Sugar & Spice

"Cookies Remasterizadas" de Cielos Argentinos

2012-01-21T11:00:00.000-03:00

Nos acaban de publicar en una nota para la revista Cielos Argentinos! Basicamente nos eligieron como "probablemente las mejores del mercado"!

Hagan click sobre la foto para ver el articulo en detalle!

Gracias Cielos Argentinos!

"Cookies Remastered!" - Cielos Argentinos is an airline magazine and they have just written about us. I think this is the first time we have appeared in one of these types of magazines. They just basically said that we are "probably the best out there"!

I will take that, thank you very much!

Click on the image to read it in detail....

Thank you Cielos Argentinos!

An American Pan Dulce

2011-12-24T13:06:00.001-03:00

Con este titulo es literalmente un Americano, no solamente un Yanqui...

What I mean is, an American in the literal sense, not just a Yanq...

Que quiero decir con esto? Yo no tengo una larga tradición de consumir pan dulce por ejemplo, ni alfajores, ni de hacer tramites como lo dicen acá. Igual, con el tiempo (ya tengo once años en Argentina) estoy aprovechando de todos los años que no pude hacer eso y con cada año me siento más Argentino.

What do I mean by this? I don´t have a long tradition of consuming Pan Dulce, nor alfajores, nor of standing in long lines doing "tramites" like they call them here. But, with the passing of time, I have eleven years in Argentina now, I am making up for lost time that I did not have being involved in all of these things.

Me agarró el corralito; me he quedado estancado en trafico por piquetes; me he mojado hasta las rodillas por las inundaciones del arroyo Maldonado; y me he quedado sin luz por varias horas en el verano, y puedo seguir dejando más ejemplos pero como ustedes viven acá seguramente ya conocen muy bien estas incomodidades.

I got caught by "the corralito"; I have been stuck in traffic caused by strikes; I have waded through knee deep water in my barrio due to the flooding of the Maldonado (that runs underneath Juan B. Justo); and I have been stuck without electricity during the hottest summer days. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

Tanta mala sangre paso por esos eventos que no puede ser justo que no aproveche y aprenda lo bueno también.

I have gotten so pissed off at these incidents that it´s just not fair that I also do not learn from the good that Argentina has to offer as well.

Hace poco, en una reunión de padres de donde van mis hijas a la escuela, estábamos debatiendo quien se ocupaba del asado que estábamos a punto de hacer. Me ofrecí como una opción y de inmediato uno de los padres dijo "un yanqui haciendo asado?".

Recently I was with a group of dads from my kid´s school and we were getting ready to make an asado. I offered to be one of the asadores and one dad stood straight up and said "A Yanqui making an asado?".

Claro, lo dijo con sonrisa y buena onda. Por suerte hubo otros padres que han probado asados de la mano de este yanqui y le dijeron que no solo sabia como hacerlo, lo sabia hacerlo muy bien. Esto también porque tuve mucha practica.

Sure, he said it smiling and jokingly. I mean we are friends. Luckily, I had some others in the group who vouched for my asado skills and assured everyone that not only did I know what I was doing, but that I am actually pretty good.

Si estas leyendo esto y te digo que un Yanqui también hace uno de los mejores pan dulces de la Argentina, seguramente el primer pensamiento seria "un Yanqui haciendo pan dulce?" con una sonrisa y buena onda por supuesto.

Now, if you are reading this and you are Argentine and I tell you that a Yanqui is also responsible for making one of the best pan dulces in Argentina, surely your first thought might be "A Yanqui making a pan dulce?", albeit smiling and jokingly of course.

Photo courtesy of Beatrice Murch Photography.

Pero no se asusten. La panadería es más cercana a una ciencia y yo no tengo esa experiencia. Para eso hay una mano profesional y muy Argentina detrás de los pan dulces. Lo que yo traigo a la mesa, como nos gusta decir en el gran norte, es inspiración.

But, don´t fret. Baking is actually much closer to a science and I don´t have that type of background. For the actual baking we have pros running our production. What I bring to the table is inspiration.

Yo miro el mercado y veo negocios y persona con tradición de pan dulce y los respeto y lo reconozco. Igual, tenia ganas de entrar al juego, pero tampoco quería hacer algo que ya estaba establecido. No quería ser uno más que ofrece algo que ya tiene sus proveedores y sus clientes.

I look at the market and I see bakers with long traditions of making pan dulce. I respect them and I recognize what they do. However, I still wanted to get into the pan dulce game, but I did not want to do what was already out there; I did not want to be just another one of the what was already there.

Me enfoque en que es lo que no me gustaba de los pan dulces en el mercado (fruta abrillantada por ejemplo) y lo que más me gustaba de los mismos (frutas secas) y también escuchando a mi alrededor los comentarios de muchos Argentinos que cada año entran a la experiencia de compartir un pan dulce, que por tradición y costumbre les gusta, pero que a muchos les paró de apasionar. Quizás con los años se van cambiando los gustos como nos pasa a todos y no se dan cuenta que quizás sus gustos están pidiendo un cambio, algo un poco más sofisticado y fino.

I focused on what I did not like about the pan dulces I saw (candied fruit for example) and on what I really liked (dried fruit like nuts, raisins soaked in cognac and candied orange peel for example) and I also listened to what the locals had to say who each year went through the pan dulce motions. Out of tradition and custom they would sit around and share a pan dulce that has longed stopped fascinating there taste buds. Maybe they remembered how much they liked it as kids, but now they have matured. There taste buds were not as excited anymore. They were looking for something a little more grown up and sophisticated.

El pan dulce Inolvidable nació justo en busca de ofrecer algo nuevo, más sofisticado y fino en las góndolas Argentinas. Nosotros no tenemos un gran presupuesto como para gastar en marketing. Pero sí tenemos grandes reservas de paciencia. Desde 2002 estamos horneando lo que hoy se esta reconociendo como uno de los mejores pan dulces de la Argentina. La receta es Argentina, los insumos son Argentinos y con cada año la cantidad de gente que prueba nuestro pan dulce crece y se multiplica.

We came up with our "Unforgetable Pan Dulce" as a response to that yearning. We do not have a marketing budget so we have relied on word of mouth since the very beginning. Since 2002 we have been baking what is now being considered one of the best Argentine pan dulces. The recipe is Argentine, the ingredients are Argentine and with each passing year more and more Argentines are getting to know our pan dulce.

Este año agregamos un pan dulce con chocolate semi-amargo y avellanas; lo llamamos Nocciolato. También agregamos una variedad con solamente chocolate semi-amargo con una cobertura del mismo chocolate y decorado con chocolate blanco. También, porque la gente lo pidió, un pan dulce con fruta abrillantada. A ultimo momento hicimos un pan dulce de dulce de leche.

This year we added a pan dulce with semi-sweet chocolate and hazelnuts; we call it Nocciolato. We have also added one with only semi-sweet chocolate that also has a semi-sweet chocolate and white chocolate icing. We have also, because some people have asked us for it, created a more traditional pan dulce with candied fruit. I think it's because they want their traditional pan dulce made by Sugar & Spice. At the last moment we also made one with dulce de leche.

Promoción fue valida hasta 15/12/2011

...y que es lo "Americano" en todo esto? Bueno, yo siendo un yanqui solamente veo lo que hay y pienso en lo que puede haber basado de donde vine y agrego un poco de inspiración a la receta. Mi deseo es de hacer algo nuevo. El equipo de Sugar & Spice son una mezcla de nacionalidades, hermanos y hermanas de las Americas y hace que estos pan dulces literalmente se puedan pensar como pan dulces Americanos.

...and what is the "American" in all of this? Being an outsider and specifically an American I see only what is already there and I think about all the possibilities based on where I came from and I add a little of inspiration. All I want is to make something new. The Sugar & Spice family is a true American melting pot made up from our sister neighboring American countries so these pan dulces can truly be thought of as American pan dulces.

Feliz Navidad, Felices Fiestas, Felices Festivus y que tengan un prospero año nuevo!

May you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, a Facetious Festivus and a prosperous New Year!

1000!

2011-12-14T18:07:00.000-03:00

Today our Facebook Page got over 1,000 fans!

Hoy superamos los 1.000 fans en Facebook!

To celebrate I think we are going to come up with a promotion at our store next week.

Para celebrar creo que les vamos a ofrecer una promoción la semana que viene.

So pay attention to all of our social networks to find out what we will come up with.

Les sugiero que pongan atención a todas nuestras redes sociales para recibir novedades.

Thank You!

Gracias!

Happy Thanksgiving! From an Immigrant's Perspective.

2011-11-24T14:25:00.001-03:00

Today we celebrate what was originally a successful undocumented immigration story. I myself am writing this 5,587 miles from my original birthplace of Chicago, so I too, am an immigrant.

Hoy celebramos lo que originalmente fue una migración indocumentada. Yo mismo estoy escribiendo esto a 8.992 km de distancia de mi ciudad natal de Chicago.

This gives me a unique perspective that I did not really have before. I mean, sure, within my family my own parents migrated to the USA many years ago, settled down, met and raised a family. So yes, there always was this link to immigration. But it is very different being told about it and actually living it yourself.

Esto me da una perspectiva que no tenia antes. Claro, dentro de mi propia familia, mis propios padres emigraron hacia EEUU hace muchos años, se conocieron, trabajaron, armaron su familia. Pero, es muy distinto que te lo cuenten a vivir-lo personalmente.

I find myself so far away from my original home, with the seasons flipped on their heads, or rather with me flipped on my head about the seasons. The seasons go about their business just like they have for millions of years.

Me encuentro a largas distancias de mi país natal con las temporadas dadas vueltas.

And I just realized that these Thanksgiving parties that we celebrate in a new land should be celebrated with people who already call this place home. Just like the pilgrims, I came to a foreign land, albeit with a little more knowledge of what to expect, and with legal documentation.

Y me doy cuenta que estas fiestas que celebramos en una tierra nueva (nueva para mi), debería ser celebrada con gente a quien ya llaman a la Argentina suya. Igual a los peregrinos, yo llegué a una tierra desconocida, pero con un poco más de información sobre lo que me esperaba (y con los papeles que correspondían).

However, I still needed help figuring out how things are done here; I needed help in getting a grasp of the language, the customs, etc.

Pero igual necesitaba ayuda en aprender como se hacían las cosas acá; necesitaba ayuda en aprender el idioma, las costumbres, etc.

So yes, aside from being grateful to my family and friends; grateful for having my own business; a loving wife; beautiful kids; grandparents to spoil those same kids; I am also grateful to Argentina.

Aparte de estar agradecido a mi familia y amigos; de tener mi propio negocio, una hermosa esposa, lindas nenas, abuelos para malcriar a esas nenas. También estoy agradecido de Argentina.

I have not run into much xenophobia here.

No he tenido mucha experiencia con xenofobia acá.

The country has allowed me to come here and stay (yes, after much bureaucracy, but still finally made it).

El país me ha dejado entrar y quedar. (claro, después de mucha burocracia, pero finalmente todo bien).

I am not treated like a secondhand citizen.

No me tratan como un ciudadano de segunda mano.

I can complain about the government all I want and I don't feel like I would be pepper sprayed for it.

Siento que me puedo quejar del gobierno sin que me rocíen con pepper spray.

And then I see my own country from afar and I can't help but feel a little sad over her. In some ways she could learn a little from Argentina. The world is not black or white, but full of complicated shades. Yes, the USA does need to look a little beyond it's borders and not in a condescending way, but in a curious way. Yes, Argentina can do a better job, but she does some things right already.

Y despues miro mi propio país y me siento un poco triste por ella. En unas cosas puede aprender de Argentina. El mundo no esta divido entre lo que es negro y blanco; esta lleno de todos los colores mezclados. Mi país debería mirar hacia afuera no en una forma condescendiente pero con curiosidad.

How do other countries deal with immigration, healthcare, civil rights, etc. We clearly are not the leaders in those areas anymore. We should look around and ask questions.

Como los otros países manejan el tema de inmigración, cuidado de salud, derechos civiles, etc. Claramente no somos lideres en esas áreas. Deberíamos mirar y hacer preguntas.

Friday Music Feature: Tycho

2011-11-18T08:48:00.001-03:00

Once in a while iTunes gives out a free song that turns me on to some new acts that I have never heard of before and that I absolutely fall head over heals in love with.

De ves en cuando iTunes regala una canción que me da a conocer un artista a quien nunca había escuchado y con quien me enamoro inmediatamente.

Tycho's music is soothing, it's beautiful and hopeful sounding music. The album cover is a perfect symbol for the music that lays behind it.

La música de Tycho es relajante, bella y llena de esperanza. La foto del disco nuevo es un simbolo perfecto de la música que representa.

You can listen to the whole album here.

Se puede escuchar todo el nuevo álbum acá.

Meanwhile I leave you with the song that is playing at Sugar & Spice.

Mientras tanto les dejo para escuchar la canción que tenemos en el local de Sugar & Spice.

ISO50 - Tycho's blog

Me Has Great News!

2011-11-09T12:32:00.000-03:00

Yep, Cookie Monster (The real one) heard about us; he knows about us. Those of you who know me are now within one degree of separation with him!

Sí, el verdadero, autentico Cookie Monster nos conoce!

He being the cookie specialist that he is, even managed to get his blue furry little hands briefly on our cookies, since they were promptly devoured.

Siendo el especialista en Cookies logró conseguir cookies nuestros, hechos en Argentina! Logró conseguirlos en Plaza Sesamo!

In the cookie business I can't think of no honor higher than this.

No puedo concebir de otro honor tan prestigioso como este.

I also can´t believe that he has heard about us in Sesame Street. I grew up watching him and loved him as a child. As a grown up, I realized that I also love his humor; it´s not just directed at little kids. This is one wicked funny monster.

No puedo creer que nos haya encontrado! Como niño lo amaba. Como adulto también lo amo y especialmente me encanta su humor. No es un humor solamente dirigido a chicos. Este es un monstruo genuinamente gracioso.

Just watch these two examples to get an idea as to what I am talking about:

Miren estos dos ejemplos para ver de que que hablo.

Cookie Monster vs Stephen Colbert where Cookie considers himself the Robert Downey Jr. of Cookies

The Colbert Report
Get More: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Here he is interviewed and gives a lesson on how to eat cookies:

And one of my favorite Cookie Monster moments was when he appeared on the Martha Stewart Show. The quality of the video is not great, but trust me, this is hilarious. This one comes in two parts:

Special thanks to Allie from Pick Up the Fork. She is the one who is related to the real Cookie Monster back in our mutual home town of Chicago.

And also to Ronald Pronk of Vamos 360 who sent me the following picture:

A Simple Bagel and Honey?

2011-08-31T12:20:00.000-03:00

"the first printed mention of bagels...is to be found in the Community Regulations of Kracow, Poland, for the year 1610 which stated that bagels would be given as a gift to any woman in childbirth."
'The Joys of Yiddish' by Leo Rosten

I never knew Bagels were given to pregnant women as gifts before, but the very first mention of bagels in print form basically says that is what should be done with bagels.

Nunca supe que los bagels fueron regalados a mujeres embarazadas, pero la primer mención escrita en el mundo dice que eso es exactamente lo que se debe hacer con los bagels (ademas de comerlos).

I will have to keep that in mind for any future pregnant gift baskets from Sugar & Spice!

Voy a tener que tener eso en mente para algún futuro regalo a embarazadas de Sugar & Spice!

This morning though, I wanted to share another bagel inspiration. This one is simple (sort of). I drizzled a little Tasmanian Leatherwood Honey on our toasted cinnamon raisin bagel.

Hoy quise compartir otra inspiración culinaria sobre los bagels. Esta es simple, mas o menos. Le puse un poco de miel de Tasmania sobre un bagel tostado de canela y pasas.

I just love this honey and to be honest I don't even remember where I got it. It is a very unique tasting honey. It is not overly sweet and I can get a vivid picture of what the leatherwood flower might be like from the aroma and taste of this honey.

