argentina in spain

A little Argentine ♥ in Madrid...



mate



cooking Argentine meat with love

   

alfajores



map, futbol, obelisk

Feliz Navidad

Decorating a paper Christmas tree with ornaments
created by the kindergarten class of an elementary school in Madrid...
not something I thought I'd be doing this holiday season, but happy I got to :)

HOW TO play dudo

Dudo, which translates as "I doubt," is a Latin version of America's Liar's Dice, and has similarities to the popular card game Bullsh*t.

It has been known to keep my friends and I up for hours in Argentina, as we each continued to try and earn the informal title of "Dudo Master."

"Ok, just one more game," was commonly heard as the time got later and later.

Fun, competitive, and addicting are three words that I associate with dudo. A game played with sets of 5 dice, and at minimum 3 players, the rules are rather simple. It's keeping your head in the game and learning the best strategies that are key.

I'm going to dudo you!

Each player starts with 5 dice, rolling one to see who has the highest and therefore goes first. Different colored sets make it easier to differentiate between each players' hand. Plus, they look pretty :)

1. Shake up your dice and bring them down to the table, concealing them with your hands so other players can't see.

2. Based on what dice you rolled, start by verbalizing your guess of how many dice of one number are on the table, at a minimum. For example: There are 6 players X 5 dice each = 30 dice on the table. If you rolled 3 fives, chances are there are more than 3 fives on the table total, so you may guess that there are at least 4 fives showing, between your hand and the other players'. You don't want to start too low (because you risk it coming back around to you when things are too high) or too high (because people will call dudo on you). 

3. The next player can guess the same or higher amount, but must go higher in the dice number. They make this guess based on what other people have called and what they rolled in their own hand. For example: If you guessed 5 fives, the player after you can guess 5 sixes, 5 aces (ones), or 6 of anything, 7 of anything, 8 of anything, etc.

Dudo!

4. If at any point you believe that someone has made an incorrect guess, you call "dudo!" At this point, everyone must lift their hands and show their dice. If there are at least the number on the table that the other player called, you lose a dice. If there are less than they called, they lose a dice. Lost dice go in the middle of the table, so players can glance down and calculate the odds based on how many dice are left under people's hands.

5. The last person with any dice is the winner AKA Dudo Master. 

Smack talking, lying, and laughing are highly encouraged.

spanish is intriguing

"We speak Spanish.. mainly because it's the language that we speak."

Jaja.. great commercial for Kahlua, using Spanish, an "intriguing language..."

¡futbol!

Argentines eat, sleep, and breath futbol. Next to meat, which is a staple in the Argentine diet, it's safe to say that futbol is a top passion throughout the country. So, you can imagine how amazing it was to be in Argentina when the 2010 World Cup came around, especially with the national team being a participant again.

Argentina VS Spain through the window

Going to a game during the regular futbol season is excitement enough. Stadiums and the surrounding businesses don't even serve alcohol before, during, or after the match because fans are drunk enough on their love for the game. Even little kids are yelling obscenities at the other team's fans, everyone knows all of the chants, and no one stays seated. Fans are dedicated to their team from the time they are born. Futbol in Argentina is like a religion.

World Cup in Plaza San Martin

During the World Cup, futbol was everywhere everyday. Argentina made it to the quarter finals in the last World Cup, 2006, and with Diego Maradona, the controversial yet arguably best futbol player of all time, in the coaching position for 2010, expectations and excitement were high. Every TV you passed had a game on, evident by the unavoidable sound of vuvuzelas, and many bars set up big screens to show all the matches. A big screen was set up in Plaza San Martin to enjoy the tournament outside. Bars, restaurants, and cafes were packed with fans, locals and foreigners alike, to catch all 64 games of the tournament. Fans, including my friends and I, staked out spots throughout the city early, as to get good seats. Bosses gave their employees a break in the middle of the day so as not to miss any of the action. The buzz of futbol filled the air for the month of the World Cup and I was swept up right along with it.

Futbol & Meat

Unfortunately, Argentina didn't make it past the quarter finals this year, but their love of the game has never been more apparent... and there's always 2014. ¡Vamos Argentina!

catching up

Enjoying my last few months in Argentina, and readjusting and taking in everything I missed while away from the states, I have obviously slacked on One Way to BA.

Since my last post I spent about 3 more amazing months in Buenos Aires, complete with more steak, Malbec, cafes, asados, San Telmo market, teaching ESL, alfajores, helado, dudo, and trips to Brazil and Bariloche. Clearly I was too busy to write :)

Since I returned to the states in June, I have been based in New Jersey, reconnecting with friends and family, job searching, volunteering, enjoying American culture while at the same time missing Argentina, and traveling up and down the East Coast as well as to Bermuda, California, and Spain.

Falling back into the routines of home has been very easy and comforting, and I love living close to family and old friends again. However, even 6 months after leaving, I still find myself thinking about life and culture in Argentina, missing the feel of it all. When you have been fortunate enough to live in such an amazing place, creating unique memories that will last a lifetime, it is hard not to think about that time. Argentina will always hold a special place in my heart :)

helena

Yet another cute cafe in Buenos Aires. Surprising, right? Delicious food, refreshing mint lemonade, and an undeniably cute and quaint atmosphere make up Helena, one of my favorite places to spend the afternoon doing work.

