Cooking with Teresita

Quentin finally came to town and I finally found a cooking class out here, so add that together and it means...Quentin and I took a cooking class.

There are not many one day cooking classes in Buenos Aires so Teresita has quite the monopoly on this activity. Even with competition, Cooking with Teresita would rank among the best of them. Great food, great vino and great company means for a GREAT evening.

Our evening started with a shuttle ride to Adrogue, a suburb of Buenos Aires. The ride was a lot longer than I had expected, 1hr and 30mins due to rush hour traffic. Good thing we got to the shuttle stop early. (Sidenote: I never realize how busy and crowded BA is until I have a chance to get beyond the noise and the hustle. Adrogue is quaint and quiet. Quentin and I had a short walk from the shuttle stop to the house where the class would be and though the dark cobble stones streets and fallen leaf covered sidewalks gave us the slight feel that we were in a scene from a scary movie, the neighborhoods were nice and its houses were large and fairly elaborate.) Upon arriving to the Bed&Breakfast/home of Teresita and her husband, Quentin (yep we found another Quentin out here people) we were warmly welcomed by Teresita herself.

We were supposed to have class with a few other people but they were running late. Nevertheless, we started preparing the ingredients. Lucky for us, we got the job of cutting all the onion!! We couldn't help but to "cry for Argentina."

The other "students" arrived about 5 minutes after we started (just late enough to miss the mincing of the tear provoking vegetable...I think it was planned this way (jk)). The additional guests added a lively vibe to the class. By time we had cut up the rest of the vegetables and sauted the onions we were quite acquainted.

Next, we made the dough. Quentin got the job of measuring the flour in this antique scale that he quite liked.

As we prepared the dough and rolled it into sections in to small circles we enjoyed a glass (or two) or good ole' Argentinian vino. Quentin was surprisingly very good at rolling his dough into neat circles. He also caught on quick to how to twist the dough (either he has secretly done this before or he has hidden cooking abilities that have yet to be elicited).

We made meat (with raisins...yum), humid (corn filling, my favorite), and eggplant empanadas. Fried and baked.

They cooked quickly and soon we were enjoying hot and fresh homemade empanadas. Our empanadas were so good that we felt the need to DANCE!!

By the end of the night we had all made new friends and now knew how to make a traditional Argentinian dish. Cooking with Teresita = FUN TIMES!! (Check out the link below.)

http://try2cook.com/Cooking-classes-in-Buenos-Aires.html

Search for the Afros - Part 3

I forgot to mention how ironic it was that when Mom came to visit me I saw a bunch of Black people. I don't know why they all came out of hiding for her. I even spoke to one!! But he was from the US so still no progress on my "Search for the Afros." Usually I only see men but yesterday in the bus I saw two Black ladies. But as usual, I was too far away to interact with them without being creepy. They definitely noticed me though.

I can't remember if I wrote about the realization I had in terms of my "Search." I realized a month or so ago that most of the Black people would be on the outskirts of the city, meaning I would have to go to less affluent areas to find them and I don't think mother, father...or Quentin would approve. Apparently, the government tried to depopulate itself of its African population but pushing them away from city centers or sending them back to Africa. So folks. It seems that my "Search" is coming to an end with no avail...But hey I have 2 more weeks so who knows.

Where is LOVE?

I was just listening to the daily cacophony of annoyed drivers sitting on their horns and it made me think, how is there such a lack of Love in a country where the majority of its people practice Catholicism? Sure there is a lack of Love in the states but I feel like the cooperative aspect of religion isn't as prevalent. In addition, it seems that more Catholic followers subscribe to the traditions of their faith whereas most people in the States argue about traditions and beliefs.

Here, and probably in many other majority Catholic countries, during Easter there was a communal procession to commemorate Good Friday and two weeks ago there was a national mass for Mary. Not to mention, every time I am on the bus and we pass a catholic facility I always see people make the sign of the cross. I would just like to hope that if one puts so much emphasis on traditions that one would also practice the values. Nevertheless, I have noticed a habit of cheating, greed, lust and anger that I would have expected to be lesser if there were a greater presence of Love. I mean, shouldn't there be power in numbers?

It's ironic to me and I am eager to gain a greater understanding on this phenomena. This is just an example of how many of us are just following religion and not seeking a relationship with God.