Esta miel es una de mis favoritas en todo el mundo. Ni me acuerdo donde la compramos. Es muy particular el sabor de esta miel. No es super dulce y cuando la pruebo me puedo imaginar como seria la flor del arbol Leatherwood.

Here is a blog post that waxes poetic on this particular honey and why it is so unique.

Encontré un blog donde escriben específicamente sobre esta miel y describen porque es única.

Finally now I have something noble and worthy to go with one of my favorite honeys in the world. Now I have my own freshly baked bagels.

Finalmente tengo algo noble y digno para acompañar unas de mis mieles favoritas, los bagels de Sugar & Spice.

Elena Roger in a Benefit Concert

2011-08-26T10:46:00.001-03:00

Elena Roger will be performing a benefit concert this September 9th at 9pm. The proceeds for this concert go to The British Hospital´s Social Responsibility and Awareness programs.

La cantante y actriz Argentina de gran conocimiento internacional, Elena Roger, brindará un concierto el viernes 9 de septiembre a las 21 horas en el historico Teatro SHA a beneficio del programa de asistencia médica a pueblos originarios que lleva adelante el Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires.

The programs are undertaken by staff physicians and basically they travel several times a year to Salta where they give medical attention to the native aboriginal people (Wichis, Tobas, Chorotes).

Desde hace una década el proyecto de Responsabilidad Social a través del cual un grupo de médicos del Hosptilat Britanico de Buenos Aires, visita varias veces por año a esta comunidad cuyas enfermedades aumentan cada año afectando principalmente a niños.

The poverty that afflicts these people is shocking.

Elena Roger has decided to help and she will be performing some of her most famous interpretations from some of the plays she has worked on that have helped her garner critical appraise and awards like "Piaf", "Mina, Che Cosa Sei", and "Evita". She is doing this right before heading back to the States to perform in the revival of "Evita" with Ricky Martin on Broadway.

En esta oportunidad, Elena Roger decidió colaborar con el proyecto ofreciendo este recital a beneficio, en el cual interpretará piezas musicales de las obras que le valieron los más prestigiosos premios y le otorgaron el unánime reconocimiento del público y la critica nacional y local, tal como "Piaf", "Mina, Che Cosa Sei", y "Evita". Cabe recordar que, en unos meses, Elena partirá hacia Estados Unidos para interpretar en Broadway nuevamente el aclamado éxito de Lloyd Weber "Evita" junto al cantante Ricky Martin.

Facebook page of the event.
Pagina en FB del evento

Friday Music Feature: Gangster Nancy Sinatra (Lana del Rey)

2011-08-19T12:21:00.001-03:00

There is a lot of on-line buzz regarding Lana del Rey (aka Lizzie Grant). Thanks to Matt Chesterton who posted a video up on G+ I have fallen in love again.

Mucho se habla de Lana del Rey (Lizzie Grant para sus amigos). Gracias a Matt Chesterton, quien publicó un video en G+, me he enamorado otra vez.

When I say fallen in love I mean the way I did when I first heard Nirvana playing in a CD store (remember those?). Way back when, I stopped halfway to the CD racks; I made a detour and asked the guy at the counter, "who the fuck is that?"

Cuando digo enamorado estoy hablando de amor como cuando me enamore al escuchar a Nirvana por primera vez. Entré a una tienda de CD's y pare y le pregunte al chabon detrás de la caja; "Quienes carajos son ellos"?

Yes, the explicative was called for.

I also remember falling in love with Primal Scream and their Screamadelica album (remastered collector's edition).

También me acuerdo de la primer vez que escuché el CD de Primal Scream "Screamadelica".

I could go on and on, but you get the picture. And while I would not go ahead and rush and put her quite in that category, as those two albums (clearly those two are classics in there genre), she is clearly creating an image that has the potential to go big.

Puedo seguir, pero creo que entienden a lo que voy. Y quizás ella no esta a la altura de esos dos ejemplos (esos dos son clásicos de sus géneros), pero sí esta creando una imagen con una potencial muy grande.

Lana is currently working on her first new single release. The video she had for "Video Games" was beautiful. I say was because all you see now is a message saying that it's no longer available due to a copyright claim by Ryland Bouchard.

Lana esta trabajando sobre su primer disco. El video que tenia para la canción "Video Games" era bellisimo. Digo que era porque ahora no se puede ver. Se ve un mensaje diciendo que hay un reclamo por derecho de autor por Ryland Bouchard.

In any case, you can see this other video of hers that I also love.

You can also read more about here at the following links:
También pueden leer un poco más sobre Lana:

Facebook page
YouTube Channel
Music Ninja Blog Post
Oh So Fresh Music Blog Post

And yes, I currently have some of her music currently playing at our Sugar & Spice store in Palermo Hollywood.

Y sí, algunas de sus canciones las tenemos tocando en nuestro local de Sugar & Spice en Palermo Hollywood.

Peanut Butter Brownies at Sugar & Spice!

2011-08-08T18:15:00.000-03:00

"What has two thumbs and likes brownies?"

Points to himself and says: "This guy!"

Kelso to Hyde (Garage Sale episode of That 70's Show)

Hyde's brownies had a special ingredient. Our special ingredient happens to be Peanut Butter!

Los Brownies de Hyde tenian un ingrediente especial. Nuestro ingrediente especial es manteca de mani!

Now we are making Peanut Butter Brownies in small batches exclusively at our Sugar & Spice store in Palermo Hollywood.

Ahora estamos horneando brownies con manteca de mani in tandas chicas exclusivamente en nuestro local de Sugar & Spice en Palermo Hollywood.

So now you have specialty cookies, bagels and peanut butter brownies to tempt you into visiting our store.

Ahora tienen cookies especiales, bagels y brownies con manteca de mani para tentarlos a visitarnos.

Friday Music Feature: Jim Tomlinson and Stacey Kent

2011-08-05T10:44:00.001-03:00

Brazilian Sketches

I have to admit that I don't know much about Jazz or even Bossa Nova. I do know that I love the sound of some of this music though.

Tengo que admitir que no se mucho de Jazz ni de Bossa Nova. Lo que sí reconozco es que me encanta el sonido de esta música.

This is a husband and wife team that put together a fantastic album. I can't help but be amazed at the sound of this album. It sounds like it should be a classic, yet it was made in 2003.

Esta pareja (esposo y mujer) creo una álbum fantástico. Me asombra el sonido de esta música. Suena como si fuese un clásico y lo hicieron en el 2003.

This is one of those albums in which every single song is fantastic. That is usually a rare find.

Cada canción es fantástica. Eso en si es un poco raro de encontrar.

And now we have it playing at our Sugar & Spice store in Palermo Hollywood!

Y ahora tenemos esta música tocando de fondo en nuestro local de Sugar & Spice en Palermo Hollywood!

Sugar and Spice Bagel Promotion!

2011-08-04T16:35:00.002-03:00

Yep, Sugar & Spice is running a special bagel promotion. The price just doesn't get much better than this.

Sí, Sugar & Spice tienen una promoción con los nuevos bagels!

The Sugar & Spice Bagels and Specialty Cookies!

2011-08-03T17:45:00.001-03:00

Yep, you are seeing this right. We decided to go more bakery on you!

Every Tuesday we will be baking small batches of bagels. We will have sesame seed bagels (dark and white sesame's and sometimes both seeds together), plain and cinnamon raisin.

Todos los martes vamos a hornear bagels. Vamos a tener bagels con semillas de sesamo (blancas y negras), con pasas y canela y también simples.

Truth be told, we have been working on these for a while. We even have some feedback from some local food bloggers.

Hemos estado trabajando sobre los bagels ya hace un tiempo. Es más, tenemos unos comentarios de un par de bloggers como...

Allie from Pick Up The Fork said of our bagel trials: "Once toasted with queso crema, I fell in love with the bagel and wanted more."

Dan from Saltshaker wrote of our bagel trials: "Nice aroma, smell of freshly baked bread, a touch of malt, very appealing...Color, beautifully browned on top and sides...with Amarantha gone, they're certainly the best I've tried in BA"

Now, more than ever, check out our tweeter feed @SugarandSpiceAr (it's side linked here on this blog as well for your convenience) and I will let everyone know when the bagels come out of the oven.

Ahora, más que nunca, visita nuestro Twitter @SugarandSpiceAr para saber cuando salen del horno nuestras nuevas delicias!

We will also have specialty cookies available that you can buy individually. These are not wrapped, they are baked in small batches and taken downstairs to our store.

También vamos a tener cookies especiales que se pueden comprar individualmente. Las horneamos en lotes pequeños y van directamente a nuestro local.

Pictured are orange biscotti and chocolate chip walnut biscotti for example. We also currently have some dark chocolate beauties like the ones pictured below:

Las que figuran en la foto son unas biscotti con trozos de naranja y unos biscotti con trozos de chocolate con nueces. También tenemos unas cookies de chocolate negro con avellanas como figuran en la foto abajo.

Those are hazelnuts poking out of a dark chocolate dough. We also couldn't help ourselves and made some dark chocolate cookies with large orange chunks!

Sí, esas son avellanas las que salen de la masa de chocolate negro! También horneamos unas cookies de chocolate negro con trozos de naranja!

So, if you are in the neighborhood now you have a really good reason to stop by our store. I won't take it personally if you come for the cookies instead of to see me. I think I can live with that ;-)

Por lo tanto, si están por el barrio ya tienen una excelente razón para pasar por nuestro local. No lo tomare en forma personal si a lo que vienen es por las cookies y no para verme a mi.

Friday Music Feature: Federico Aubele

2011-07-15T22:57:00.000-03:00

I ran across this one from reading an article. I lost track of that article, but after reading it, I looked up the album the article was about.

This is his third album, and it's also the only one I have heard. So I have read that his music changed a little with this one.

Back in 2001 he left Buenos Aires and moved to Berlin. 2001 was when Argentina suffered a financial meltdown, which is something the USA is willingly flirting with doing these days.

He signed with ESL Music and put out two albums: Gran Hotel Buenos Aires and Panamericana wich could be described as downbeat/downtempo/lounge/dub music.

The labels aren't really important. What is important is that this is a great musician with a lot of talent. He may even be more popular outside of Argentina since I haven't met anyone here who happens to know of him yet.

Of course, I may just be asking the wrong crowd. Maybe it's not music to be changing diapers or carpooling grammar school kids to.

All I know is that I love it and it's playing at our Sugar & Spice store.

You Are What You Tweet

2011-07-14T18:00:00.004-03:00

If you would like to Twitterize yourself click here.

Hey, at least I am more interesting and more social!

And I have to stop tweeting about Matt Chesterton so much.

If you would like to follow me on Google+, Facebook, Twitter, or FoodSpotting just click away.

Paper, Plastic and Metal

2011-07-12T14:36:00.000-03:00

The mountains of things we throw away are much greater than the things we use. In this, if in no other way, we can see the wild and reckless exuberance of our production, and waste seems to be the index.
-John Steinbeck (1902–1968),
Travels With Charley: In Search of America, 1962

We through our garbage cans away!

We replaced them with these cardboard boxes used to recycle paper.

La Fundacion Garrahan ha reciclado 54.039 toneladas de papel!

The Garrahan Foundation has recycled 54,039 tons of paper!

Nosotros queremos hacer nuestra parte.

We just want to do our part.

También se pueden recicilar:

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
Nothing is going to get better. It's not."

— Dr. Seuss, from The Lorax

Feliz 9 de Julio Argentina!

2011-07-09T13:02:00.000-03:00

Friday Music Feature: Eastern Sun & John Kelley - Rapture at Sea

2011-07-08T23:54:00.002-03:00

I have been showcasing mostly music that friends have shared with me. Once in a while though, I bump into things all by myself.

He estado presentando, en su mayoría, música que amigos han compartido conmigo. De vez en cuando, sin embargo, me encuentro con novedades por mí mismo.

Well, sort of anyway, I get a little help from iTunes and specifically the Genius feature.

Bueno casi solo, recibo un poco de ayuda de iTunes y, específicamente, la función Genius.

Through Genius I get to explore using my current music as a springboard for finding music that I might like based on what I already have.

A través de Genius llego a explorar, usando mi música actual como punto de partida para encontrar música nueva basada en la música que ya tengo.

I know nothing of this band, musician, DJ, etc. I have no idea who it is.

No sé nada de esta banda, músico, DJ, etc. no tengo idea de quién es.

What I do know is that I love this and I want to share this with everyone so it's playing at our Sugar & Spice store.

Lo que sí sé es que me encanta y lo quiero compartir con todo el mundo y ahora se puede escuchar en nuestro local de Sugar & Spice.

I did manage to find the following on LastFM:
Pude encontrar lo siguiente en LastFM:

"Eastern Sun’s CD “In Emptiness” is a partnership between Eastern Sun’s Brian Saitzyk and DJ John Kelley. (Kelley co-produced three tracks) The CD is creatively unique and spiritual (Brian was brought up in a Buddhist household). He combines his electronic experimentation with his inner spirit and has produced an enormous variety spanning many genres.

Eastern Sun presents a deep, soulful chord in the world of electronic music and has been compared to works by “Brian Eno, Aphex Twin, and Future Sound of London.” Rising higher by the hour, Eastern Sun brings light and warmth out of the darkness with innovative style and sonic beauty."

My Space

The Neighborhood

2011-07-07T14:02:00.001-03:00

Honduras and Gurruchaga_Nike, a photo by Frank Almeida on Flickr.

The Nike store at Honduras & Gurruchaga

Cookie Quiz! Win free Cookies!

2011-06-28T13:14:00.000-03:00

The first one to answer gets a pack of Passion for Chocolate Cookies!

El que contesta primero recibe un paquete de Cookies Pasión por Chocolate!

Do you think you can tell from what show the following dialogue is from?

Saben de que show de televisión viene esto?

Her: Ummm, I love the smell of bakeries.

Him: Oh look (her), the black and white cookie. I love the black and white. Two races of flavor living side by side [mumble?] It's a wonderful thing isn't it?

Her: You know I often wonder what you'll be like when you're senile.

Him: I'm looking forward to it.

Her: Yeah. I think it will be a very smooth transition for you.

The first ones that answer through this blog, Facebook, and Twitter win! (that's right three different ways to win).

Only one win per person (the same person can't go to all the other sites to win again but you can try all three).

La primer persona que responde por este blog, Facebook y Twitter gana! (Asi es, tres formas de ganar).

Solamente un premio por persona (la misma persona no puede ir a los otros sitios para ganar, pero puede probar en los tres para tratar de ganar).

The prize must be picked up at the store in Palermo Hollywood.
El premio se tiene que buscar en el local de Palermo Hollywood.

Soup of the Devil

2011-06-26T15:34:00.000-03:00

"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili."
- Alleged dying words of Kit Carson (1809-1868) Frontiersman and Mountain Man.

"Chili concocted outside of Texas is usually a weak, apologetic imitation of the real thing. One of the first things I do when I get home to Texas is to have a bowl of red. There is simply nothing better."
- Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th President of the United States

Much has changed since LBJ's time. Now, instead of a war on poverty, we have a war on terror for example. Also, many of the things he fought for are currently being targeted and need to be fought for again like Public Broadcasting, Medicare, Medicaid, environmental protection, etc.

However, some things are similar; the country is embroiled in very unpopular wars and chili con carne is still being made pretty much the same way it was when he was President.

And now, there is a group of expats who are going to do their damnedest to prove his words wrong and bring a little bit of Texas down to Argentina.

This fourth of July weekend, the 3rd of July to be exact, there will be a first ever, in the history of Argentina, chili cook-off!

So why has it been kind of a secret? Well, it's probably best to start from the very beginning. As far as I can tell, this has just been a grassroots idea that took off on it's own within Facebook.

Maria Carra of Buenos Aires Foodies had set up a Foodie group in Facebook. There were only very few of us within this group, but it was never really used for anything.

