La Otra Dimension Cocina

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3

Some of you, the more perceptive readers, had noticed my occ
2007-01-16 05:03:01
Some of you, the more perceptive readers, had noticed my occasional reference, in the past couple of months, to food cravings and queasiness. It was strange and yet exciting for both Guillermo and me. Guillermo even joked that he was going through it with me, minus the queasiness.We both couldn't quite believe it, at first, that 8 weeks into this wonderful new phase of our lives, we have become part of a set of common statistics. We have gone back to square one.Guillermo and my family have been wonderfully supportive. My 85 year-old PoPo (maternal grandmother) was particularly strong although I knew she had been most looking forward to me stepping into motherhood. I am also extremely fortunate that I have close friends around me with whom I can share this disappointment.Guillermo and I have gathered our emotions and reviewed whether we would handle the earlier stages differently next time.We were too excited to keep the fantastic news from my parents and grandmother so we told them...
More About: Readers , Reader , Read , More , Notice

Long time no blog; sorry folks! While I'd try not to blame
2007-01-16 05:03:01
Long time no blog; sorry folks! While I'd try not to blame other causes than my own laziness and preference to spend sunny mornings down at Balmoral beach, our computer has packed up leaving Guillermo and I to alternate between technological wilderness and banks of flatscreen monitors in the middle of a Westfield Shopping Centre such as right this moment.Life is sweet and slow at the moment and Guillermo is trying very hard not to overeat as the portion size here has taken the lead from the U.S. and grown out of control. For someone who is brought up to finish everything on his plate, my husband struggled to finish a cafe breakfast of raisin toasts; 2 thick slices of raisin toasts (the same quantity as 4 generous slices of bread) with a large mug of caffe latte which is a lot of leche...and that was only breakfast! (Incidentally, my mother who ordered banana bread at the same cafe was served 2 thick and large slices which would be almost a full loaf of budin (pound cake). She b...
More About: Time , Blog , Long , Blame

Big Smoke
2007-01-01 04:52:02
Happy 2007! With all the feasting and fresh air of the past week, I may have overdone the rest and relaxation which has in turn induced a much feared writer's block.What marks the arrival of a New Year in Sydney, every year, is a spectacular fireworks display at the beautiful harbour on New Year's Eve. Almost a million people went out to the waterfront along the coastline last night to catch a closer glimpse of those iridescent sparkles.Guillermo had barely recovered from the competitive yet somewhat wonton consumerism at the Christmas sale and was then shocked by how much the city was blowing up in one Big Smoke - A$4 million (about US$3 million) in less than an hour. It is interesting to see how my Argentine husband reacts to a lifestyle which Sydneysiders take for granted. I must confess that before my experience in Argentina I also took my comfortable lifestyle for granted; never had I stopped to think that we actually lived in a rich country. Our idea of "wealth" has ...

Tales from The Other City
2006-12-29 04:50:01
25 hours after leaving Buenos Aires, Guillermo and I finally arrived at Sydney Airport. Everything went well on this long journey except the 4 hour delay in Auckland and that we had to leave behind the jars of dulce de leche we had brought with us at the Australian Customs.We have since learnt that Argentina is not on the approved list of countries from which dairy products are allowed to be brought into Australia. Guillermo suspects that has to do with an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Argentina some years ago.This Australian summer has turned out to be fairly mild so far. Our Christmas Day was spent lounging on the open deck of a spectacular waterfront property. Guillermo was stunned by the breathtakingly beautiful harbour so close, it was almost touchable.Lunch was a casual and multicultural affair in which the guests, including us, grazed on Italian style grilled vegetables, Greek dolmas, Southeast Asian satays and pot stickers while beer and wine were flowing in Aussie s...
More About: Other , Tales , City , The Other , Tale

On a High Note
2006-12-22 04:44:01
I am a firm believer of each city revealing herself to each individual in different ways.There are plenty of people who think of Venice as a tourist trap and that Roman waiters are rude. But Venice murmured only sweet nothing to me and my experience with Roman waiters? Um, let's just say I found them almost too friendly.Buenos Aires has chosen to reveal to me her multifaceted self. In this chaotically attractive city, I've made firm friends, acquired a family and a beautiful apartment.On the other hand, I have also experienced the kind of bureaucratic horrors which I can't share in print. If you read this post and imagine something 100 times worse with a large sum of money, in USD, being requested from me which in turn led me to seek Consular assistance...you may just get a glimpse of the tip of one of the many icebergs I encountered in getting acquainted with Buenos Aires.I am proud that I fought that battle among many other battles when everyone, especially the corrupt parties ...
More About: Note , High