He is alive

No I am not talking about Jesus (though He is , hallelujah). I am talking about that stupid mosquito. Dru Hill said it best, "Someone is sleeping in my bed, messing with my head." I barely slept last night because of the buzzing in my ear. I even slept with the covers over my head even though I could barely breath (which is probably another reason I couldn't sleep).

In the middle of the night I shot up and failed my arms about ripping off all my covers at the sound of the buzz. I was so angry and frustrated. I just want to sleep without being molested...is that too much to ask!! I hoped I had slapped the life out of that mosquito but alas, that jerk was still there, taunting me.

Now I am at the point of delirium. This morning I thought I saw the little bugger on my pillow so I quickly attacked it and wrapped it up in my sheets. I laid back, cold without my sheets but feeling triumphant. Then I got up and turned on the light and guess who was sitting on the wall? You guessed it.

Do you have a starin’ problem? Cuz I have a problem with you starin’!

New pet peeve…STARING. People stare a lot out here, and with no shame. I am getting a bit tired of people staring at me like I have a third eye. At first I accepted it because, hey, I am foreign but it happens so often that now it is just plain annoying. Now I know what super tall and super small people feel like when people blatantly stare at them.

I know we stare in the States but one, it is deemed rude, and two, most people try to hide the fact that they are staring, I know I do. Maybe here it is not considered rude to stare. I have tried to ignore the staring but people are just so obvious. Today this guy stopped walking right in front of me and stared at me. He almost broke his neck staring to stare at me until the last possible second. I’m thinking, Don’t you have somewhere you were going…isn’t your staring break going to make you late? Ladies will stare straight in my eyeballs and when I smile to reduce some of the awkwardness they keep their straight countenance and keep staring.

Yesterday, there was this tall Black guy on the street. Of course I wanted to catch a glance of him because I am still on my “Search for the Afros” but I noticed this other lady staring at him hard and I didn’t want to act like her. The lady almost ran into a pole, she was staring so hard. Granted there are not a lot of Black people in Buenos Aires but it just amazes me how much of an attraction we seem to be to so many people. It is as if the majority of the people here have never seen a dark “skinneded” person before. This could very well be the case and if so, that is amazing.

After being somewhere for a while you want to start feeling comfortable, like you belong to some extent, and it is hard to get that feeling when people look at you like you are so dynamically different. Hey my blood is red too guys!

Why do mosquitoes buzz in people's ears again?

When I was in elementary school I read a book titled "Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People's Ears." I don't remember why at all but I am real close to Googling the story so I can find out. The past few weeks I have been awoken and bothered by the sound of a mosquito buzzing in my ear. The pitch that the buzzing is at makes the buzz quite alarming and annoying. I try to swat it away and hid under the covers, only to find a fresh new bite on myself the next morning.

My poor roommate has it even worse. Just the other night he was awoken out of his sleep and was so annoyed that he made the effort to come down stairs to light a mosquito repellent. He even said he rested in the living room for 5 minutes just to get a moment of peace.

As for me, I think I am only being attacked by one ( but who knows). If it is one, he is quite resilient. I have tried spraying him, smashing him and swatting him and in the middle of the night he reminds me how worthy of a competitor he is. This little bugger used to be a lot smaller so if it is the same one then he is getting fat off my blood. This morning I was actually really offended by the fact that he was using and abusing me every night, as if he were a person or something. I mean, this flying bully is bold. He actually rests on the wall right near my bed...yes, right where I can see him and I still can't get him...then he waits for me to turn off the light and that is when he attacks.

Well this morning I saw him chillin' on my wall (probably sneering at me) so I went and got the big guns, heavy duty bug spray. Even though the spray exiled me from my room for 3 hours he disappeared and I m hoping he fell to his death or something. Ha ha ha. Who is the winner now!!

Mosquito 327

Aundrea 1

(Yeah, he may have won a bunch of battles but I have won the war and that is all that matters!!)

Polución

Hay mucho polución aqui en Argentina. Más que en Los Angeles. En serio!! Tengo un toz ahorra por la. A veces, no puedo respirar. Los coches y colectivos dan humo, la reconstrucción de el asfalto da humo y los muchos fumadores dan humo. Ay!! No me gusta.