Back on the 30th of May I posted a question to the group:

Not 24 hours pass and Yanqui Mike throws in a suggestion about having a Chili Cookoff.

Right away, it got a great response from the few in this select little group and we decided that this idea should happen and that it should have a page of it's own and the 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff is born.

From that point on, the idea motivated several of us to take up the challenge of volunteering around it. We set goals, divided work, brainstormed, some of us met for the very first time and some of us have known each other for years and through teamwork are putting this thing together all in a very last minute hectic way.

I mean, this was thought up on the 31st of May for an event that has to take place on the 3rd of July!

The Venue: Genó Bar in Palermo Hollywood / Guatemala 5499 / 1pm to 5pm (or sooner depending on when we run out of Chili).

Yep, you read that right. I predict that we will be running out of chili so keep that in mind and come by early. (we are even organizing back up, non competing chili just in case we run out).

As of this lazy cool Sunday afternoon we have 183 people who have declared their desire to come so far.

There are also comments from people who can not make it, but would have loved to have been here to compete because they proclaim to have the very best chili and they would have wiped the floor with those of you who have entered this year's competition.

So, those of you who have entered, keep in mind that for next year, there are already people gunning for you.

It's a good thing that there will be a next year for this!

So, given all the many unknowns of this very first annual chili cookoff, we settled on a somewhat smallish place that was willing to open on a Sunday afternoon (when they are not normally open) and would be willing to host this event and have a kitchen that they would not mind sharing with us.

Genó Beer Bar, you are angels and I can't thank you enough!

By the way, Genó Beer Bar is a new bar that specializes in having imported and some artisan beers!

So come by early, bring the whole family and share a bit of Americana on the 4th of July weekend with fellow expats and curious Argentines.

Here are the details:

Tickets will be sold for $5 pesos each. Each ticket gets you either a taster of chili, cornbread, cookies, beer, etc.

The weather is supposed to be just like today!

No rain.
No clouds.
8° C or 46° F

The proceeds go to the Buenos Aires Shankees baseball team. Yep, we have a baseball team in a baseball league that competes with teams from Cuba, Japan, etc.

Here are some more links written about the event:
Maria Carra of Buenos Aires Foodies
Travel Guy
Yanqui Mike
BA Cast
Pick up The Fork

And, we may even have a couple of mascots as well (Lisa and Allie)...

If you are on Facebook head on over to the event link for details.

Oh, and by the way, what does 1st prize win?

And, we will have buttons!

So for those that have signed up for the competition and answered Yanqui Mike's call to "Make chili, make history!" I wish you lots of luck and fun!

For my fellow judges, I leave you with a choice quote on what chili is:

"It can only truly be Texas red if it walks the thin line just this side of indigestibility: Damning the mouth that eats it and defying the stomach to digest it, the ingredients are hardly willing to lie in the same pot together." - John Thorne, Simple Cooking

On a positive note, LBJ did manage to succeed in pushing through much of his Great Society legislation. Even though he pushed for US involvement in Vietnam, we did finally leave. Maybe, we can start to see our own current war efforts shrink. Maybe we can also see many of the great social programs survive and we can still keep enjoying some authentic Texas red just like LBJ would have liked.

I have faith in us. I know we can pull this off together!

Friday Music Feature: Rodrigo & Gabriela

2011-06-24T16:46:00.001-03:00

"There's only so many times you can sing it and mean it ... It just became sanctimonious"

"I'd break out in hives if I had to sing ("Stairway to Heaven") in every show. I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in 1971, but 17 years later, I don't know. It's just not for me. I sang it at the Atlantic Records show because I'm an old softie and it was my way of saying thank you to Atlantic because I've been with them for 20 years. But no more of "Stairway to Heaven" for me."
---Robert Plant

I can't blame Robert Plant to get sick of playing this song. I love it! But, I also don't play it every single day or with any regularity. But it is so nice to slip it on every once in a while and let it take me back through the years like a time machine...

No puedo culpar a Robert Plant de enfermarse de tocar esta canción. ¡A mi me encanta! Pero, también no la toco todos los días o con cierta regularidad. Pero es tan agradable poder escuchar de vez en cuando y dejaré que me lleve de vuelta a través de los años como una máquina del tiempo ...

This time it has taken me back to high school in many more ways than expected. Through the magic of Facebook I have virtually reunited with a bunch of high school friends.

Esta vez me ha llevado de vuelta a la secundaria de muchas maneras más de lo esperado. A través de la magia de Facebook me reuní con un grupo de amigos de la secundaria.

In this particular case I hooked up with an old friend who also happened to be our soccer team captain. And, it looks like he hasn't stopped leading either.

En este caso particular, me conectó con un viejo amigo que también pasó a ser el capitán del equipo de fútbol. Y, parece que no ha dejado de liderar.

He started posting music that he likes and when he posted this band I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This is some fantastic guitar work here by a husband and wife team, who happen to be from Mexico.

Él comenzó a publicar la música que le gusta y cuando publicó esta banda no podía creer lo que estaba escuchando. Esto es un trabajo de guitarra fantástica por un duo de marido y mujer, que resultan ser de México.

I know this may sound strange reading this, but they are an acoustic guitar duo who love metal music and can also play jazz and make it all sound fantastic, like it was meant to be played together.

Sé que esto puede sonar extraño, pero son un dúo de guitarra acústica que aman la música metal y también pueden tocar jazz y hacer que todo suene fantástico, como si hubiera sido pensado para ser tocado juntos.

They are also known as "El Rodri y La Gabi".

También son conocidos como "El Rodri y La Gabi".

In this video they play "Stairway to Heaven" and I would have a hard time thinking that even Robert Plant would find this "sanctimonious".

En este video tocan "Stairway to Heaven" y pienso que hasta Robert Plant lo encontraría difícil pensar en esta versión como "santurrona".

They also do a wicked version of Metallica's Orion...

También hacen una versión buenísima de "Orion" de Metallica ...

And here they are playing Metallica's "One" followed by "Take 5", and they make it work!

Y aquí están tocando "One" de Metallica, seguido de "Take 5"!

And obviously, now I have their music playing at Sugar & Spice.
Gracias Rube!

Garbage Day!

2011-06-23T13:53:00.000-03:00

Garbage Post_1, a photo by Frank Almeida on Flickr.

"I've been married to one Marxist and one Fascist, and neither one would take the garbage out."

"He estado casada con un marxista y fascista, y ninguno de ellos sacaba la basura."

Lee Grant

Sometimes I show up to work and I am struck by the ugly garbage scene strewn all about our sidewalk and street.

A veces llego al trabajo y me llama la atención la escena fea de basura esparcida por toda nuestra vereda y calle.

Truth be told, I know that this is not an isolated occurrence that just happens to strike us. I have seen scenes like this throughout the city.

En realidad, esto no es una ocurrencia aislada. Nos ha pasado varias veces y lo he visto en la ciudad en varios lugares.

In some neighborhoods the city has switched to leaving containers on the street that people are supposed to take their garbage to and the trucks, instead of going door to door, they go corner to corner picking up the garbage.

En algunos barrios de la ciudad, han cambiado a dejar contenedores de basura en la calle que la gente se supone que tienen que ir a dejar la basura en los mismos. En lugar de que los recolectores vallan de puerta a puerta, ahora van de esquina a esquina.

I can see why a city would like to switch to something like this. In fact, I wish our particular neighborhood would have that as well.

Puedo ver porque una ciudad cambiaría a un sistema como este. De hecho, me gustaría que mi barrio cambiase a este sistema también.

Anyway, in addition to seeing this garbage left strewn about today we also get an angry citizen thinking that we just threw our garbage out this way.

De todos modos, además de ver la basura hoy por la mañana también pasó por nuestras puertas un vecino enojado, pensando que nosotros tiramos la basura de esa manera.

He was so angry that he said he would take a picture and turn us into the man.

Estaba tan enojado que prometio tomar fotos y hacer una denuncia.

If I may, I would like to address this citizen through this blog since he didn´t even wait for me to come out to talk to him.

Si me permiten, me gustaría aprovechar y referirme a este ciudadano a través de este blog ya que no esperó a que salga a hablar con el.

Estimado Vecino,

Comparto su frustración, después de todo, es mi basura que no se recogió y se dejó tirada frente a nuestro lugar de trabajo y almacén. No está en frente de su casa, si no que queda enfrente de la mía.

Lo siento si no la recogimos tan pronto como le hubiera gustado. Puedo garantizar que normalmente lo hacemos ya que es algo que suele suceder con algún tipo de frecuencia.

Su ira expresada hacia mis empleados finalmente me dio un incentivo para obtener información sobre cómo presentar una queja oficial. Por lo tanto, en cierto modo, yo le debo las gracias. Sin embargo, a pesar de que hay muchos ciudadanos locales que tratan a la ciudad como un basurero grande, no todos lo hacen y sería mejor no hacer ese tipo de supuestos.

La siguiente imagen es mi queja oficial a la ciudad. Este tipo de cosas funcionan mejor cuando nos unimos para luchar en lugar de luchar entre sí. Lo invito a que se suma y haga la misma cosa.

Atentamente,
Francisco E. Almeida

*********** Ingles / English **********

Dear Angry Neighbor,

I share your frustration, after all, it´s my garbage that does not get picked up and is left strewn in front of our place of work and store. It is not in front of your home, it´s left in front of mine.

I am sorry if we did not pick it up as quickly as you would have liked. I can guarantee that we do pick this sort of thing up since it is something that tends to happen with some sort of frequency.

Your angry outburst at my employees did finally give me an incentive to find out how to make an official complaint. So, in a way, I do owe you some thanks. However, I would suggest that, even though there are many local citizens that do treat the city as one big trash can, not all of us do and it would be best not to make those sorts of assumptions.

The following image is my official complaint to the city. These sorts of things work best when we join together to fight instead of fighting each other. I welcome you to please do the same thing.

Sincerely yours,
Francisco E. Almeida

Para ingresar reclamos:
http://suaci.buenosaires.gob.ar/suaci/contacto

The Mule Pool

2011-06-20T08:00:00.002-03:00

"My favorite animal is the mule. He has more horse sense than a horse. He knows when to stop eating -- and he knows when to stop working."

"Mi animal favorito es la mula. El tiene más sentido común que un caballo. Sabe cuándo dejar de comer -.. Y él sabe cuándo dejar de trabajar."

--Harry S. Truman

"Your mule for that burro? Well, if that gentleman traded you even, you won´t be meetin´ up with him in heaven."

--Clint Eastwood as Hogan in Two Mules for Sister Sara.

Fortunately for all of us here, no one is cheating anyone out of any money in these trades; so for those of you who are expecting heaven to be your ultimate destination, this will not derail your journey.

Afortunadamente para todos nosotros aquí, nadie está engañando a nadie de nada de dinero en, así que para aquellos de ustedes que están esperando que el cielo sea su destino final, esto no descarrilará su viaje.

What this will do is allow you to either make a little money or get access to things that are currently not available in your country (right now Argentina mostly).

Lo que esto va a hacer es permitir que usted haga sea un poco de dinero o tener acceso a cosas que no están actualmente disponibles en su país (Argentina en este momento en su mayoría).

So what in the world am I talking about?

De que estoy hablando?

The Mule Pool

It´s very simple really. Let´s say I want a new unlocked Apple iPhone from the States. I can now go to the Mule Pool and post that I would like that product.

Es muy simple en realidad. Digamos que quiero un nuevo iPhone de Apple desbloqueado de los Estados. Ahora puedo ir a The Mule Pool y anotar mi deseo.

The phone costs us$649

El iPhone cuesta us$649

If someone Stateside sees this post and decides that they wouldn´t mind making around $150 (commission that the poster would be willing to pay) on their trip to Buenos Aires, then they would accept to bring it, double check that the post is still valid, purchase the phone, bring it to Baires, exchange the product and get paid.

Si alguien en EEUU ve este mensaje y decide que ganar unos us$ 150 (la comisión) en su viaje a Buenos Aires, entonces aceptaría llevarlo, comprobar que el mensaje sigue siendo válido, comprar el teléfono, llevar a Baires, entregar el producto y recibir la gita.

$150 dollars would buy you a lot of empanadas!

us$150 compraría un montón de empanadas!

You can click here to get a full detail as to how it´s done, but that is the basic idea.

Puede hacer clic aquí para obtener un detalle completo de cómo se hace, pero esa es la básica idea.

See, no one has to be a Sister Sara in this scenario and you would know exactly when to stop working and start enjoying all those empanadas.

Ven, nadie tiene que ser una hermana Sara en este escenario y pueden saber exactamente cuándo dejar de trabajar y disfrutar sus empanadas.

The Mule Pool - Facebook
The Mule Pool - La Nacion
The Mule Pool - Twitter
The Mule Pool - Blog

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T10:13:00.002-03:00

IMG_2263 copy, a photo by Frank Almeida on Flickr.

I wish that your day is as sweet as mine has started out to be.

It's not every morning I get to breakfast on cake with a nutella and banana filling and buttercream frosting.

Les deseo que su día sea tan dulce como el mio ha empezado a ser esta mañana.

No todas las mañanas llego a desayunar con una torta con un corazon de nutella y plátano y butter cream frosting.

Friday Music Feature: My Morning Jacket

2011-06-17T08:00:00.008-03:00

Once upon a time a little apple once posted a music video that she liked on Facebook and I loved it the moment I saw it. Here is the video on Youtube.

Había una vez una pequeña manzanita, que publicó un vídeo de una música que le gustaba en Facebook y me encantó. Aquí está el vídeo en Youtube.

I went and listened to more of this band and I have to say that I have not yet thanked the little golden apple for turning me on to this band. And now, it's playing at our Sugar & Spice store.

The reason this golden apple knows so much about music is that she works for MTV, or maybe, she works at MTV because she knows so much about music...

Escuché un poco más de esta banda y tengo que decir que todavía no he agradecidó a la manzanita de oro. Gracias a ella, tenemos esta canción tocando en nuestra tienda de Sugar & Spice.

Thank you little golden apple!

The golden apple has a blog.

The golden apple is on twitter.

The golden apple writes!

The golden apple is a hotty!

My Morning Jacket web site
My Morning Jacket Facebook

Biscotti Alle Mandorle with Vin Santo

2011-06-14T17:18:00.000-03:00

There are many classic food combinations or pairings like BLT; bangers and mash; PB&J; hazelnut and chocolate; milk and cookies; chips and salsa; tomatoes and basil; and well, you can go on and on.

One of those combinations is one that I had not known could be gotten here in Buenos Aires. I take responsibility for bringing one half of this combo and now, at our store, you can get the other half as well.

Hay muchas combinaciones de alimentos clásicos o maridajes como churros con chocolate; avellanas y chocolate; tomate y albahaca; jamon y queso; dulce de leche con... todo, y bueno, uno puede seguir y seguir.

Una de esas combinaciones es la que yo no sabía que se podía obtener aquí en Buenos Aires. Asumo la responsabilidad de traer la mitad de este combo y ahora, en nuestro local, se puede obtener la otra mitad también.

I am talking about the classic Italian after dinner aperitif of Biscotti with Vin Santo.

Estoy hablando del clásico aperitivo italiano de un Biscotti con Vin Santo.

The biscotti should be dipped into the wine glass; permeated by the wine it should give your mouth the sensation of almonds floating on a soft bed while enjoying bacchanalian daydreams.

El biscotti se sumerge en la copa de vino; permeada por el vino debe dar a la boca la sensación de almendras flotando en una cama blanda mientras que goza de sueños bacanales.

If you don't believe me then you can always come by and the girls at our store will gladly offer you a tasting of this wonderful combination starting tomorrow Wednesday the 15th of June.

Si no me creen, entonces vengan por nuestro local. Con mucho gusto le ofreceremos una degustación de esta maravillosa combinación a partir de mañana miércoles 15 de junio.