Helena is located in Palermo Soho at Nicaragua 4816. Open Tuesday - Saturday from 9am - 9pm, Sunday from 10:30am - 7:30pm.

housewarming gift

Friends who recently purchased an apartment in BA received this delicious meat from a friend and cooked it up for dinner. Only in Argentina would a big hunk of meat be a housewarming gift.

good news concerning health care and expats

How does the new health care overhaul affect us expats living abroad?

Thanks for the link, amigo.

what to do if you run out of monedas

MALBA exhibit - attempting to catch the bus

mother nature, give us a break por favor

Twice in one week Buenos Aires was underwater due to torrential downpour. The first night, Monday the 15th, my friends and I were unfortunate enough to be out to dinner during the storm and had to walk home in the flood, which included wading through the streets of Palermo in water up to our thighs, barefoot, garbage floating by, power outages, a rope to help cross Santa Fe Av., ruined shoes, and firemen holding my hand. A 30 minute walk took 1.5 hours. Thank goodness the restaurant had given us that free champagne to go ;)

Last night a storm hit again, but luckily we were all at home this time. Santa Fe & Humboldt, a couple blocks from me, got hit bad enough to have a boat helping people through the flood. Other residents were literally swimming home, and stores and homes were flooded with water pouring in from the street. Two people unfortunately died during the storm after being electrocuted in the subway.

Although Monday night we all made it home safe and it turned into a fun and ridiculous experience that we'll never forget, getting caught in that once is enough... and having the city flooded twice in one week is more than enough... it will probably be awhile before the residents of BA will be able to make it through a storm without fearing another flood.

All pictures from Buenos Aires Herald.

ñoquis del 29

Coming from an Italian family, some sort of pasta is almost always present at family get togethers. This includes gnocchis, little pasta pillows made from potatoes and flour. Every Christmas, my Grandpa made gnocchis from scratch for our family of 40. So, you can imagine my excitement when I learned of Gnocchi Day, a tradition here in Argentina.

Gnocchis (ñoquis in Spanish) are Italian, but made their way to Argentina with the Italian immigrants and their heavy influence on Argentina. The 29th of every month, restaurants serve gnocchi specials, pasta shops advertise their gnocchis, and families make them at home for dinner. This tradition comes from when payday was the 30th or the 31st so by the end of the month you had little food left in your pantry, and little money left in your wallet. Gnocchis were the obvious soluton, since the main ingredients are potato and flour, both which are very inexpensive. Seasoned grandmothers can easily and quickly throw this dish together for their family. They are made by mashing boiled potatoes, mixing them with flour, maybe a little egg and salt, rolling them out into long snakes and cutting them into little pieces. They're cooked in boiling water like other pastas. Here, variations of the recipe are popular, such as pumpkin or spinach.

As the 29th grew closer this month, I decided to have friends over to celebrate Gnocchi day. Having never made these before (does making the fork imprint after my grandpa has already done all the hard work count?) and promising a dozen friends gnocchis, I was taking a big risk. With my grandpa's recipe in hand, I began the long process.

On the 27th I boiled 1.5 kilos (a little over 3 pounds) of potatoes, peeled them, and mashed them with a fork. I covered them and put them in the fridge overnight.

The next morning I took out the potatoes, flour, an egg, and some salt. I had been dreading this next step ever since I decided to go on this cooking adventure. Today I had to mix the flour and potatoes. Too much flour and the gnocchis would be too heavy. Too little and they would fall apart in the water. I had no scale (the recipe calls for 45% of the weight of the potatoes) so had to do it by feel. I threw in some flour, an egg, and some salt, and started kneading it all together by hand. A common mistake is to keep adding and keep adding flour. But I kept adding and I kept adding. The dough was really sticky and I didn't think that felt right, but finally it seemed to reach the "right" consistency.. not that I really knew what that was supposed to be! Next, I took a handful of dough at a time and rolled it out on a floured surface, made some fork imprints, and cut it into little pieces. I transferred the fragile pieces to a floured baking sheet, and stuck them in the freezer. Between making such a big batch and it being my first time, this whole process took me a few hours. My back began aching and my wrist hurt for the rest of the day, but finally I rolled out the last bit of dough.

With all the gnoccis in the freezer until dinner time the next night, I had no idea if they were going to come out right. Would there be too much flour, causing them to sink in my guest's stomach? Or too little flour and they would fall apart in the water? The next night, with hungry guests standing by, and with my sauce and meatballs bubbling away, I boiled salted water and dropped the first batch of gnocchis in. As the recipe said, when they float they are done. I drained them, poured homemade sauce over them, called my guests in, and waited for the first bite.

