mi querido diversión

Just because the weather forecast for the weekend is all wind, rain, and almost-freezing temperatures doesn’t mean that you can’t go out. soy so lindo’s got our top picks for the weekend, all taking place in the warm indoors.

Saturday, August 4: Mel Mann + Kirlian + the Baseball Furies

Nevermind the recent buzz Mel Mann has been getting in the indie rock scene, if there’s a reason to go to this show, it’s because it’s at the Hotel Bauen, our favorite venue in the entire city. Think spiral staircase with black and white piano keys adorning the wall, leather banquettes, and disco lighting.

Auditorio Hotel Bauen, Av. Callao 360, 21 hs, $8

Sunday, August 5: Maratón Alejandro Jodorowsky:

An entire day of Jodorowsky films equals a whole lot of trippiness. All Movie Guide describes his films as, what might have resulted if Luis Bunuel, Michelangelo Antonioni, and George Romero had all dropped acid and made a movie together.” Sounds about right. Films start at 2:30, 5, 7:30, and 10 p.m.

Sala Lugones, Teatro San Martin, Corrientes 1530

For more events, check out soy so lindo’s calendar.

el campo te llama

 

The distinct smell of animal s**t in Palermo means only one thing– it’s Buenos Aires’ annual Exposicion Rural!

Entering its 121st year, the Exposicion Rural is the agriculture show not just of Latin America but, arguably, of the world. Besides livestock, there are fruits, vegetables, and even the cultivators of said products on display. Last year the New York Times showered the exhibition with praise, saying,

There are livestock fairs all over the world from Fort Worth to Paris, but nothing quite compares to the pageantry, historical magnitude and pure fun of La Rural, which attracts more than a million spectators — Argentines and foreigners — many of whom crowd the viewing stands to watch the judging of the champions.

 

The show, opening today and continuing through August 7, demands a $10 peso entrance fee. But imagine all of the bovines, birds, and broccoli you could see! Judging won’t begin until later in the week, so if you want to see some ribbons handed out, you best be checking the schedule. Otherwise, plan to go on any day but Saturday or Sunday, since it will be a total zoo (haha) on the weekend and these types of shows bring out pushiest people.

And in case you’re still on the fence about going to the Exposicion Rural, this quote from the New York Times article should convince you:

Señor Sol’s father, Satán, a past grand champion, commands a $35,000 price tag, and will earn more money than that from frequent sales of his sperm. When Satán was declared the best-in-show in 2004, his gaucho attendant, Fernando Pondovila, burst into tears. “After all those months spent with the animal and to have him recognized as the greatest of his breed — well, I was so happy that I just couldn’t contain my emotions,” Mr. Pondovila said.

Let’s hope for a repeat performance this year.–REBECCA

toing, toing, gone

MySpace may have the American music scene in a choke-hold, but My Toing is attempting to give it a run for its money here in Argentina.

Through My Toing, bands can create their own pages with songs, videos, photos, blurbs, and tour info. Language options currently include Spanish and Portuguese.

Despite copying half of MySpace’s name, My Toing doesn’t seem poised to mimic the site’s success. There are currently only a handful of bands registered, and of those, only three seemed worth checking out. And none of those three bands impressed me with their music. In fact, I did a quick search, plugging in the names of some indie bands we’ve recently covered here at soy so lindo, and not a single one of them showed up. Not to be a total snot, but would you really want to buy an album from one of these bands?

 

Which could of course be because the site was only recently launched. MySpace was around for years before it actually became the cultural phenomenon that it is today. At this point, it’s a matter of My Toing getting enough buzz to draw in more (interesting) bands. What will it take? A smart ad campaign? An aggressive marketing? Being bought out by a conservative Australian?–REBECCA

street art sunday

Rivadavia y Esmeralda, July 2007

down with dia del amigo

Call me scrooge, but I’m not buying into Dia del Amigo.

The basic premise of the holiday is decent enough: a day to re-connect with old friends and express to new friends how much they mean to you. Like an anti-Valentine’s day, Dia del Amigo attempts to position the role of the friend as equal, if not paramount, to the role of lover.