Yes, I dare you to prove me wrong.

Sí, los desafio a que compreben lo que acabo de expresar.

This combination is priced at $75 pesos and it would be a perfect gift to take to a dinner party. So far, this is only available at our store.

Esta combinación tiene un precio de $ 75 pesos y sería un regalo perfecto para llevar a una cena. Hasta ahora, esto sólo está disponible en nuestra tienda.

If you would like to expand your horizons a bit past the biscotti, here is a post on some unconventional pairings for Vin Santo. The Vin Santo poached pears actually sound pretty good!

Si desea ampliar sus horizontes un poco más allá del biscotti, aquí hay un articulo sobre algunas combinaciones o maridajes no convencionales para Vin Santo. Las peras poché al Vin Santo suenan muy ricas!

Friday Music Feature! Danniel Radall

2011-06-10T09:42:00.003-03:00

I was screening my Facebook wall when I came across an article by Gozamos. Part of the title mentioned "Guadalajara Chill Wave" and well that caught my attention.

Also, Gozamos is an online magazine directed at young Latinos in Chicago. I am no longer young, but I am from Chicago!

Estaba mirando mis noticias de Facebook cuando me encontré con un artículo de Gozamos. Parte del título menionaba "Guadalajara Chill Wave" y me llamó la atención.

Gozamos es una revista en línea dirigida a los jóvenes latinos en Chicago. Yo ya no soy tan joven, pero sigo siendo de Chicago!

I have family in Guadalajara; I spent part of my childhood there as well.

The article states that "his life in Guadalajara, México has inspired a unique and subtle fusion of cultures and sounds". Well, I just had to run over and start listening to see what that meant, and I am so glad that I did.

Tengo familia en Guadalajara, pasé parte de mi infancia allí

El artículo afirma que "su vida en GDL, ha inspirado una fusión única y sutil de las culturas y sonidos".

Tuve que correr a escuchar para ver lo que eso significaba y me siento muy contento de haberlo hecho.

GDL Chillwave is a perfect way to describe this and it is now playing at our Sugar & Spice store. Seriously, go and listen to this!

GDL Chill Wave es una descripción perfecta de esta música y ahora la incluimos en la música de Sugar & Spice. En serio, escuchen esto!

My favorites are Fleeting Romance and El Aislamiento.

Pardo [EP] by DannielRadall

Facebook
MySpace
Review of Fleeting Romance
iTunes

New Client Feature: Neme Sandwicheria

2011-06-09T15:09:00.003-03:00

My sales person was giving me a list of his new clients when I looked on his map and there was a solitary pin in Villa Pueyrredon.

Mi vendedor me estaba dando una lista de sus nuevos clientes cuando miré en su mapa un aislado alfiler en Villa Pueyrredón.

He insisted that I should go check it out. It´s a little kiosko that expanded and now they have a sidewalk sandwich and cafe business with tables and chairs.

Insistió en que debía ir a visitar. Se trata de un pequeño kiosco que se expandió y ahora tienen una sándwicheria con mesas y sillas sobre la vereda.

He even serves pasta and premium ice cream.

Incluso sirve pasta y helado de primera calidad.

Well, that caught my attention. It´s mostly residential and it seems like a quiet neighborhood. Besides, we have no other clients near them. So what did I find?

Me llamó la atención. La zona es principalmente residencial y parece un barrio tranquilo. Además, no tenemos otros clientes cerca de ellos. Entonces, ¿con qué me encuentro?

The kiosco business started back in 1949.

El kiosco nació en 1949.

They still have a picture of the previous owner dated 1972 on the wall.

Ellos todavía tienen la imagen del dueño original.

It is still a family run operation and the current owner Eduardo, decided to expand his horizons a bit.

Sigue siendo una operación de gestión familiar y el actual propietario Eduardo, decidió ampliar sus horizontes un poco.

He told me that he left the picture of the previous owner because he wanted to honor him and the neighbors really liked to see their old kioskero behind the counter, even if he wasn´t around anymore.

Me dijo que él dejó la imagen del anterior propietario para honrarlo y los vecinos realmente les gustaba ver a su kioskero antiguo, detrás del mostrador como en los viejos tiempos.

It´s the memories that tugs at their heart.

Son las memorias que tiran al corazón.

And that is how this "Sandwicheria" neighbors this old kiosco.

Y así es como este "Sandwicheria" sale del kiosco antiguo.

and his point of difference was going to be quality!

y su punto de diferencia iba a ser de calidad!

He serves Chungo premium ice cream from his stand; Cachafaz dulce de leche; pastas from La Juvenil; sandwiches and desserts from Deli Light, and now cookies and biscotti from Sugar & Spice.

Él sirve helados Chungo; Cachafaz dulce de leche, las pastas de La Juvenil, sándwiches y postres de Deli Light, y ahora cookies y biscotti de Sugar & Spice.

Rumor has it that in the summer he will be making ice cream sandwich cookies! and from both locations!

Se rumorea que en el verano tendra Ice Cream Sandwiches! y de ambos lugares! Sí, se está expandiendo y agregando otra tienda en Villa Devoto.

Yeah, he is expanding and adding another store in Villa Devoto.

Neme Sandwicheria
Avda. Albarellos 2918
Villa Pueyrredon
Facebook Page

Friday Music Feature!

2011-06-03T09:00:00.085-03:00

On Fridays I will be highlighting a song or a band that is currently playing at the Sugar & Spice store. The idea is to showcase some of the music that I love and share it with you.

Los viernes voy a destacar una canción o una banda que se está reproduciendo en la tienda de Sugar & Spice. La idea es mostrar algo de la música que me gusta y compartirlo con ustedes.

I don't know if posting it every Friday on the blog is the way to go. Call it an experiment.

No sé si publicarla todos los viernes en el blog es el camino a seguir. Llamemoslo un experimento.

I could also use the Sugar & Spice Facebook Page for these posts. However, like I said, I don't know yet. What do you think? Should I post it here or exclusively on the Facebook site?

También puedo utilizar la pagina de Facebook de Sugar & Spice para esto. Sin embargo, como he dicho, yo no lo sé todavía. ¿Qué piensan? Lo pongo acá o en Facebook?

If you did not know we had a Facebook page now is the time to head on over there, like us, and start listening...

Si no sabían que había una página de Facebook ahora es el momento de ir allí, hacer click en "like", y empezar a escuchar ...

And now, the first band:
Y ahora, la primera banda:

Metric
This one, I have to honestly say that I got to know about through Glenn Beck. It may the only thing I ever would be grateful to Glenn Beck for, but there you have it.

A Metric, tengo que decir honestamente, que los llegué a conocer a través de Glenn Beck. Es posible que sea la única cosa que agradeceré a Glenn Beck (porque es un loco reventado), pero ahí lo tienen.

He was using one of their songs in his shows and they asked him to stop doing so. The song in question was Rock Me Now.

Él estaba usando una de las canciones de Metric en su programa de television y le pidieron que dejara de hacerlo. La canción en cuestión era Rock Me Now.

There is also an Argentina connection to all of this, but for that you can just listen to Emily Haines tell it herself.

También hay una conexión a la Argentina en todo esto, pero pueden escuchar a Emily Haines hablar sobre eso.

One other plus is that Metric happens to be a favorite of my 9 year old as well. Take that Radio Disney!

Otro beneficio más de todo esto es que Metric pasa a ser uno de los favoritos de mi hija de 9 años. Tomatela Radio Disney!

You can follow them on Twitter, Facebook, or if you're lucky and wandering around Recoleta you might see her taking in the view, sipping a cortado under the shade of a very large gomero tree in La Biela.

BA Cast vs Me (part 2)

2011-05-05T19:00:00.002-03:00

I previously had the pleasure to be on B.A. Podcast and share some wine, copetines and conversation with Fer, Daniel and Diva.

You can read how that went by clicking here.

This time around Fer fired back with a top 5 of his own.

He vowed revenge and he's delivering it on a nice cold plate. He even has a back up cheering squad that should sound familiar to anyone who has lived in Argentina (or has watched the Argentine national team play).

Listen in Yanqs and see what makes us pesados. The recording is a collection of five Top 5's. Fernando's list is the last one.

After reviewing my list I am still sticking to it. However, I did receive a suggestion that I should try the chimichurri on choripan and that was a great suggestion. This works way better for me.

I also received a link to an article on sandwhiches de miga by another expat, and yes, when they are as good as they can be, they can be okay for me. I am still not dying for one though.

One more thing, if you click the label below called "BA Cast vs me" you would get a listing of posts that go back and forth between Fernando and myself.

In case you can't tell, I really like talking with these guys and more often than not we are actually in agreement, but we have a blast when we disagree.

Fierro Hotel Boutique

2011-05-04T20:00:00.004-03:00

One of the great perks of my job is getting to meet other people who are building businesses in the community. Because of that, I get to hear about things that are fairly new and sometimes even hear about things that are in the making.

Of course, I respect ideas so I never say anything about up and coming things unless I am given permission to talk about it.

In this case, I actually learned about, and closed a deal, because of Twitter.

Yep, I was introduced to the Fierro Hotel Boutique through Twitter by a mutual friend:

Another great perk is that when a hotel is interested in our products, they themselves tend to be fantastic hotels. The Fierro Hotel is no exception. In fact, its tag line is "The Hotel for the Gourmand".

How do they follow that up?

Here is a quote taken from their site:

"But the outstanding element was the food. As someone who works with many of the finest restaurants in the UK, I can only say it's a shame that Michelin does not award in Argentina. " Andrew, London, UK

Their cheff Hernán Gipponi happens to have worked at the "Guggenheim Bilbao and Quique Dacosta's El Poblet in Denia, Valencia, both recipients of two Michelin Stars."

If you google the cheff you will get a whole list of ratings and sites about him and the restaurant both in English and in Spanish.

Yes, it's on my list of places to visit and dine at.

And now, if you happen to be staying at the Fierro, you don't even have to go far to enjoy some fantastic micro brewed beer from Otro Mundo with Argentina's yummiest savory cookies.

These are serious savory cookies also. They are made with real grated Parmesan cheese for example. No artificial flavoring added.

The beer isn't shabby either. You can read about it here and you can see a review of it from BeerAdvocate. If you are also interested in the Beer Scene in Argentina in general you can see a previous post of mine by clicking here.

If you are planning on visiting Argentina then you should seriously consider this hotel. At the very least, your tummy will thank you and you can score some cool mini soaps.

Elephant and Piggie go to Buenos Aires!

2011-04-30T18:50:00.000-03:00

Well, not exactly...

I was invited by my youngest daughter's teacher to come in and read in English to their 2nd grade class. Since they are learning English, and they are in 2nd grade, I thought the Elephant and Piggie book series would be the perfect books to read.

It's a good thing I took several books (I was then going to lend some to a friend afterwards), because they demanded that I read more.

Yep, I finished reading the book and they started chanting: Uno Mas! Uno Mas! Uno Mas!

These are my absolute favorite easy reader books. They are not just for the little ones either. They are a joy to read as an adult. And if you ever have to read to little kids and you want to be a rock star, these are the books to read to them.

There is lots of repetition, as there needs to be so that the kids can get used to the words and help pick them up, but there is lots of humor and there's lots of exclamation points! The dialogue, while very simple, is just very funny. Remember, these kids were laughing it up.

These books just so happen to be the very first ones that my eldest started reading. In fact, we bought them at the book store because she picked one up and started reading right then and there. We were so in love with that moment that we bought several of those books.

The other Mo Willems that I really love is the Pigeon series of books. Both of these are great!

Doing a little on-line research I found that there is a new on-line dancing game!

Click here for the link to the game.

I have not tried it yet, but so far, like everything else he does, he is getting great reviews.

I just found out that he is also starting to offer the books in Spanish.

I will leave you with some helpful links:

Mo Willems Blog
Teacher's Guide and Event Kits (which I also used to prepare a little gift to the class)
Jean Little Library Blog (A Librarian reviews the books)
Mo Willems Stuff...

Roman Numerals

2011-04-27T09:52:00.000-03:00

Just last night my daughter decided that I needed a brushing up on Roman Numerals. I had told her previously that 'yeah, I knew them'.

Although when I had told her, I wasn't exactly sure if I really did know them.

I remember learning them, but how much did I really remember?

It turns out that I remembered quite a bit. But, I hope she didn't catch on. For her sake, I forgot quite a lot.

As it turns out they are useful beyond figuring out how many Superbowls have been played. And I found a great resource that has everything you ever needed to learn about roman numerals.

I also found this one that has a nice little graph that is a bit more detailed than the one my daughter used on me.

On one of the sites there was a comment from a mom saying that she did not want her kid learning Arabic numbers. That one made me giggle a little.

And after all of this you are still not sure how to use them, you can convert numbers here.

And of course, there is an app for that.

Now if only I could remember where I left my keys as well as I could remember that today is April XXVII, MMXI

One little disclaimer. Don't pay too much attention to my picture; it has some mistakes. After all, it's from a 9 year old who just saw them for the very first time.

Yanqui Mike is Leaving Buenos Aires!

2011-04-15T10:46:00.001-03:00

Achievement seems to be connected with action.
Successful men and women keep moving.
They make mistakes, but they don't quit.
- Conrad Hilton

Five Years of Yanqui Mike

Yes, that's right, Yanqui Mike is leaving Buenos Aires. I first heard about him, or actually read his blog back around 2006. He had, and actually still has, a very popular blog.

He has also been very busy in real life. He is a character, and I am glad to have gotten to know him and his wife and count them as friends.

But life is calling for them to move on to greener pastures and I mean this literally not figuratively. He is a cattle rancher, a greengo gaucho you might say; and he's going to be closer to his little dogies (and the rest of his herd). You can read a little bit of background on him from his Huffington Post bio.

Like the bio says, he became the founding chairman of Democrats Abroad Argentina. He reached out to me to be one of the founding members as well.

He eventually roped me into running for office and although I really looked forward to working side by side with him, it was not the greatest experience, but that was not really his fault and that whole experience would require a series of blog posts on their own.

If all that was not enough, he also started the Buenos Aires chapter of Drinking Liberally.

Throughout all of this, he has kept us entertained, informed and has sparked spirited debate several times through his popular blog. If you have never read it you should. Here are just a sampling of some of his posts:

Mary McCunne
The Authentics
Uber Alles
My last post... for my own safety
Martin Varsavsky
The Lexington Incident - This is a four part post on the United States role in the Falklands / Las Malvinas. This is one of my favorite posts.

And the one post that he wrote back in 2007 and makes him look like a sage since it's pretty spot on with how the beef industry has evolved (or imploded might be a better word).
I am become a farmer

So Mike and Alicia, let me take a moment to say thanks and that we will miss both of you around here. I also wish you two the best in your new life out in the campo.

I just realized I don't have any pictures of us, but I do have one of Alicia at least. By the way, she also blogs.

The Beer Scene in Argentina

2011-04-01T10:22:00.002-03:00

“A fine beer may be judged with only one sip, but it's better to be thoroughly sure.”
--Czech Proverb

I have been meaning to post about this and then I saw that LandingPadBA.com just came out with their post listing their top 5, basically kicking me in the ass on this topic.

I do happen to like most of the beers they mentioned and I would have to add that they missed out on some others. In all fairness though, she did have to come up with only five.

This is not a hard thing to do since micro-brewed beer here is still curving up, it´s still up and coming. This is a country where the majority of beer drinkers think that there are three types of beer: Black, Red, and Rubia (blond would be the literal translation).

I have written before on the subject of variety and a nice back and forth ensued between me and Fernando of the now very popular local podcast called BACast.com

This is an interesting article (in Spanish) that mentions the per capita consumption of beer to be 33 liters, but that in Santa Fe that number jumps up to 60 to 70 liters and that in Rosario, which happens to be within the province of Santa Fe, the consumption there is 52 to 58 liters.

They related this phenomenon to two things: First that there were two large breweries that merged (today it is Schneider) and secondly the high temperatures there drives people to order beer over wine in the summer.