Ho! Ho! Ho!
2006-12-20 16:42:01
I'm in the midst of packing for our long vacation in the city of beaches, Sydney. Our domestic goddess proactively suggested that she would iron a few outfits for us to pack as we land on Christmas Eve and will probably swing straight into party mode. I don't know about Guillermo, but I sometimes have to pinch myself - we are so lucky to have her!Guillermo is already vowing to take advantage of our apartment's proximity to the Pacific Ocean. Meanwhile, my head is filled with trips to the Sydney Fish Market which is second only to the Tsuji of Tokyo ? tiger prawns, lobsters, top grade maguro (fatty tuna), smoked trout, yum...all my favourites!!While I am sure I'll bring back a suitcase full of food (my mother has even managed to procure a jar of osmanthus preserved in syrup for me, bless her!), I am actually ferrying no small amount of Argentine delicacies on my way over (the types that would go pass a vigilant Sydney Customs Officer).My parents fell in love with Yerba Mate when ...

My Perfect Day in BA
2006-12-20 16:42:01
A quick Technorati search before closing la cocina for 2006 has yielded a MEME of "My Perfect Day in BA" from a fellow blogger, Alan of Buenos Aires Travel Guide. Despite my aversions to "expat blogs" in general, I seriously contemplated what would constitute a perfect day in Buenos Aires for me.As I said, I am not particularly interested in the expat scene. I have lovely friends who happen to be expats but equally I've progressive minded porteño friends. I'm more interested in people's mind than where they are from. Of course, I also have an Argentine family.So naturally, my perfect day would probably be of little interest to expats and tourists. I thought about going to the flower market in Chacarita...but when I met my new porteño student yesterday, Mr P, I decided I would mention him instead.Three hours of cooking and chatting with Mr P, I believe I have had my perfect day in Buenos Aires. Don't be alarmed, let me explain why...This picture of glowing health and calm came to...
More About: Perfect Day

An Edible Upgrade
2006-12-18 22:39:02
I have not been subtle about my praises for Chocolate Fenix's grand cru line, named after the family behind the company, Salgado.While I am not suggesting that the Salgado grand cru bars are comparable to the handsome tavolette (Italian for chocolate bars) of Tuscan Amedei or the most sought after Valrhona, they are a great choice within Argentina; I would rather support an Argentine company which is doing great things for the local chocolate industry and pay A$9 for a 100g of their superlative Carenero Superior or their dark-horse favourite* Esmeralda than fork out an inflated A$14 (or more) for the equal weight in Lindt.When choices of what should have been classified as vegelates (one of the many offenders is bon-o-bon) are chock-a-block in this town, A$9 for a bar of chocolate is probably pricey for many peso-earners. Of course, this money gets one a taste of real chocolate with 70% cocoa solids rather than an exotic mix of hydrogenated vegetable oils, sugar, milk powder, cocoa...
More About: Edible

Having a Laugh
2006-12-18 10:38:01
Since Ollie of ArgyBargy alerted me to their web-site's make-over, I have checked-in a number of times for a good dose of professional journalism worthy of The Guardian.Recently, Ollie loosely translated an editorial of La Nación which apeared on December 14th with a heading that sent the message "Tourists Go Home!" Guillermo and I proceeded to read the original text in Spanish via the link provided.First of all, La Nación is the right wing conservative newspaper supporting el campo (the countryside) and the landed classes of Argentina.The newspaper's readers, mainly the wealthy elites of this country, are most likely the ones who bank overseas and therefore tripled their already enormous wealth overnight from the forced and compulsory conversion of all bank deposits in US dollar to peso, in Argentina, during the financial crisis of 2001; and are the ones who continue to benefit from the booming exportation of agricultural products and meat resulted from the new lower peso.Any obj...
More About: Ving , Laugh

Chocolate Pudding de Moda 2006
2006-12-16 16:35:02
It is a known fact that there are trends in food just like in fashion. Those culinary fashionistas may look upon Tiramisu now with the same distaste as we do a pair of stone-washed jeans. Although I never cared much for this pudding, it is a perfectly respectable one and has been around much longer than those "of the moment" restaurants that served them in the early 90s. Chocolate mousse is another example; I remember ordering it when I was a young girl decades ago, and where would you find it now? Restaurants are the culprits when it comes turning good food into cliché.The chocolate pudding de moda 2006 in Buenos Aires seems to be Chocolate Fondant. I would find it in a French bistro as fondant du chocolat, another would name it volcan de chocolate, others choose to call it torta tibia de chocolate (warm chocolate cake). No self-respecting restaurant de moda would dream of not serving it. I think they see the pudding as a mark that they are not a "family restaurant" where diners wo...
More About: Chocolate Pudding , Moda , Cola , Late

