seemed awfully big and fancy for a carniceria.

Ah–oh!

This is not the main location of the Museo de la Ciudad, but the Casa Altos de Elorriaga location, which is currently, magnificently, and tragically temporarily, a museum to Argentine beef.

So what will you find in a glorious exposition dedicated to meat, that most Argentine of culinary indulgences?

HISTORY!

HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS!

But that is absolutely not all. No indeed. Got something meat-related in mind? NAME IT, SON.

Have you ever wondered if the Argentine relationship with beef can be statistically quantified? WONDER NO LONGER.

So what do Argentines use all that meat for? The interior patio holds the answers you seek, friend.

Are you more interested in “how the sausage is made,” so to speak? It looks something like this:

So, meat plays a pretty big role in Argentine culture. But what about Argentine pop culture? Has there ever been a famous sexploitation film in which meat featured heavily alongside a celebrated bombshell and a future father of an Oscar-winning writer?

But maybe your cultural tastes are more highbrow. You appreciate fine art. Painting, sculpture. These media speak to you and inform your experiences. You enjoy seeing beauty rendered immortal by the hand of a master.

You will find your treasure here, too.

All in all, “Carne” is a masterpiece. Obviously. It might be that someone in a position to affect these sorts of things noticed that it is the 50th anniversary of the film “Carne” and just ran with it. If that’s the case, this exhibition is even more superb. It’s open to the public, it’s free, there are promotional postcards–but it closes down on September 30th, so you only have a month to experience “Carne.”