A hamburger between two fried tequeños that make bread. A fried cake filled with banana split and chocolate. Two Rosarios who adore “obscene, but amazing” food. David Farabollini and Jimena Basterra travel through Uruguay in search of cafes, bars, restaurants and food stalls. They upload videos to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. In this last social network they have already reached 100 thousand followers.
The couple that stars in “Somos Comiendo” arrived in Uruguay on February 2, 2022 through the Gualeguaychú – Fray Bentos bridge. In the little red Suzuki they carried summer and winter clothes, Ophthalmology books, pots and glasses. The rest of their belongings were sold. David and Jimena –33 and 31 years old respectively– were only accompanied by their dog Renné.
They had planned to travel to Spain, the country that represents hope for many Latin Americans, but the couple was not sure. “My sister calls me”David tells The Observer. They talked about the imminent move and she asked him a question: “What are you looking for?”. “Walking quietly down the street, living with another rhythm,” he replied. “My sister is my sister and my best friend,” says David. He took her suggestion and they came to Uruguay.
The haters and the fans
On Instagram they had 46 thousand followers when they left Argentina. They knew it was a risky decision. It would change your audience. When they made videos visiting bars in Rosario, people from Rosario would see them; when doing it in Montevideo, they needed new followers. But that was not the only negative consequence. The addition of their march with the unstable situation in their native country inspired many “haters” to treat them as “traitors”. In the first month in Uruguay, they lost three thousand followers.
But then luck changed. A year after their move, they have 98 thousand followers. On YouTube they had barely 700 subscribers, now that figure is multiplied by ten. They had not found an audience on YouTube until living in Uruguay. Makes sense. Although it is a popular medium around the world, in this country it may have special roots or validity. According to an international study, the dream job for a Uruguayan is to be youtuber. For an Argentine, the aspiration is broader: to be influencer.
On loan to The Observer
David and Jimena, the Rosarios who moved to Uruguay
On YouTube they upload vlogging that last between 10 and 20 minutes where they try Uruguayan alfajores, stuffed fried cakes or get to know the Brazilian Coffee. The relationship with subscribers is close. A girl sent him a family photo of her: “having lunch watching you”, He said. On the other hand, on TikTok and Instagram the videos are short and due to the operation of these networks with their reels –that will appear while the user scrolls down and the algorithm prepares the offer for him– the content reaches people who do not necessarily know the couple. It has an advantage, they can go viral and reach a much larger audience. It has a disadvantage, since it is not that close, “they bard you”sums up David.
Sometimes they are accused of saying that the locals pay them to say that the food is good, but the man from Rosario assures that this is not the case. “If we don’t like something, it doesn’t go up.” The normal thing is that from a bar they contact them and offer them a free dinner: catch of the day with rice vermicelli, deep dish pizza or a hamburger between two fried tequeños that make bread. If the couple would recommend their followers to visit the premises, they upload the video to their networks.s. If they would not, the video is suspended and David and Jimena offer to pay for dinner.
“I’d rather lose a day of content than lie to people,” he says.
In general they record from Friday to Sunday. From Monday to Thursday they flee from meat: they eat vegetables and try to take care of themselves. The material they get on the weekends allows them to upload videos, even if they are short, every day. From the views of their videos, they collect almost nothing. The money – a kind of “plus” for their respective salaries – comes from work with brands.
The story of David and Jimena
“We met doing musical comedy”David recalls. An activity that perhaps helps them to be fluent in front of the camera. They have been together for eleven years. He is an ophthalmologist, she is a community manager. In 2017 David started with the Instagram account called “Eating for Rosario”. Jimena accompanied him to the bars and gave him notes. Half a year later she also appeared on the screen. Precisely, one of the attractions of her videos is the family atmosphere they generate. “People like our relationship”he thinks.
In March 2020 they decided to move to Uruguay. They finally did it in February 2022. While validating his ophthalmologist degree he was assistant at the clinic where she now works. He had taken the study books in case he had to do the specialization again, but in Uruguay he was able to approve it. The process ended in October.
Meanwhile, Jimena continued working as a community manager. He went through a logistics company, an aesthetic center and, of course, gastronomic services.
In June, one of her videos went viral. “We moved to Uruguay – First 4 months in ??”, it was called on YouTube where it got 75 thousand views. On Instagram and TikTok it exceeded one million views. The Chinese social network admonished them with a message: “take a break.” But Jimena and David were responding to every comment. This was not the time to rest or abandon their successful closeness.