Success! Everyone loved them. Or I just have really nice friends! Either way, I was proud of my cooking endeavor, although next month when the 29th rolls around I'll be going to a restaurant to celebrate!

tigre

A quick and cheap train ride away lies Tigre, a small town on the delta and an easy escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Opt for the Tren de La Costa on the way there for a more scenic route, at AR$12 one way. On the way back take the Mitre Line, which ends in Retiro, for AR$0.80 one way.

Once in Tigre enjoy a walk along the river, browse the market, and stop for lunch. Definitely take a tour of the Delta (one of the little stands along the river offering tours for about AR$22 per person is perfectly safe, and a better deal than the tourist agencies which charge almost double that) where in a 1hr boat ride you will learn about the history of the town and see how people live on the water, with boats being used for supermarkets and school buses.

If there's time, spend a few hours in Parque de la Costa, the amusement park of Buenos Aires. South America doesn't really "do" amusement parks, so don't expect 6 Flags, Busch Gardens, or any of the other usual suspects we have in the states. Ticket prices vary depending on the day and what is included, but range from AR$25 - AR$80 per person. Once inside everything is fairly close together, despite the deceiving map, making the park look much bigger than it is. For such a small park, there are some good rides, including 2 upside down rollercoasters, a log flume, a wooden rollercoaster, swings, and some extreme sports you pay extra for. Food options don't go much further than burgers, hot dogs, fries, and ice cream. Overall it's clean, fun, and a good value.

Parque de la Costa is open Tuesday - Sunday from 11am - 9pm. Tren de La Costa station is located on Av. Maipu 2300, in Olivos.

la bomba de tiempo

On Monday night at about 8pm you walk up to the Konex Cultural Center, which is already throbbing from the music playing within, and get in the quick moving line behind the English speaking tourists swigging beer from a liter of Quilmes. Decline (or accept) a AR$10 pot brownie from the porteña dressed in a flowing skirt carrying a basket of her homemade desserts. Reach the ticket table and pay AR$20 to enter. Walk into a huge open area with no roof, a huge staircase sitting in the middle of the room, and crowds of people. Maneuver your way through the young hippy crowd, locals and foreigners alike, to get in line for a drink. The music is louder and more intense now that you're inside. Pay AR$15 for a huge cup (which equals 1 liter) of beer, then go to the end of the counter to pick it up. Making sure your group of friends stick together, work your way towards the stage, but not too close, or you'll get stuck in the mosh pit of sweaty dancers for the next 2 hours. Get your first glimpse of La Bomba de Tiempo, a drum group made up of talented percussionists, all wearing red and all playing their hearts out, under the direction of their conductor. Unable to resist the beat, you find your feet moving to the music and quickly the rest of your body follows. Until 10pm you get lost in the sound of the drums and the energy of the crowd.

La Bomba de Tiempo (Time Bomb) consists of 17 musicians, with Santiago Vazquez leading the group, although not all play every Monday night. A unique system of hand and body signals are used to direct the group, and improvision is often used. There is always a guest artist, and it can be anyone from a singer to a guitar player to an accordianist, accompanying them. As the Konex website says:

"Cada concierto es único e impredecible ya que depende de la interacción de todos los involucrados en el ritual: los músicos, el director, el público, el lugar, la acústica, los instrumentos, el clima y el momento."

"Each concert is unique and unpredictable because it depends on the interaction of everything involved in the ritual: the musicians, the director, the crowd, the venue, the acoustics, the instruments, the weather, and the moment." 

The Konex Cultural Center is located at Sarmiento 3131. La Bomba is every Monday night from 7-10pm, AR$20 to enter.

bookstore + cafe = amazing

I love books, which is why I also love bookstores. Even bookstores in another country where I can't read everything. I just love browsing the shelves, escaping into the different images, titles, characters... I could easily get lost in a bookstore and be happy.

I love coffee, which is why I also love cafes. And cafes are in abundance in Buenos Aires. Drinking coffee takes on a whole new meaning here, where to-go cups are rarely seen. It's about the experience of sitting in a cafe with a cafe con leche, a medialuna (croissant) or two, a good friend and/or a good book. The people watching possibilities are endless, and thanks to the low turnover in restaurants, you're free to sit as long as you want (or until you feel guilty taking up a table while people are waiting for one).

Join a bookstore with a cafe and a perfect combination is born. I don't mean a big Barnes & Noble with a Starbucks sitting in the center. I mean a cute little bookstore, with an equally cute little cafe tucked inside. A few of these combinations exist in Buenos Aires, including Libros del Pasaje, also known as Boutique del Libro. This particular shop sits in Palermo SoHo with high ceilings, floor to ceiling bookshelves complete with ladders to reach the higher shelves, a selection of CDs for sale, a laid back staff, a cafe along the back wall with a few tables and a couch, free WiFi (usually a given in this city, but still a plus!), a selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, sweet and savory menu items, a seperate smoking room with a skylight, and funky but relaxing background music. Although the cafe is a bit on the pricier side (it is in Palermo, after all), all the other factors make for a cozy afternoon.

Libros del Pasaje is located at Thames 1762 and is open late everyday.