<p>There are three types of food in Argentina. Ham. Cheese. Bread. Yes, the steak is glorious, but like meaty vampires these delicious monsters only come out of hiding at night when Argentines wake up. Which is around midnight.</p><p>For the rest of the time, you have to contend with the above-mentioned smorgasbord of choices, and while the ham and cheese are very similar to the types you find in South Africa, the bread is unlike any substance you will have encountered. Correction no EDIBLE substance, as the stuff they use here is more commonly used to build bank vaults back home.</p><p>Of course, one could always opt not to eat. But when you're driving distances equivalent to a trip from Johannesburg to Port Elizabeth on a daily basis, it's hard to fight the hunger. Compounding the problem is the fact that service stations only really appear once every 200km, and only every second one is likely to have some kind of shop where these ham and cheese brickettes are available. By the time you find one, you'll eat anything.</p><p>The competitors are affected too. You may recall that I interviewed Stephane Peterhansel on day one of the Dakar Rally, while the defending champion sat on the side of the road eating his lunch from a brown paper bag. The French like their food, and I was blown away to bump into him again a few days later, standing in a queue at the smallest, dodgiest service station cafe in all of Argentina, mere minutes after he had completed another grueling stage. He had in his hand, surprise surprise, a ham and cheese sarmie.</p><p><a href="http://ewn.co.za/2014/01/23/Dakar-Wrap-The-Three-Amigos">Keep reading...</a></p>