The day was created by Enrique Febbraro, who felt that July 20th befitted celebrating friendships because it was the day of the first landing on the moon. It’s hard to follow this logic, I know, but according to Febbraro the entire world became friends with these three astronauts.

But like most holidays (Valentine’s Day, Christmas, Mothers/Fathers Day, etc.), Dia del Amigo has become one of consumption. Stores remind you to buy your friend a gift, restaurants remind you to make a reservation for an overpriced meal, bars remind you to buy your buddy a couple of drinks.

And then it becomes a day of hurt feelings and broken friendships. You ask a “good” friend to dinner, just to find out that he/she already made plans with someone else; you receive a gift from a friend, but don’t have anything to give them; you party all night with your friends just to make your wife mad (or so complains a student of mine). Why all the added stress? If you’re friends with someone, you don’t need a special day to take them out to lunch or buy them a drink. It should be natural.

And unlike in some other countries, portenos take their Dia del Amigo very seriously. Cell phone networks momentarily shut down on Dia del Amigo in 2005 because they were  overrun with calls and text messages, and most restaurants are totally booked at least a week before the holiday.

So rather than drive myself crazy over Dia del Amigo, I’m taking it easy and celebrating the accomplishments of friends, rather than the friendships themselves. Specifically, the store Arriba, located in Galeria 5ta Avenida, is celebrating its 2nd Anniversary this evening with wine and discounts. With Arriba’s handmade purses and t-shirts, it would be the perfect place to pick up a Dia del Amigo gift. But you didn’t hear it from me.–REBECCA

los pelirrojos son peligrosos

 

If there’s anything to learn from Clarin today, it’s that being a redhead in Buenos Aires sucks!

 Oh, and if you’re not a redhead, you can add the taunts “Fideos con tuco,” “fosforito,” “ketchup,” and “mufa,” to your anti-redhead arsenal.

Clarin wondered outloud what it’s like to grow up with red hair and concluded that as bad as things are here in Argentina for pelirrojos, they’re not nearly as bad as in England. Which struck me as a bit odd, since there seem to be plenty of flaming redheads from England (Kate Winslet, Ginger Spice, or Ron from Harry Potter, if we’re just talking big names), and yet few from here. But maybe I’m just color blind and can’t see the full spectrum of rainbow colored heads in Buenos Aires.

Regardless, I’m looking for redhead taunt retorts in Spanish for when my dear redheaded friend from NY comes to visit in August. Any suggestions?–REBECCA

gimme my pepas!

My already unhealthy obsession with membrillo-laden sweets has escalated to a full blown addiction.

 It started in the most innocent of ways when I met a friend for merienda and we shared a pasta frola de membrillo. Membrillo, better known as quince to English speakers, is a fruit that looks like a cross between an apple and a pear. When boiled down and mixed with sugar and water, membrillo turns into a type of paste. While in Spain it is traditionally served with cheese, here in Argentina it most often takes the form of a sweet dessert.

  

Pasta frola, basically a type of tart filled with either batata (eww) or membrillo (yum), was the gateway drug for me. I started peering into bakeries on my way home from work, staring longingly at the individual sized pasta frola, the portions of pasta frola, the squares of pasta frola. Soon after I was picking up 1/4 portions of pasta frola at the bakery next to my house.

  

And then I tried Tia Maruca’s Pepas. Pepas from Tia Maruca (like Pepridge Farm but with lower prices and less of a selection) are amazing. The shortbread cookie is of a perfect consistency–not too hard, not too soft. The drop of membrillo in the center is of a perfect consistency–not too hard, not too soft. And at a dependable 2 pesos a bag at the corner kiosco, they’re a deal.

Too much of a deal, apparently, because now I’m addicted. Seriously. I bought a bag of Pepas yesterday and they seem to have gone missing (Wes, did you take them?), and now I’m going crazy. Tearing up my apartment looking for the cookies. Google image searching them. Contemplating leaving the house just to hunt down another bag of cookies. It’s a problem, I know. But the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem, right?–REBECCA

Europeans and South Americans ‘Just Have Sexy in Their Blood’

 

It’s been a little over a week since President Kirchner announced that he would not be running for re-election, allowing his wife, Senator Cristina Kirchner, to run instead, and already the media has been all over Argentina’s political drama.