Another article pins the consumption at 44 liters. This article goes a step further and breaks down the market share. This is a very interesting point:

74% goes to Quilmes
23% goes to CCU
03% goes to Isenbeck

As you can see, there is no considerable segment assigned to the small microbrewery. In fact, there are two companies that demand 97% of the total volume!

However, it´s not so gloom and doom. Remember, I said this was still an up and coming segment. There is a lot of excitement over micro-brewed beers. The following article from Clarin goes further into this.

In Mar del Plata they just had their third annual Beer Festival and Randy Mosher did not just attend, but he made a Porter with Dulce de Leche for the occasion! This actually sounds like a pretty good combination if you ask me.

And Peter Slosberg, who also attended, said that the Argentina beer scene of today reminds him of the US beer scene of 25 years ago. This is definitely a positive perspective.

But, back to the point at hand. What was missing from that article? I say missing, because I can´t possibly just mention five. Maria you had a very tough job limiting yourself.

1. Cossab - Bohemian little place that brews six varieties and has all you can eat pizza on Wednesdays to go with some of the finest beers in BA.

2. Buena Birra Social Club - This is a closed doors micro-brewery. If that alone does not peak your interest then you have wasted your time reading this. Great place, great beer, friendly people, it´s like beer heaven.

3. Una Mas - This one I tried at Buena Birra Social Club and they only had the Cream Ale and it was great. I am curious enough now to try the rest of their line-up.

4. Gulmen - This is another little brewery (not a microbrewery) that you would need to buy their beer at pubs or bars. I especially like their Weiss beer (ceveza de trigo). You could also order from them and they will ship directly to your house.

5. Otro Mundo - I have written about them in the past and we even paired some of their beers with Sugar & Spice savory cookies.

From Regalos 2009

And this is just Buenos Aires. In the rest of the country the same thing is happening and there are great microbreweries in Bariloche and the 7 lakes region for example.

And finally, there is a blog that is a great resource for beer in Argentina called Logia Cervecera. It is in Spanish and they do write about foreign beers as well, but they also write about local ones and they even have a list of bars that have microbrewed beers.

And finally, finally? I could not help but leave you with this image of a home made beer. I was so fortunate enough to have from James Foster. I sure do hope he gets back to making beer because this was one of the finest beers I have had.

Update: I can´t believe I forgot to include this list. Joy Magazine came up with a pretty good top 10 list as well.

Narda Lepes Still Likes Sugar & Spice Cookies

2011-03-22T16:41:00.002-03:00

Narda Lepes just sent me her "cling"!

She had put Sugar & Spice in her book "Qué, Cómo, Dónde", which is a culinary guide for those who would like to know where to buy great and sometimes very rare foods.

Obviously, she knows where to get the best chocolate chip cookies.

She wasn't just doing lip service either. We actually ate some cookies together. Some people break bread, we break cookies.

Thanks again Narda!

************** Castellano **********

Narda Lepes nos acaba de enviar su "cling"! Ella había puesto a Sugar & Spice en su libro "Qué, Cómo, Dónde".

Obviamente ella sabe donde conseguir las mas ricas Chocolate Chip Cookies!

No es puro verso tampoco. Yo la vi, es más, compartimos unas cookies.

Gracias de nuevo Narda!

ICANA Cultural Courses 2011

2011-03-18T13:07:00.000-03:00

It´s the new year for Argentina! I know, the new year came in January, but then everyone leaves for two months and then comes back all at once on the 1st of March.

So March is really when things start coming back to life here and one of those places is ICANA. It is the largest Bi-National center in Argentina and it was created in 1927 for the purpose of promoting cultural exchange between the United States and Argentina. It also boasts one of the largest libraries of American literature in the Southern Hemisphere.

Apart from the English classes, TOEFL classes, Visa applications, workshops, etc. they are also starting a book club in English and will be run by Paula Varsavsky.

English speakers and readers are welcome to join the Book of the Month Club. Hosted by Argentine writer and journalist Paula Varsavsky at ICANA. We will enjoy and discuss one book every month. A fiction or non-fiction book is chosen by the host, suggestions done by participants are taken into account.

When it comes to fiction the focus is on characters, suspense, point of view, defamiliarization, sense of time and place, surprise, the reader in the text and other matters. As far as non-fiction is concerned the focus is on: subject, historical context, narrator and writing skills.

We will get together every Thursday of the first week of the month for a two hour gathering.

Book of the Month Club. Starts on May 5^th 2011
Fee: $80 per month

If you would like to read the complete list of courses offered you can click here, which is a link to the full list of cultural courses like swing classes (yeah, the dance); Marylin Monroe and Arthur Miller in American Lit, and many more.

Newsletter & Promociones de Sugar & Spice

2011-03-14T16:11:00.008-03:00

Estamos por lanzar una "Newsletter" para compartir noticias relacionadas con Sugar & Spice y también para notificar sobre promociones exclusivas para nuestros fans.

Si te interesa recibir estas noticias en el futuro simplemente llená el formulario.

También queremos saber tu fecha de cumpleaños para poder hacerte un regalito en tu día! (para los que puedan pasar por nuestro local).

********************

We are going to launch a newsletter so we can keep our fans updated to the latest Sugar & Spice happenings as well as letting you know of exclusive promotions.

If you would like to recieve our newsletter and promotions just fill in the form.

We also want to know your birthday so we can give you a little gift on your special day (for those that can come by the store that is).

*****UPDATE*****

I was not happy with how the Google Doc was working. This option goes right to our own Sugar & Spice database.

No estaba contento como funcionaba el formulario de Google Docs. Esta nueva opción va directamente a nuestra base de datos de Sugar & Spice.

http://www.sugarandspice.com.ar/esp_registro.php

Sugar and Spice Grupon Offer!

2011-03-12T10:52:00.010-03:00

Yep, Sugar & Spice took the Grupon plunge. This is a great 60% discount! To take advantage of this promotion click here!

Your options are:

Our 4 pound cakes! (Banana Walnut, Lemon Poppyseed, Super Chocolate, Ingles)
Our 3 cookies! (Chocolate Chip, Passion for Chocolate, Oatmeal Raisin)
Our 3 cantucci! (Almond Raisin, Chocolate Hazelnut, Chocolate Walnut)
Our 4 savory Parmesan cheese cookies (Pizza, Pesto, Fugazza, Parmesan Walnut)

Hoy lanzamos la promoción de Grupon. Es un descuento de 60%! Para obtener tu cupon tenés que ir a Grupon.

Las opciones para elegir son:

Nuestros 4 budines! (Inglés, Súper Chocolate, Banana y Nuez, Limón y Amapola)
Nuestras 3 cookies! (Choco Chip, Pasión por Chocolate, Avena y Pasas)
Nuestras 3 cantucci! (Mandorle - Almendras y pasas; Cioccolato - chocolate y nuez; Nocciola - chocolate y avellanas)
Nuestros 4 copetines! (Parmesano Nuez, Pan de Pizza, Pesto, Fugazza)

My 6 Year Old Knows Astrophysics

2011-03-01T19:49:00.000-03:00

My 6 year old: MOMMY! MOMMY! Do you know that the water goes up and down?

We were at the beach and she noticed the tides

Wife: Yeah, sweetpea.

6 Year Old: Do you know why? (she doesn't wait for a response) the water follows the moon around!

Yes, I know that O'Reilly actually knows that the gravitational pull of the moon affects the tides of our oceans. He said so, but then he blew it again.

Here, little kids, once again show us the way.

Just looking at my daughter's wide eyed appreciation of what I have just told her (right before she went running to her mom to share her new-found knowledge) and seeing that she is open to finding things out stands in stark contrast to O'Reilly's smug response to "pinheads" everywhere.

On the one hand she is a sponge waiting to soak up more knowledge, and on the other, he is like a rock; nothing else can fit into his head. He's all booked up, there's no more room for doubt. He is certain, beyond any shadow of doubt, of the why's of things.

In the end, it's just like Stephen Colbert's summary of O'Reily's theology: "There must be a god, because I don't know how things work." or how they got here I might add.

I guess I would ask him: What is wrong with letting people try to find the answer to those questions? And, don't you think you should find a better reason to believe in god other than the one you keep repeating?

Just to be clear, Stephen Colbert is a practicing Catholic and Sunday school teacher and obviously very confident in his own believes to be swayed so easily, unlike a certain Fox News personality.

Goals for Girls The Workshop

2011-02-22T13:26:00.001-03:00

I wrote about these girls before back in July of 2010. Back then they were starting their workshop. This little video gives us a glimps as to what the girls have been up to.

I am glad to be able to help out by providing them with some yummy treats.

If you would like to help out as well you can do so by clicking here.

Metrobus, Buenos Aires, and Other Improvements

2011-01-07T14:27:00.000-03:00

Driving in Argentina is another of my pet peeves. Yes, I love living here and proof of that love is not ignoring the ugly side.

The city, finally, has started to invest in infrastructure. Since I have been here it has looked like it has just been forgotten.

Now they actually have construction crews on the streets; they have reversed traffic flows on some streets. In Palermo there used to be three streets in between Honduras and Cordoba that all went in the same direction. I never understood what genius set that up to begin with.

They are working on a relief tunnel to help combat the flooding along Juan B. Justo. This one directly affects me as well since we get flooded on a yearly basis.

They started building bike lanes in the city; expanding the subways; putting more and more tasks on line so you don´t have schlep your way downtown and stand in lines; gave the citizens the ability to take pictures of drivers breaking the law and turning those pictures in!

It´s as if the city is starting to wake up from a very long slumber and hopefully this is just the very beginning.

There is still much to do and to improve. Meanwhile, I like what I am finally seeing and there will be a little bit less ugly to ignore or at the very least, I might not have to invest in hip waders anymore.

Goodbye Democrats Abroad!

2011-01-06T17:17:00.000-03:00

Hopefully yesterday was the very last meeting that I participate in with this organization.

For those that know me, it's common knowledge that I did not have such a great time these last two years with regards to Democrats Abroad.

However, I can't help but be grateful for those that, two years ago, took the time to vote me into office.

I wish I could have done more for you.

The people who attended the meeting got a peek into some of the craziness that I have put up with for the past two years.

The ones that showed up to the bar afterwords got more of the details.

I am glad I got to get some of that off my chest at Sugar Bar. I was really happy to see quite a few people show up to have a beer with us.

I also feel pretty bad for those that showed up. Not enough of us made it to the meeting and we needed 25 people to reach a quorum. Sadly, we got up to about 19 people.

I also feel pretty bad for the three brave souls who ran for office.

I wish I could have done more for you too.

As for what's going to happen next with Democrats Abroad Argentina, I don't have a clue. Yanqui Mike has promised to look into the matter and let us all know.

Meanwhile, I am going to take some distance for a while and try to reflect on my DAA experience.

The Informed Customer?

2011-01-04T11:16:00.003-03:00

Fernando of BA Cast brings up a great point about another difference between Argentina and the USA in his response to one of my posts.

"I don't know if Argentina is too efficient, but the customer-server communication works in a different way . One in which the former has a little more responsibility in informing his or her tastes, preferences, and recommendations...if you want a particular beer, it's up to you to ask: "¿have you got beer X, beer on tap, whatever?" if you order a piece of meat without clarifying anything, it comes "a punto" (is that "medium"? I always get lost with those scales)...if you want it some other way, you ask in advance."--Fernando

And I agree that the customer would need to clarify what they want when they order. My original point though was that in some of the more traditional cervecerías the only thing you get to choose is the size of the glass or the size of the bottle that you want to buy.

But, you get no choice as to the beer because they only have one.

In any case, his response did jar another point of difference that I had forgotten about.

A long time ago, one of my friends offered to help me replace the front door to my parents house. We went out and bought the door and obviously it came with everything. What I mean by everything is that it came with a door frame, knobs and a locking system, a door bottom, and a still for example.

Here you just get a door. It gives you the freedom to buy everything else and customize it, but you have to know that it´s going to be that way and you obviously need a little more knowledge if you are going to go about installing a door.

But this also extends to other things. For example, when I first got here and I looked around for unfurnished apartments to rent I was surprised by seeing the holes in the ceiling and the walls where there should have been light fixtures.

At the very most, sometimes there was a bare light bulb hanging by a wire.

When people bug out of an apartment or a house here they literally take everything with them.

As to Fernando´s experience with his first New York Bagel, he got me there. We do tend to want to create the biggest, and the best and are driven to include whatever can be included in a package. However, it might have been just a language/cultural misunderstanding.

You can order a plain bagel with nothing on it (exactly like that or a plain bagel, dry) and you should be able to get it. Or, you could order a blueberry bagel with nothing on it, etc.

When I started traveling to the states with my Argentine family I saw that they would try to order a toast, dry, but they did not know how. Since they started hanging out with me they have become experts at asking for dry toast.

So Fer, maybe one day we could find ourselves in New York and I would gladly go with you where you can order your 2nd New York bagel, and if you felt a little adventurous you wouldn´t be limited to a plain bagel.

No sir, you could try Blueberry, Poppy Seed, Onion, Apple Nut, Banana Nut, Cheese Pizza, Cinnamon Raisin, Cranberry Walnut Orange, Honey Oat, Jalapeño and Sharp Cheddar, Parmesan Basil, Pumperknickel, Spinach and Monterey Jack Cheese, Whole Wheat, etc.

I could go on for quite a while longer. And of course, Yanqui Mike lampooned that side of the USA quite accurately in his comment on our last post.

Maybe we could talk about it over a beer?

Customer-Server communication

2011-01-02T19:46:00.011-03:00

Guest Post by Fernando of BA Cast:responding to my post "Is Argentina Too Efficient?"

OK, here's my move, Frank:

I don't know if Argentina is too efficient, but the customer-server communication works in a different way . One in which the former has a little more responsibility in informing his or her tastes, preferences, and recommendations...if you want a particular beer, it's up to you to ask: "¿have you got beer X, beer on tap, whatever?" if you order a piece of meat without clarifying anything, it comes "a punto" (is that "medium"? I always get lost with those scales)...if you want it some other way, you ask in advance.

I remember feeling like a moron in a bagel store in Manhattan, because I wanted A bagel. Un bagel. I wanted to try my first NY bagel, plain, a secas, sin nada, no toppings. How would I know how it really tastes if I attack it with cream cheese, bacon, eggs, peanut butter, chocolate? It took me three times to make the guy understand I just wanted A PLAIN BAGEL WITH NOTHING ELSE, NOT EVEN TOASTED. And it wasn't a language thing: the staff were all Spanish-speaking. They just wouldn't compute the request: "One bagel, please"...

If I want it with something on top, or toasted, or filled, it's in my interest to ask that. If they sell bagels, or beer for that matter, they should give me one. No questions asked.

In Truco language, I just gave my "Quiero Retruco", to your "Truco".

(Truco's a card game, that's all about teasing, lying and bluffing, like Poker but much, much funnier)

Hello 2011!

2011-01-01T18:30:00.000-03:00

Yes, these are fireworks. Nothing dramatic happens, except that this firework show lasted for over an hour (about 1 hour and 15 minutes)!

Happy New Year 2010-2011

2010-12-31T20:38:00.000-03:00

This is for all of you whom I have not been able to talk to or write to. I am grateful to you for reading my posts and following me.

I will do my best to share as much as I can regarding my "new" life in Argentina as an expat, as an entrepreneur and as a father and fellow porteño.

Have a great night, be merry and safe.

Is Argentina Too Efficient?

2010-12-31T09:00:00.003-03:00

Seriously, I am not laughing as I type this.

Let me explain...

You go to a cervecería and you sit down and you order a beer, quite literally that is what you ask for and that is what you get.

This is an example:

mozo: Sí?

me: una cerveza por favor

mozo: chopp?

me: dale

(mozo is what you call waiters here in Argentina)

I could just say "un chopp" instead of asking for a beer and that would cut the conversation down by half!

