a little girl with a lot to say

Mafalda has long been hailed in Argentina not only as a good comic but as excellent political commentary. She and her friends have plenty to say on the political situation of the latter half of the 20th century; why not check it out?

El Mundo de Mafalda

baila!

Folklore is a little-known traditional dance of Argentina that can be smooth (sambas) or quick and passionate. Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uLy-WDBSsw

más para los golosos!

If you've ever been to Argentina and bought one of these on the street, you've probably been craving for another one ever since.
Alfajores are a a delicious sweet found in cafes and kiosks all over Argentina, as well as in parts of Peru and Uruguay. They usually consist of two soft or hard cookies sandwiched with any variety of jam, chocolate, or dulce de leche and covered in chocolate or merengue (apart from the equally delicious maicena variety, made with corn flour and dulce de leche and caked in coconut). If given the chance, give them a try!

Personally, my favourite part of Buenos Aires is La Boca, the proclaimed artists' sector of Argentina's capital city. It is said that the buildings are painted the way they are because when the immigrants arrived in the 1800s they couldn't afford to buy paint at full price, and thus settled for anything they could get (ending up with all of the colors nobody had used).

Shown are a few examples of some of La Boca's many colorful streets:

re truco!

Truco is a popular card game across Argentina and Uruguay and parts of Chile and Brazil and Paraguay that is played with Spanish cards (naipes españoles) and based on trickery and deceit. For rules and to learn more, click here.

para golosos :)

Did you know the popular Latin American flavour known as "dulce de leche" (English: milk caramel) was invented in Argentina in the late 1800s? And that it's super-easy to make?
Try this recipe:
The Perfect Pantry
or a recipe found in an old Argentine cookbook:
Stir 4 liters of milk, 1 kilo of white sugar, and 1 teaspoon of baking soda together in a large pot over medium heat. (Marbles may be added for more efficient stirring, but make sure you count them beforehand and remove the same number afterwards before eating.) Continue stirring for, oh, about 3-4 hours (or until the mixture reaches a fairly creamy consistency and a golden-brown color), remove from stove and place pot in cold water to cool.

el castellano

Many Spanish speakers will refer to Argentines as "ches", a mockery of the language spoken in Argentina. What many English-speakers don't realize is that although the official language of Argentina is "español", the Argentines themselves refer to their language as "castellano", a version of español as it is used in other countries (except for the voseo, the use of "vos" instead of "tú" that comes with all its own present-tense conjugations) mixed with varying levels of lunfardo, a special rioplatense dialect of Spanish that is especially utilized in tango, depending on the region in which they live. The most commonly-used words that you will not hear in other countries include:

chabón - guy, dude
boludo - jerk, moron
fiaca - laziness
bajón or garrón - something that sucks
pucho - cigarette
mango - one peso, similar to "buck" in the states
guita - money
quilombo - a mess or a hassle

and many more. So even if you think you speak Spanish, these are definitely worth checking out beforehand if you ever decide to make a trip to Argentina.

Effects of the Dirty War echo still today

As you all will hopefully remember, Argentina experienced a Dirty War during its military regime, when dissidents "disappeared" and were tortured. Some of these "desaparecidos" were parents, and their children were illegally adopted out to families, often military or political families. This past week, one woman has pressed charges against her adoptive parents to 25 years imprisonment for concealing her identity and falsifying adoption papers. [ AP article ]

>> An interesting movie that explores another perspective of this topic: "The Official Story" (1985), which we watched last semester, if you're interested.

Argentina could have its Second Female President

In 1974, Juan Peron's 3rd wife took over as president for a while, but Cristina Fernandez would be the first *elected* female president of Argentina. Currently, she has 43% support in polls.
She is the wife of President Kirchner. Also, she is a senator. Still, she doesn't like being compared to Hillary Clinton.
The election is Sunday the 28th of October, so we'll see what happens!

Associated Press article "Campaigning Closes in Argentina Election"