Inevitably, there is much that can be said about the Kirchner-Clinton connection; both couples met in law school, both men became presidents, both women became senators, and now, both women are aiming for the White (or in Argentina’s case, Pink) House.

Yet for some writers, the most important thing is that…Cristina Kirchner is sexy and Hillary Clinton is not!

Yes, that’s right, apparently ABC News thought it necessary to devote three pages to analyzing the differences in dress and appearance between the two women:

When Argentina’s foxy first lady and fashionista Cristina Kirchner announced July 2 that she would run for president, she allowed her long, black hair to cascade over a plunging neckline.

But America’s first lady of politics, Hillary Rodham Clinton — who has often been compared to Kirchner — opted for a solid black pants suit during her recent presidential debate.

Other international women with brains and power, such as France’s Ségolène Royal, flaunt their sexuality. But Americans prefer to play the dowdy card.

And that’s just the first three paragraphs. The atrocious dek of the piece declares, ”Europeans and South Americans ‘Just Have Sexy in Their Blood,” making a sweeping generalization about entire continents based on the evidence of just three people. Apparently ignoring the existence of “dowdy” (or–gasp–women who fall into neither category) leaders like Michelle Bachelet of Chile, Mary McAleese of Ireland, Tarja Halonen of Finland, and Angela Merkel of Germany will make your already-shoddy argument work.

It goes without saying that you would never find an article dissecting the dressing habits of Bush, Sarkozy, or any other male politician (except perhaps John Edwards, but that’s just veiled homophobia at work). Nestor Kirchner is in no way easy on the eyes, plus he’s got a major lisp, and yet not a peep about his physical appearance. 

Like with most things, women are damned if they do and damned if they don’t; that same old virgin-whore complex means that she’s either totally dowdy (and, in Clinton’s case, a lesbian) or a complete vamp. Getting dressed to go to a fundraising event is no longer just a simple routine, but instead an indicator of how a woman is as a political leader. And that’s worrisome.

Because even if they are elected, they will never escape the judgements that are passed on them and not on their male predecessors. We can say that we’ve made history and elected a woman president, but it won’t mean anything if we still hold her to a double standard.

And it’s not just some small time blogger saying this (and believe me, several have), but ABC News. Perhaps the question that needs to be asked is not, “Are we ready for a female president?” but rather, “Is the media ready for a female president?” We’ll know it is when the answer is, “We’re ready for a president.”–REBECCA

riding the cupcake wave

 

While American-style baked goods (bagels, brownies, cookies) have made their way onto trendy Buenos Aires cafe menus, there’s one item that hasn’t yet crossed the frontera– cupcakes.

I was reminded of this while reading that Magnolia Bakery–the New York bakery that, thanks to Sex and the City, started it all– was shut down this afternoon because of health code violations. Seeing as the cupcake trend has already come and gone in NY, this symbolic nail in the coffin may allow for the Atkins diet-flouting pastry to migrate south and find its place among the Oui Ouis and the Mark’s Delis of Buenos Aires.

Don’t get me wrong– I love cupcakes. If there wasn’t always a line around the corner at Magnolia, I’d be there every afternoon. Instead, Billy’s Bakery (Chelsea), Buttercup Bakery (UWS/UES), and Baked (Red Hook) were the dealers that supported my sugar high addiction. 

If you too are feeling sugar pangs (and would rather not wait for an overpriced, underwhelming version to arrive at Oui Oui or Mark’s), try baking them yourself. To make the official soy so lindo cupcake, pick up a cupcake pan at Falabella and chocolate cake batter and Bon o Bon creme frosting at the supermarket. Let the great cupcake migration of 2007 begin.–REBECCA

we’re all yanquis

 

Yesterday was the first of what we hope to be many soy so lindo parties. In honor of Argentina’s Independence Day (July 9), we figured that we’d throw an American style party, complete with hamburgers from the “grill” (aka the stove top), sweet potato fries, sangria, and live music by the medio-American band Springlizard. We weren’t expecting snow when we planned our summer-inspired fiesta, but then again, does anyone expect the cold white stuff in a city that saw its last snowfall in 1918?

But sub-freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks didn’t stop us from partying like it was July 4th, as these photos show. For more, check out soy so lindo’s flickr page.