And what is a chopp you might ask? It's a mug, or a glass. It's how you order beer on tap.

When I first came to Argentina I saw these "cervecerías" and I thought, great, they have beer joints!

I am going to be able to go in and find some varieties of beer that I have not yet discovered since I am from a different hemisphere away.

I wonder how many types of beer I am going to find....

One is the usual number of beer brand you would find at these places.

Fernando of BA Cast has a different point of view. Here is a recent conversation we had on the topic of "variety", his new pet peeve.

Fer: The thing's when you go to the supermarket and ask "where's the bitter?" and instead of pointing you to the alley, they ask you "what bitter do you want? Bitter sweet, bitter sour, bitter sour with a dash of sweet...decaf sweet bitter?"

Me: But, when you go to a "cervecería" here and ask for beer, it reminds me of repo man. There is only "beer", no asking what kind or anything.

Fer: Isn't that great?! Aren't you guys all about "getting to the point"? There you go...

Me: It's too efficient it's scary, it's almost anti Argentine the way it is so efficient. I mean you just sit and say beer and that's it, end of conversation.

At the very most the waiter would ask you if you want head on the beer or not when he serves it.

Also, it's not wine, serve the whole damned thing!

And so it goes. That conversation is still taking place by the way. Who knows where it will end up, but at the very least, we should continue it over beer, but at a real cervecería like Antares for example.

Your move Fer...

The Happy Threesome

2010-12-30T16:51:00.000-03:00

Last night I went out to the new Antares in Las Cañitas.Yeah, it was part business visit part socializing which made it an incredibly fun way to work.

Weather or not Antares decides to give Sugar & Spice or El Tejano a try we at least had fun pitching ideas to them over some ice cold beer.

Our copetines (cheese based cookies) just go hand in hand with El Tejano´s home made, and now very spicy Nº4 salsa.

Our cookies have a lot of taste to them and if you pair them with something you better bring something that can stand up to them. In this case, the salsa was fantastic and we had the added benefit of washing it all down with very good artisan beer from Antares.

Amanda Robert Jones wrote about our last trip to Antares and you can read her write up here , and watch the birth of a new expat Blogger writing from Argentina. I highly recommend her blog.

My new favorite beers at Antares are the new Pilsner, Cream Stout, Honey Beer and the Kolsh.

I will eventually make it to the other beers they have. I want to go back and try something different each time.

And if they add either the copetines or El Tejano´s salsa they might as well reserve a permanent spot for me and start calling me Norm.

"What's the story, Norm?"
"Boy meets beer. Boy drinks beer. Boy meets another beer."

Antares Las Cañitas
Arevalo 2876
Happy Hour from 7pm to 9pm
They have a very cool upstairs deck and a fashionable main room (with A/C) downstairs.

The pictures are courtesy of El Tejano and Antares.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

2010-12-24T15:57:00.000-03:00

YoQueVos Likes Sugar & Spice too

2010-12-21T11:42:00.000-03:00

And we also like them right back!

I am really liking all of these Top 10 lists that we are being included into!

This holiday season we were published in La Nación, Clarin, Elle, Viva, Joy Magazine, The Urban Grocer, BAFoodies, The Landing Pad, and we even made it to a hard cover book by Narda Lepes.

Now we made it to YoQueVos, which by the way I really, really love how they manage to find so many unique stores, gifts, foods, entertainment, etc.

Amongst all of their unique finds they included us in their list of the best gifts of 2010!

And to top it off, there newsletters normally come with discounts.

Do yourself a favor and sign up. You won´t regret it.

BA Cast vs Me?

2010-12-20T12:37:00.004-03:00

I seemed to have touched a nerve on my appearance on a fairly new podcast that has popped up in Buenos Aires. But, before I get to that maybe I should introduce you to this show.

Above all, it is entertaining, funny, witty, and they manage to do this even when they touch on serious topics. It never gets pedantic.

The hosts are Daniel Karlin (The American) and Fernando Farias (The Argentine).

Listening to them is like looking at the actual clash of cultures. It's like watching the melting pot get maid; a little of this, a little of that, mix in a dose of how things have always been with some "variety" (which happens to be Fernando's new favorite pet peeve thanks to yours truly and a little help from Daniel) and you get this show.

Some of the things you get to learn about would be the local´s courting ritual from the perspective of an expat woman in Baires on show 1, as well as how many alfajores are eaten on any given day in Argentina.

The number will shock you. Keep in mind the population is 40 million when you listen in on this one.

On episode three you have Maria Carra of Buenos Aires Foodies and Larry of El Tejano (my favorite salsa!) as guests talking about steak sandwiches.

For episode four Maria Carra comes back to give her top 5 DDL's and Yanqui Mike joins the conversation on socialism, unions, leftists, and the profit motive.

There is Ian Mount from Goodairs; a Canadian expat woman foils a bicycle robbery; they chime in on the culture of children; what do people do on the beach when they find a lost child and so many more little tidbits of life in Argentina.

Speaking of tidbits of life in Argentina they want to hear directly from you. On Tuesday, the 21st of December (yeah that´s tomorrow!) they are going to be at Sugar.

Go with your best story depicting a cultural or linguistic misunderstanding. The winner will get to be on their show. Daniel called his date "un gato" for example and not only did he live to tell the tale, he married her. That is one serious chamuyero.

Take my word for it. It´s a lot of fun taping with them. Which, leads me to my visit with them.

When I visited with them I took Diva, the sassy and mysterious beauty behind Bitch Tours, and she gave her top 5 questions that tourist ask her.

We had a blast chamuyando over wine, mate, cookies and brownies.

I was asked for my top 5 list and I could not think of one on the spot. Mine literally took days. Should I turn it in? Will I insult anyone with this?

I seemed to have touched a nerve with Fernando. Listen to him introducing the segment and you can´t help but see that I cut deep.

Here are my Top 5 mehs. These are things that Argentines think are fantastic, but I just shrug my shoulders and go meh.

You could also hear delight in Daniel reading them on the program.

Drumroll.......................

5. Quilmes - Yep, it´s Argentine´s Budweiser and that is not a compliment.

4. Churros - Just across the river in Uruguay you have great fresh churros. Why can´t they make them here like that? They have to put this awful fake chocolate covering on the churros and totally ruin it. Isn´t there a Spaniard among the population to help out? I can even get a better churro in the streets of Chicago with even more variety of fillings to boot.

3. Chimichurri - I was expecting a little heat, a blast of flavor that would bring out a party in my mouth when combined with steak. All it does is get in the way of a fabulous steak. Meh! Even they try to pass the blame on to the English (read the wikipedia entry).

2. Kiosco Alfajores - Not the premium variety, but those other ubiquitous hockey pucks of dulce de leche and cheap sandwich cookie covered in fake chocolate. Thankfully there are some great quality ones, but the massive consumption of the cheap variety makes them an Argentine staple and to me they are just meh.

1. Sandwiches de Miga - To me they are basically a wonder-bread sandwich with the crusts cut off. Yeah, I used to have those, when I was 5 years old.

So what do you think?

If you have not listened to the show you should fix that and give them a listen. The shows are very short. They run about 20 minutes short, just long enough to listen on a bus ride to and from work, date, doctor´s appointment, whatever. And if you hit un corte de calle, you can listen to two, three, four of them.

I have linked to the show all over this post. If you have iTunes you can also subscribe to the podcast.

Narda Lepes Likes Sugar & Spice (and we like her right back)

2010-12-17T23:19:00.001-03:00

I have always had a weakness for beautiful, strong, independent, proactive, intelligent women and when they can cook, well that is just the icing on the cake.

These are all traits that Narda and my wife share (they also both studied in Paris).

Yes, I am a very lucky guy.

The other one they share is that they both like Sugar and Spice products. Sure, one of them makes them and the other recognizes the quality, dedication and love that goes into making them.

Narda is a celebrated chef in Argentina. She began her TV career around the same time that Sugar & Spice started.

However, she seems to have just catapulted into the limelight, dropped from the sky to teach us about food, wine, and how to enjoy them.

And she just came out with a book titled "Qué, Cómo, Dónde".

After responding to so many people's questions every time she would go out to do her shopping, she realized that she could put together a guide that would help us find all those little gems that a seasoned pro like herself would get to know.

I started leafing through it and I was so excited to see that she actually made a couple of references to Sugar & Spice.

She also included us in her top 8 Pan Dulces.

This is not a collection of detailed reviews of different stores, bakeries, deli's, wine shops, café's, fairs, book stores, music stores, organic shops, fresh pasta shops, etc.

No, this is set up as a no nonsense guide. She briefly states what makes the place stand out and gives you the address, web site, phone number and hours.

It even comes with a little notebook so you can take notes and take it with you without having to take the whole book along.

I have already found out where I can score some authentic maple syrup from a Canadian expat. For that alone, this book has already paid for itself.

Just in time for the holidays, this would be a great present for those foodies on your gift list.

And from Sugar and Spice we are flattered that she has included us in her book.

Narda, if you see this... Te mando un beso grande y de parte de todos nosotros en Sugar, agradezco tu generosidad y buena onda que has tenido con nosotros.

In Search of the Other America

2010-12-17T10:17:00.001-03:00

This Time It´s a Top Five List of the Best Teas in Buenos Aires

2010-12-15T10:48:00.001-03:00

The Landing Pad has come out with an article on the Top 5 Teas in Buenos Aires and Sugar & Spice was fortunate enough to make the cut.

I have also heard that we were mentioned in a new book by a local celebrity chef.

I have to go out and buy it and will let you all know shortly what that is about.

After so many years of people not knowing who we are it´s nice to get some public recognition.

By the way, check out the new diggs of The Landing Pad. Great new layout guys!

Los 10 Pan Dulces Más Ricos / Top Ten Pan Dulces Buenos Aires

2010-12-08T17:34:00.001-03:00

We made another Pan Dulce list again! This time Carolina Aguirre of Planeta Joy gave us some Top Ten List love and La Nación also published the article.

This is not the first time we have shown up on a Top 10 list.

Just last night I stayed up 'till 5am working at the Dot Shopping mall.

We were there actually supervising more than anything else.

We hired a window dresser to help out our new shop at the Dot Shopping mall. It came out fantastic! It was like opening a new store only one month into having a new store already.

I so wanted to take pictures, but the shopping mall turns the lights off and the pictures would not come out nice at all.

This would be my round about way of saying that you could also get our frequently Top Ten mentioned Pan Dulce there as well.

Now, I just need to take a nap.

2007 - Bacanal Top 8 Pan Dulces
2009 - Oh La Lá Top 5 Pan Dulces
2009 - Joy Top 10 Pan Dulces

********************

Este año volvimos a las listas de los mejores Pan Dulces! Este año fue de la mano de Carolina Aguirre de la revista Joy. Nos incluyó entre los 10 mejores pan dulces!

Esto no fue la primera vez que nos han incluido en este tipo de listas.

Justo anoche estuvimos trabajando sobre nuestro nuevo local en el Dot hasta las 5 horas de la mañana. El local quedó muy lindo y no lo pude creer, pero fue como recibir un local nuevo, solamente un mes después de haber abierto un local nuevo.

Me hubiera gustado tomar fotos, pero el shopping apaga la mayoría de las luces y las fotos no salían bien con tan poca luz.

Básicamente estoy tratando de avivarlos de que los pan dulces también se pueden conseguir en el Dot.

Ahora necesito dormir un poco.

Muchas gracias Carolina! Thank you Carolina!

Bueno Entonces...

2010-12-03T19:17:00.001-03:00

I most likely would have used this if I had to learn Spanish. I am pretty much done with that since after 10 years in Argentina I am pretty fluent. However, this sounds fantastic for anyone who still needs to learn.

A fellow blogger called this "a mix between Rosetta Stone and Southpark".

Actually it is a serious Spanish language class that follows a linear story.

In it´s most basic it follows an English chap who just moved to Argentina to learn Spanish. Once here he gets a job making language videos; he is the student and Jimena is his very hot teacher. Obviously he tries to hit on her and she diplomatically skirts his advances.

Watching this was an exercise in DejaVu.

Apparently Ian Mount of GoodAirs and I shared the same infatuation/admiration for the always bra-less Valérie Allain in "French in Action". I tried not to miss a show.

Click here for Ian´s more complete account of what I am talking about.

Anyway, back to today. This is just a great product, convenient as hell since you can access it through your iPhone as well.

It´s funny, smart, focuses on Argentine Spanish and it has a beautiful teacher, what more can you ask for?

Click here to visit General Linguistics.

Nature Crops Gets Awarded!

2010-12-03T16:28:00.000-03:00

Our friends over at Nature Crops get an award! Congratulations guys!

One Big Bad Spud

2010-12-01T10:37:00.001-03:00

One potato, two potato, three potato, four...

I just realized that it has been years since I have had a stuffed potato.

Thanks for the heads up I got from reading the very entertaining Pick Up The Fork, I found out about a new food chain in Buenos Aires and it´s not a Yanqui chain for once, but from Spain.

Sr. Patata
Reconquista 856 & Tres Sargentos

I have not been yet, but it´s on my list. As well as the new frozen yogurt place in my own neighborhood.

Top It
Gorriti 4721
4833-2260

Cookies, Tea and More

2010-11-27T11:46:00.000-03:00

“If you are cold, tea will warm you; if you are too heated, it will cool you; if you are depressed, it will cheer you; if you are excited, it will calm you.”
--William E. Gladstone

We opened up our very first franchise store a little over a month ago at the Dot Shopping Mall. We did not want to be another little shop that served coffee.

Everyone serves coffee!

We noticed that very few places served tea. Tea has started to grow in Argentina, but it´s still a novelty. Under the same spirit that drove me to start a gourmet cookie business (because it just did not exist here) we decided to give tea a try.

We picked out the blends we liked most and it came down to 7 blends and 2 rooibos blends.

Ceylon and Earl Grey - These are the two classic black tea blends that we chose for those that know what they want and nothing else matters. If you are set in your ways, we have your classic black teas.
Festivo - This is a green and black tea blend that also has flower petals. This pairs nicely with our Budín Ingles.
Very Berry - Another black tea blend that incorporates patagonia berries and blueberries. The aroma from this one will lead you to agree with its name. This one goes great with our almond biscotti.
Dulce de Leche - Yep, we mixed dulce de leche into this tea blend and it actually has little cubes of dulce de leche. It´s an instant classic paired with our very moist banana pound cake!
Imperial Berry (Pu-Erh)- In China this tea is actually known or called as a red tea. It is a special type of tea that begs to have its own classification. It is a postfermented tea and ours comes from the Yunnan province in China and it includes strawberries, orange and vanilla.
Chai - Our last black tea on the list. This is a classic black tea from India with ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. This one you can make directly in milk! This one can be paired with any of our chocolate cookies, chocolate pound cake, and banana pound cake.

Lemon Flower - This rooibos is one of our most popular and it pairs naturally with our lemon poppyseed pound cake. Both actually complement and bring out the citrus quality in each.
Madagascar - Another favorite rooibos blend that mixes coconut, cocoa and vanilla. Anything with chocolate goes well with this.

Apart from the tea we wanted to create something unique at the store. We obviously have all of our gourmet cookies, cakes, biscotti and savory cookies, but we also have gifts that are unique to our stores as well as many tea accessories.

Each day we feature two teas that you could buy as take out at the mall. So come on by and say hello and I promise that you will always be greeted with a sampling of our delicacies as well as some tea to go.

Cookie Enthusiast

2010-11-23T22:58:00.007-03:00

There is also a Face Book fan page to try to help Cookie Monster out, so click here if you would like to see Cookie Monster host SNL.

Tea and Cookie Event for Bloggers/Press

2010-11-11T20:08:00.000-03:00

After our very first Cookie Day, I never did another one, but that is about to change.

This time it´s Tea and Cookies and it´s at the Dot Shopping Mall. Yes, Argentina now has a Sugar & Spice store at a shopping mall.

I have only 3 simple rules.

Only the first 15 responses can make it. If I get many more responses, then I would be open to a second event at a later date. In any case, you will get a response from me.

You can bring a guest (and no they don´t count towards the 15 response limit. That´s why I called it a response limit and not a person limit).

write to cookiesandtea@sugarandspice.com.ar
please include your name, your blog/magazine/newspaper/etc you represent, and if you are bringing a guest, please let me know.
you will get a response with an invite.

Please don´t worry. I will not spam you. I am not a large faceless corporation with the resources to fill up your e-mail in-box on a consistent basis.

I can´t even consistently write on my own blog much less have time to spam anybody.

Anyway, I want to make sure that the people who do show up get my undivided attention and I get the chance to present our line of teas and cookies at the shopping mall.

These days it would be the only chance I get to eat and drink anything during the day!

The last time (and only time really) I did this it was a lot of fun.

The only thing I ask of you is if you have it in your heart to write about the event and about the store and the great time, or even not so great time if that´s the case.

That´s it!

So please consider coming out for Tea and Cookies!

Tuesday 23rd of November

5pm or 17:00 hours

We are located on the first floor right in front of Zara

@The DOT

Bilingual Kids and Argentine Schools

2010-10-30T22:40:00.000-03:00

A while back I was interviewed by an expat regarding what I thought about the schools and my own experience in this matter. Since I have a couple of kids in the school system here I went ahead and participated.

She is not a reporter. In fact, she did this to try to learn a bit more about the education system here and specifically what other expat parents did regarding their own children's schooling.

She has since shared her findings with us and I asked her if I could go ahead and post it for anyone out there who might be interested:

Expat Parents, Bilingual Kids and Argentine Schools

Expats face an array of daily challenges ranging from societal values to language, food and eating habits, gender dynamics, bureaucracy, driving, shopping, etc. And for those of us who are parents, raising and educating our kids would likely top this list as the biggest challenges of all, because they touch the core of what makes us who we are: Like it or not, we raise our children in terms of our own childhood experiences, which ultimately laid the groundwork for the people we are as adults. Whether to undo, improve on or maintain the lessons learned while growing up, how we approach bringing up our own kids is a reflection of that experience and therefore heavily loaded culturally and personally. Doing so in a foreign context is therefore fraught with difficulties, because the cultural parameters may be vastly different; and when it comes to school itself, everything from the supply list, to parent attitudes, to education policy in general can serve to complicate our decisions, baffle, frighten or, just maybe, if we’re lucky, free us from old, ingrained ideas and assumptions. After all, the fact that we are expats in the first place likely means that we are people who do not necessarily settle for the standard operating procedure in the places we came from. So what happens when we immerse ourselves in another, albeit foreign, version of “mainstream” when it comes to educating our children?

Having muddled through the Argentine system with my own kids over the past five years, I decided to do a survey of other foreign parents to gain some perspective on the experience. I chose to focus only on expats from English-speaking countries (the UK, US and Australia), given the significant role English plays in most school curricula here and the subsequent effect this has on kids for whom English is a first language. The questions parents answered covered topics related to the process of choosing a school; degree of satisfaction with that choice; school choice as a reflection of their own schooling; Argentine cultural values; and English classes, among others. Parents addressed several concerns about their children’s education, both universal and specific to Argentina. Their answers also reveal some surprising discoveries that may be useful to others facing the difficult task of finding a school for their children here.

The crisis in education is a phenomenon that knows no borders; however, what that crisis entails and the reasons associated with it from one country to the next are undeniably shaped by the history, society and education policies implemented in each place. In the case of Argentina in particular, the last dictatorship left an imprint on Argentine society that plays out in myriad ways, just one of which is the effect on education – both public and private – and the attitudes and expectations of modern Argentine parents, many of whom were students during the repressive dictatorship of the 1970s. This is no small matter when it comes to understanding schools in Argentina. The dictatorship that came to power in Argentina in 1976 considered schools to be fertile ground for subversion, and therefore in need of a return to traditional values achievable only through order and repression. During that time, high school and university students were blacklisted and reported by teachers to military authorities, detained and often never seen again. It is therefore not surprising that the generation of parents who grew up during those years of repression would expect the very ethos of school to be radically different for their children.

As a result, many schools here now fortunately take a very child-centered approach to learning, often highlighting group dynamics, democracy in the classroom and a sense of belonging. Particularly for parents of younger children, these features may be all the more appealing in the absence of other education jargon such as testing, standards, accountability, etc. However, the premium placed on learning through play and group projects may have parents wondering about things like academic excellence and individual achievement once their children are older; what seemed ideal in first grade often turns into noisy classrooms, general lack of discipline, no apparent study habits and disregard for authority in sixth. Could it be that what began in the 1980s as a genuine move in favor of kinder, more democratic schools with a critical eye toward authoritarianism may have swung too far in the direction of ‘no room for order at all’ in many Argentine classrooms?

Private, non-religious bilingual schools were the target of parents’ most critical views. Schools like Arco Iris, Jacarandá, N.E.A., Escuela del Árbol, Aletheia, Mundo Nuevo, Amapola – to mention a few – have a broad appeal among professional, middle-class, well-educated and often progressive-minded Argentines. And since many expats living here fit this same description, many of them also initially find these schools appealing. They are more affordable as far as private schools go, tend to have constructivist-based curricula, focus on creativity, foster a sense of community and learning through experience. Despite the draw of such features, however, the educational experience often turns sour for many parents once their children are enrolled. The disparity between the ever-rising cost of these schools (tuitions have roughly tripled over the past 4 years) and the overall quality of education that they provide is no doubt a factor in parent dissatisfaction. Everything from noisy, chaotic classrooms to overt Argentine nationalism (lots of flag-waving and exaggerated reverence for Argentine heroes, yet scarce attention to the rest of the world) and xenophobia are mentioned in association with these schools. Several parents also pointed to the prioritization of group interests over individual achievement. This is a particularly touchy issue in that it gives pause for reflection on the standard allegation by many Argentines that Anglo culture (particularly the US variety) is so individualistic. It highlights the different spin on the term as often used here (i.e., egocentric, single-minded) compared to its true meaning (one that asserts individuality through independence of thought and action). This factor is also echoed in children’s report cards, which parents say do not convey any individual feedback for the most part, focusing mainly on the child’s role in group work. Another overriding concern for many parents from English-speaking countries with a common tradition of reading and love of books is the apparent absence of any similar sentiment in many schools here.

Wasted time in English classes that cannot address the needs of native English-speakers is also a major issue for parents with children in these Spanish/English bilingual schools. Initially welcomed as assets to the class, parents claim there is no follow-up effort made to find suitable materials, books, or give these kids any type of role in English class that would make for meaningful learning for both them and their classmates; again, they are expected to “go along” with the group. This is an aspect of schooling that foreign parents from English-speaking countries should be particularly aware of, and deserves special mention here.

Argentine parents want their children to be proficient in English in order to be globally competitive in the future; and schools likewise take the importance of English seriously. This has resulted in a plethora of private bilingual schools here that cater to local parent demands for more English. What is interesting to note is the number of hours devoted to English in comparison to other subjects in these schools. As pointed out, Argentine society understandably gives high priority to English, but is it more important than Spanish, math or science? According to the number of class hours, yes it is. Bilingual schools in Buenos Aires (both primary and secondary) devote an average of 6 class hours (horas cátedras) per week to English – some considerably more – in comparison to Spanish, math, science or social studies, which often get only 3 or 4 hours of class time per week. Curiously, this has as much to do with the traditional Argentine school day, which the Ministry of Education sets at 4 hours minimum, as it does with the high premium placed on English. So in the case of most schools that now offer doble turno, all those extra hours are being poured into English instead of an increase in core academics. Not to diminish the importance of English in the world today, but it is perplexing, even if one could make an argument for this many hours per day devoted to a foreign language, why some of those hours couldn’t be used to teach other subjects (science, history, creative writing) in English (or Spanish, for that matter)? Only a very few of the higher-priced private schools take this approach. Perhaps the better question to ask would be: Why are the core subjects of math, language/literature, social studies and science kept at so few hours? As expats who come from countries with 6, 7 or 8-hour school days, it is difficult not to wonder.

Given the value placed on English, there is then a certain irony in the fact that children who are already bilingual are actually at a disadvantage when it comes to Argentine bilingual schools. The reality is that all those English hours in the dozens of “bilingual” schools have very little to offer a child whose first language is English; they are about intensive English-learning for Spanish-speakers, and are not designed to address the needs of English natives. It would stand to reason then, as a parent of a bilingual child, to choose a monolingual school and not waste hours on English for learners; however, as already mentioned, the standard academic day is only 4 hours long here. Therefore, if you want your child to have a full day of school in Buenos Aires, you must either pay a very high price or resign yourself to the fact that roughly half of their day will be wasted hours in English class in most cases. Other than the array of mid-priced private bilingual schools, one is left with basically three alternatives: half-day public school; the very expensive American or British schools (price-prohibitive for many); or bypassing English altogether at the German, Italian or French schools. It is this last option that generated some of the broadest support from parents. This is what one US parent had to say about the Lycée Jean Mermoz:

“There were two factors that led us to discard the English/Spanish bilingual option. One is that we did not think that many of them are as good overall academically as the French school and even their English programs are not great; non-native English teachers, for example. So we thought it would be easier to supplement English language skills at home than to have to compensate for a lower quality overall education. And in terms of the very good English/Spanish schools (San Andres, Northlands, etc.), they have a socio-economic profile that seemed elitist for our taste. The French school has a more heterogeneous public, which we love, and the idea of having a bilingual/bicultural family exists there. They have excellent academics and also incorporate a great deal of culture, art and literature into the general education. It is an institution where the cultural values of France, such as equality, respect for rules and authority, are very much present. This is extremely important for me as they are values that I feel are part of my culture as a US citizen, but that are not valued in Argentine culture.”

The diversity mentioned with regard to the French school is also highlighted by parents of kids who attend Lincoln, the American school. As part of an international system that offers consistency as well as a diverse student population, it is an appealing option for diplomatic families and those who work for large corporations and move often; its price-tag, however, offsets these advantages for many families.

As regards the overall state of public education in Argentina, the lack of available resources and teacher strikes are a big deterrent for a majority of parents in the case of public schools. Even if one comes from a public school background with committed ideals to public education, it is difficult to stick to one’s convictions in the face of public school reality in Argentina. Fewer resources means kids are exposed to fewer valuable experiences, such as gaining computer skills, access to quality art and music classes or a proper school library, not to mention the limited class hours. And the likelihood that your child may be deprived of many days of school due to teacher strikes makes this a tough choice indeed. Nevertheless, some of the most satisfied parents interviewed were those whose children attend public primary school No. 13 in the Colegiales neighborhood. They pointed to the integrity of the school climate forged by its long-time director, and the importance of the school’s cooperadora in pushing new initiatives. Good teachers who know their students well on an individual basis, a strong emphasis on reading, the director’s open-door policy and responsiveness to parent requests, and the enthusiasm for learning observed by parents of expat kids in this school make it stand out not only among public schools, but among all primary schools included in the survey. Unfortunately, this was the only public school mentioned by parents in the survey; as a general rule, foreign parents do not often choose public school for the same reasons many Argentines do not.

As a parent of 8-yr-old twins when I came here, I was quite happy to forgo such things as regular standardized testing, heavy loads of homework and long school hours common in the US, in favor of an Argentine version that seemed kinder and more respectful of childhood. Later in elementary school, however, that conviction began to wane in the face of concern for academics and readiness for serious study. To my surprise, however, on the verge of entering high school, my kids have stepped up to the proverbial plate and proven that, even though they may not have been academically challenged in elementary school, they are nevertheless more capable of putting in long study hours and doing well on difficult high school entrance exams than I probably was at their age. I cannot help but wonder if this is not the result of an academic maturity that was allowed to take its due course, along with the advantages of growing up “between” places, which by default makes changing gears easier for them. And one more surprise that I discovered as a result of the “disadvantage” of already being bilingual in school: Using that to our kids’ advantage by taking them out of English altogether at school and hiring a native tutor to use those hours wisely and keep them reading, writing and covering other subjects in English has put them ahead of grade level.

Despite all the issues mentioned here, which have caused me many sleepless nights, I also share the sentiment expressed by everyone in their answers to the last survey question, “What is the most important aspect of your child’s education for you?” Without fail, everyone mentioned the importance of the examples set at home in terms of love of learning, critical thinking, awareness of the broader world and curiosity. As expats, we are privileged in being able to provide our children with this type of education in addition to (or in spite of) any school

Arkakaó Buenos Aires

2010-10-15T00:05:00.001-03:00

I took my daughters to the grand opening, even though I had an opening of my own earlier in the day, which will deserve it's own blog post, and I had to go to a school rehearsal (school play we are putting together for the kids).

It was a very long day.

But, since I frequently turn down invitations for evening events I wanted to try to revert that trend and I told the wife that tonight we would go out for ice cream no matter what.

I rushed home from the rehearsal, wolfed down some food, and we packed the kiddies into the car.

We made it to Arkakao by about 9:00pm

I had written about them before from when I visited Rosario. I was just as impressed this time around.

My kids normally don't venture outside of their favorite flavors, but tonight they ventured into uncharted territory and they tried gianduja, pistachio, coconut, chocolate with cinnamon and some fruit flavored one that I can't even remember the name (all the names are in Italian).

My eldest told me, after I asked her if she liked her ice cream: "Yours tasted like Nutella!"

She loves Nutella so I guess that would be her highest compliment. She was talking about the gianduja gelato.

In case you are wondering what the difference is between ice cream and gelato I Wiki'd it for you.

What did not show up in Wikipedia is that Arkakao promises to make their gelato on a daily basis and never serve you yesterday's batch.

They also serve chocolates; they have a lunch menu; a bar for cocktails; and they serve breakfast. Now all they need are Argentina's yummiest cookies to be excellent all the way around, hint, hint!

Arkakaó Recoleta

Quintana 188 (y Montevideo)

4813-7585

www.arkakao.com.ar

Voting Day Wednesday the 13th

2010-10-12T01:53:00.000-03:00

The US embassy will have a ballot box on Wednesday for any American expats who miss the experience of going to a polling station (or, most likely, have never been to one, but would like to know what it's like). Oh, I kid my fellow Americans.

You can drop off your absentee ballot from 2pm to 4pm on Wednesday the 13th.

Yep, that's tomorrow!

The Embassy is at 4300 Av. Colombia, Palermo.

If you just want to drop off your ballot (in postage paid envelopes) without going through security go to window 1 (street entrance), from 2:30 to 4:30 (Mon-Fri, excluding Oct 11 and 27).

Happy Voting Day America!

Remember:

"We will accept ballots up to and including November 2, 2010 (REMEMBER – some states will accept ballots postmarked by November 2, while others have an earlier deadline--check your state’s requirements on www.fvap.gov.) For additional details, visit the Federal Voting Assistance Program or the Overseas Vote Foundation. The Embassy's Voting Assistance Officer will also be happy to answer your questions about absentee voting; simply send us your question at VoteBuenosAires@state.gov. "

Sugar & Spice Cookies Tea and More (coming soon)

2010-10-09T16:55:00.000-03:00

ArKakao Buenos Aires (coming soon)

2010-10-08T08:57:00.000-03:00

Arkakao Buenos Aires

Expedition Science in Patagonia

2010-10-02T13:13:00.001-03:00

A while back I got an e-mail titled "Expedition Science - Science camp in English in Patagonia" and I starred and saved it to look at it later.

I am just getting around to looking at it now. Wow, what a great idea!

First of all it involves Science and it happens to take place in an area that is so beautiful I can't think of a better place for it to be.

If you have kids between the ages of 14 and 17 you might want to consider visiting one of the most beautiful places on earth.

While they are studying, you can be enjoying the sights.

Here is a link to the web page where you can read up on the details. Maybe they can have a class for adults who want to revisit their teenage science class years?

Part 2 of the Tourist 2 Townie Interview of the Cookie King

2010-09-24T18:06:00.000-03:00

A couple of days ago Tourist 2 Townie posted part 1 of an interview with yours truly. Here is part 2.

In this one we talk about school for the little ones; literacy initiatives; John Cusack; Vin Diesel; having milk and cookies with President Obama and some of my hidden gems and pet peeves of Buenos Aires.

If you are curious I can expand on the things that I like about Argentina.

And yes, those ears are natural!

Forest by the Beach: Carilo

2010-09-23T09:51:00.001-03:00

http://www.aguacalma.com.ar/

One of the places that always seemed to come up as a natural for us to be in has been Carilo. This is a vacation spot that is very popular and a bit exclusive.

I remember going for a weekend when my wife was pregnant with our first daughter.

The roads were not paved (on purpose within the town) and it had rained so it was a very bumpy ride. So it was cold, rainy and windy, and very few people around.

All the peace and quite was actually quite welcoming, not like the weekend reflected in these pictures.

Now you have larger hotels and it was in danger of just growing out of control. There is still a lot of demand for this place, but they are slowing it down.

Apart from the large complexes you have some very impressive homes nestled nicely among the trees of the forest of Carilo.

And you also get pretty close to nature...

Now we managed to have two clients in Carilo after years of trying. One is the AguaCalma mentioned at the top of this post. Quite honestly, it sounds like a perfect match. This location is trying to offer the very best to their guests and they have our products as welcome gifts.

This place gets it! Just from reading their website I am tempted to go back for a long weekend.

The other place that has some of our products is La Proveeduria. Here is a picture I found of it on Flickr:

Carilo is about 300km from Buenos Aires and it is a peaceful beautiful forest town with a beach. If you are visiting Buenos Aires and you would like a quick escape to relax then you can't really go wrong with this town.

And to add to the enjoyment of this place now you can also have access to your favorite Sugar and Spice cookies, pound cakes, and brownies!

It just can't get much better than that.

Tourist 2 Townie Interviews The Cookie King

2010-09-22T14:21:00.000-03:00

I honestly really dislike watching myself on T.V.

I apologize beforehand for all the "ums" and "ands". I have to work on that especially if I am on one of The Best Latin American Travel Blogs for crying out loud!

I know I can get it right and I have done an Interview on T.V. before that came out really well with very few of those nervous ticks.

Gareth, if you ever interview me again, I promise to be better.

Here is Part 1 of Gareth´s interview.

Secrets of Home Beer Brewing

2010-09-21T11:14:00.000-03:00

Guest Post by James Mowery

There's nothing quite like enjoying a glass of home brewed beer, especially when it's made the right way using handed down secrets that only you and grand pa know.

Of course, any great home brewer knows that the best beers are brewed using quality supplies, because what you brew your beer in and the ingredients that you use, all lend to the flavor and crispness of your beer.

Now this doesn't mean you have to run out and buy the most expensive brewing supplies and ingredients. What you should do is go to a reputable brewing supply shop and find out what's available for the type of beer you wish to create.

Some true beer aficionados like to experiment with different shops to compare which they like most. But most go the easy route and pick up a micro brewery kit.

The most challenging part of home brewing is having the right fermenter. It should be capable of brewing up to six gallons of beer with enough room to allow for foam.

You'll also need a hydrometer to measure the alcohol content in your beer. Always stir with a plastic spoon, a tap with sediment reducer to prevent sludge in your bottles, an airlock and grommet, a thermometer to keep control of the all important brewing temperature and plastic bottles for your beer.

Some like glass bottles, but they are more likely to explode.

Beer is made by boiling malt and water and adding hops. This becomes unfermented beer, which is then cooled and yeast is added to bring on fermentation.

There are also other ingredients that make 'your secret
recipe' truly yours, and they can include spices, gains, fruit, sugar,
honey, etc.

Perhaps the biggest secret brewing the best beer is proper hygiene. You have to start with impeccably clean equipment, or you'll run the risk of poor beer fermentation. Any residual sugar left in a bottle will ruin a good beer.

About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about beer brewing and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to led tv.

Anuva Wine Tastings

2010-09-18T16:25:00.002-03:00

This is one of those things that have been going on under my nose, in my own neighborhood, and I am just realizing of its existence.

I have known Daniel Karlin of Anuva Wines for some time now. We have shared some beer and some laughs till the wee hours of the morning actually. And, just last week he asked me if I would like to attend one of his wine tastings.

I know, I know, he has invited me to lots of events and he could probably be the first to tell you that it's not easy to get me out of the house. When I get home I am exhausted most nights.

But, I am glad I went out this night. Daniel ran a great wine tasting. The set up is in a very nice new hotel in Palermo Hollywood called Rendez-vouz. It's very stylish and would probably be even better if they pampered their guests with Sugar & Spice cookies (hint, hint Rendez-vouz).

But, this is Dan's gig so back to the wine. The tables had 7 glasses per person waiting to receive the different wines.

We started with Hom Sparkling that was paired with a modified waldorf salad. The wine itself had a light lemon/lime aroma and green apple tart in the mouth with a nice crisp acidity.

I could only imagine this going really well with my own lemon poppy-seed pound cake.

Each wine was paired with a specific food that ranged from cheeses, to sausages, to chocolates.

What was great about this wine tasting is that it was not boring or technical in nature. We got to sample all of the wines right next to each other and they were paired with food. Daniel kept moving it along, but it was not rushed. In fact, I got to meet and talk to the people that were seated at my table. We were able to listen to Daniel talk a little bit about the wine, and we were also able to talk amongst ourselves as well.

I met a woman from Australia who was touring South America and this was the last leg of her tour. I also met a couple who are living here for 5 months. He is a US history professor that has been to Argentina before and this time he wanted to come back with his family so they could experience just how cool this place really is.

For those people who were vacationing from the States they had the added bonus that they could also join Daniel's wine club and be able to purchase wines to be delivered to their home. I don't know about you, but I hate lugging around bottles through airports.

The wines he carries are small boutique wines that are not available at large retailers so that is also another big plus.

He finished the night with one of my new favorite wines from Durigutti.

If you are reading this in the States and you want to try to recreate our wine tasting experience you can go to Anuva Wine Club's site where you can order any of these wines and have them delivered to your home.

Wines Tasted:
Hom Sparkling
Coiron Torrontes by Palo Alto
Mairena Bonarda
San Gimignano Syrah
Callejon del Crimen Sangiovese by Finca La Luz
Durigutti Reserva Malbec

I had a previous wine tasting paired with my cookies. This got me to thinking about the possibility of doing this sort of thing again.

Trip Advisor Reviews of Anuva Wine Tastings
Anuva Blog

Travesti Mii

2010-09-09T18:13:00.001-03:00

My 5 year old: Pa, quieres ver el travesti Mii que hice?
(translation: Dad, do you want to see the transvestite Mii that I made?)

Oh, the joys of urban living. I knew I was going to have to talk about the birds and the bees, but about the bees who think they are birds?

Me: Sure, sweetpea. I see your classmates are all here.

I couldn't resist. I had to look it up to see if something like this existed and sure enough someone has already thought of it.

You can find how to make transvestite Mii's here like the one you see below.

Of course you can make other types of Miis in case your kids are not up to transvestites. I found a Winnie the Pooh, Chicken Little, etc.

My 5 year old is going to be a handful.

Gmail Priority Inbox

2010-08-31T08:54:00.001-03:00

I so want this.

Un Techo Para Mi País

2010-08-13T23:28:00.002-03:00

This multinational non profit started in Chile back in 1997. Today they operate in 18 countries building homes for those least fortunate.

They approached us last year asking for food donations for the holiday season. They recently reached out to us again and we sent them some cookies for a "Día del Niño" event they were holding.

This time they sent us pictures as a thank you and I was touched.

Tumblr link with more pictures.
www.untechoparamipais.org

Alejandro Carosella

2010-08-03T15:28:00.001-03:00

Live music; wine from Bodega Salentein; Argentina´s yummiest Chocolate Chip cookies; Passion for Chocolate cookies; and Pan de Pizza savory cookies while you take in some culture. What could be better than that?

Mark your calenders for the 11th of August at 7pm.

The culture is supplied by Alejandro Carosella.

By the way, here is a Texan´s point of view of Bodega Salentein.

Sugar & Spice by Manifesto

2010-07-31T20:00:00.002-03:00

We have outsourced our store window display to Manifesto. They are a leader in decoration and design for companies as well as for individuals.

Some of the clients that they work with are Google, Sony, Motorola, and Techint just to name a few. Now, we can add Sugar & Spice to that list.

Come by and tell us what you think.

Welcome Café Martinez

2010-07-16T18:35:00.000-03:00

We have another new client that has deposited their trust in us and has decided to be really nice to their customers by offering Argentina's yummiest cookies.

So if you are a fan of Cafe Martinez now you can have an authentic Chocolate Chip Cookie or a Pasion for Chocolate Cookie to go with that cup of joe. You could also ask for a bag of Café Mocha Biscotti as well.

With approximately 60 locations (plus Chile and Uruguay coming soon) you are bound to always be near a cup of coffee and a cookie or two.

***********

Bienvenidos a nuestro nuevo cliente Café Martinez! Con aproximadamente 60 locales siempre vas a estar cerca de tu favorito café y una cookie o dos.

Ahora vas a poder acompañar tu café con una deliciosa cookie de Choco Chip o Pasión por Chocolate.

Me contaron que están por abrir locales en Chile y en Uruguay también.

Can Girls Play Soccer?

2010-07-14T18:32:00.005-03:00

The obvious answer to that question would be "Hell Yes!", but it's not so obvious an answer to some people.

In Argentina, and in particular the slums of Argentina, it is not such an easy question to answer.

I have been supporting Fundación Leer to help reach under-served children and promote a love of reading in them. One of our last events took place in Villa 31.

Recently another project aimed at helping young people in that community has come to my attention.

A fellow expat and her Argentine husband are filming a documentary about a group of girls who fight to play a sport they love, but is off limits to women in Argentina: Soccer.

This might sound crazy to most people, but in Argentina soccer is strictly a man's sport. I know this first hand, since I have tried to get my own kids interested in kicking the ball around only to be met by disinterest that has been soaked up by their surroundings.

When the filmakers started following the girls in 2008, only a dozen or so ventured onto the field. Now, there are more than 25!

The documentary shows how playing soccer has transformed their lives, as well as how difficult this transformation can be-girls have to battle parents and a society that see them only as future maids, criminals or teenage mothers.

For example, Chechu was one of the team's most promising players when she became pregnant at 15. However, her family was happy for her to become a mom, as in the Villa, it is considered a rite of passage for many girls.

She now lives outside of the slum with her boyfriend and his family, who do not approve of her playing soccer.

Will she make her own path, or end up becoming a statistic?

Will any of the other girls be able to fight the odds?

This documentary is not only about them, but by them as well. The experiences of these "slum soccer girls" will not only be documented by filmmakers, but the girls themselves will contribute through a video workshop where they will learn how to interview and do basic camera work.

You will get an uncensored view into their world and the girls will begin to take back the narrative of their own lives.

Below is a short 60 second clip on the movie.

So, can girls play soccer? Left to themselves they might not be able to. If you would like to help them click here.

Meanwhile, wouldn't it be nice if any of them could eventually end up being the next Mia Hamm? I mean, Pelé, Maradona, and Carlitos Tevez and quite a few others have come from slums....

Goals for Girls The Movie

Happy 4th of July!

2010-07-04T00:23:00.000-03:00

Video courtesy of David Willbanks.

Germany Dominates Argentina

2010-07-04T00:04:00.002-03:00

Vier Cheers!

What can I say? The better team won.

Now I am going to cheer for Uruguay and I hope that no one else pops up promising to run naked if Uruguay wins.

The day before the game I had a conversation with my five year old:

me: Hey, do you know who plays tomorrow?

munchkin: no papi

me: Los Argentinos juegan con los Alemanes

munchkin: LOS ANIMALES?!?!?

How right she was, how right she was.

(I mean it in a positive sense of the word as in animals on the field)

Argentian vs Germany Has Already Started

2010-07-03T00:18:00.001-03:00

This is a commercial for a sports channel. When I first saw this one of the comments left by an Argentine went something along the lines of: "If you analyze this in detail we are great at soccer, but as a people, we are complete shit".

One piece of advice though; if you are in Argentina and you see kids playing with a rolled up sock, you better run because you are about to be robbed, mugged or raped.

Kidding aside, this should give you an idea as to just how much this game means to people.

When the national team plays, schools either start earlier, close earlier, or just show the game depending on the timing of the game.

While the team plays it's impossible to find a cab or any public transportation for that matter.

Many businesses have televisions at work so the employees can watch. We set one up at our business for example.

Here is another commercial and this one is from Quilmes. The subtitles are not so great, but you should still be able to get the gist of it.

And in this upcoming game you have the personal insults being traded back and forth.

This one is going to be personal for these players. There is no doubt about it, at all.

You had the infamous Paul the octopus predicting correctly all of Germany's games so far.

In fact, the injured ex-captain Micheal Ballack didn't want to play second fiddle to an octopus and gave a prediction of his own.

You had Germany insulting Argentine players, fans and coach with Schweinsteiger mentioning what "Argentines are like in general".

Since the coach happens to be Diego Maradona, a prompt response was delivered and a local celebrity chef was called to the task of showing what exactly we can do with an octopus...(see video immediately below)

But, it's not all arrows and clubs. The New York Times wrote a very nice apology letter to Diego, and the German coach is taking the high road as well.

It's a good thing since he is susceptible to an attack of the munchies during the game, and let's just say that his diet on the pitch has not exactly been high brow.

I don't know what the outcome will be on Saturday. I do know that I expect a fantastic game.

Germany has a very young and talented team. Both Germany and Argentina love to attack and I am sure we will be seeing plenty of that especially since they have started attacking each other before the game has even started.

What does Argentina vs Mexico mean to you?

2010-06-26T10:20:00.002-03:00

Mexico vs Argentina is not just a highly charged game between the current favorite team and one that is inconsistent, at times playing great and falling flat the next.

To me this game is wrapped up in feelings that are polar opposites.

Argentina is my new home, my kids were born here, my wife and her family are from here; I have friends who are Argentine.

I also have family that lives in Mexico and I actually lived there as a little boy.

I was asked, who I would cheer for. I don't even know that response.

I can't plan who I am going to cheer the loudest for because that is asking me who I am planning on not cheering for.

My list of football countries is pretty short and in first place has been, and will most likely always be, the United States. After that, it has been Mexico, Colombia and now I add Argentina.

10 years ago I would not even have hesitated. I would cheer for Mexico. Now that I eat, live, and breath Argentina, I am not so sure.

Something similar happened during the '94 World Cup when on the 22nd of June the USA faced what was then the pre-tournament favorite to win that year, Colombia. After 5 minutes I realized that this was going to be a great game and I had to leave the room and watch it by myself.

My dad is from Colombia and I just could not stand to sit there and yell out the USA goals in front of him.

The US turned out winning that game 2 to 1 and it was the game that would lead to Andres Escobar's tragic death.

It's going to be a little awkward. My head is with Argentina and my heart is with Mexico.

Whatever the outcome I will be glad for the team that passes through and saddened for the one that gets to go home.

To all my Argentine friends and family I wish you luck.

To all my Mexican friends and family I also wish you luck.

I will be somewhere in the middle enjoying and suffering at the same time.

Tea With Friends Winter Promotion

2010-06-07T13:34:00.002-03:00

Check out our newest promotion!

Come to our store and when you purchase our Almond Cookie Tea with any of the products mentioned in our flyer you get a pack of Parmesan Walnut Copetín for free!

From Promotions

This offer is only available at our store and it runs for the 2010 winter season.