Dark Magic
2006-12-16 16:35:02
Volcán de chocolate (soft-centred chocolate cake) has been done to death by restaurants worldwide and more recently, in Buenos Aires. I predict cocoa nibs, actually a wonderfully versatile ingredient, would be the next target by culinary tourists.Cocoa nibs (nibs de cacao) are simply roasted cocoa beans separated from their husks and broken into small bits. They are the essence of chocolate. Nibs add crunch and chocolate flavour without the added sweetness from sugar.I first came across cocoa nibs in early 2003, in Chantal Coady's book Real Chocolate. Ms Coady is one of the founders of The Chocolate Society in London and the owner of Rococo on King's Road, Chelsea. Rococo was the first supplier of cocoa nibs in London.In her book, Ms Coady uses cocoa nibs in a brioche which makes a perfect partnership with foie gras.As they say, you are only really famous if you're famous in the U.S.A. Sad but I can see a grain of truth somewhere in there, so naturally cocoa nibs' meteoric rise ...
More About: Magic , Dark

Our Daily Servings
2006-12-15 22:33:02
I would never be able to convince the fanatics that this blog is not about trashing a country or a people, just my observations on both the good and the bad I have encountered, so far, in Buenos Aires.While I do occasionally mention things happening in other cities, no comparisons are intended and least of all any intention to show Argentines up as inadequate.My feeling is that if one isn't interested in knowing what is going on in other parts of the World, one leads a cloistered life with a narrow mind; and if one cannot put one's defensive reflexes aside, one would never improve oneself and thereby one's society.Sorry, I have gone off on a tangent here because all I would like to say today is how wonderfully positive that some governments and agencies have woken up to take a serious look at how our modern lifestyle is changing our health.More "low-fat" and "low-sugar" alternatives are available to our generation but why do we suffer more lifestyle related health problems than o...
More About: Daily , Dail , Ving

Sugar is Sweet, Pretenders are Not!
2006-12-15 10:32:01
If I had a "peeves" list, the ludicrous advice I've been hearing from licensed nutritionists in this city comes close to the top.After one licenciado (licensed practitioner) showed alarming ignorance and arrogance in telling my sister-in-law (who has to learn all about milk allergy to take proper care of her daughter) that milk allergens are found in milk but not cream, another one had told her to add artificial sweeteners to Maria-Paula's formula powder which the little girl consumes regularly. This advice means that her tiny two year-old body is processing no small amount of saccharin daily.Saccharin, the first widely available chemical sweetener, has been replaced by aspartame in most countries but is still an ingredient in some prepared foods, gum, toothpaste, and over-the-counter medicines. However, it is the main ingredient in the most popular, widely available brand of artificial sweetener in Argentina ? Hileret.Remember those carcinogen warnings on the side of products tha...
More About: Sugar , Tend , Sweet , Rete , Ender

A Sweet Farewell
2006-12-15 10:32:01
In the 18 months, Guillermo and I have been living in Buenos Aires we keep meeting others who have also just moved to this South American city. Some of them have moved here to stay and others are here for work which means they would eventually leave.Yesterday, I was sad to say goodbye to a sweet and extremely able couple, Matt and Lorena. I wish them all the best in their exciting new ventures in beautiful Valparaiso, Chile. From the photos they showed me, it is a seaside town with loads of character and Old World charm.Matt told me that the Chilean government is pouring funds into shaping up the already attractive town; part of the public funds is in the form of subsidy to be paid to residents for beautifying the exterior of their own houses. In reply, I half-jokingly said Chile sounds like an E.U. country misplaced in Latin America!I have already scored an invitation to stay at their stunning home which they will turn into a charming bed & breakfast with soothing sea view. How did...
More About: Sweet , Farewell , Fare , Well

The Other Guide
2006-12-15 10:32:01
I have been asked to contemplate being the country editor for Argentina by an international travel publication. I hesitated in the beginning because, understandably, much of the information would relate to the Capital, Buenos Aires.I am reluctant to participate in peddling the myth that Buenos Aires is the Paris of the South or the latest gastronomic epicentre for gourmet travellers since neither of these wild claims is true. After spending a day in Palermo Viejo this week where streets are now lined with boutiques vying for tourist dollars, I am not even sure if it could be accurately described as having a bohemian vibe anymore.Buenos Aires is still captivating, especially if one is not living here earning pesos or counting on an Argentine state pension. For travellers expecting the whole South American experience, the city's European heritage lacquered with a veneer of sophistication in certain barrios (districts) is undoubtedly a pleasant surprise.It is supposedly one of the mos...
More About: Other , Guide , The Other , The O , Guid

To Health, Cheers!
2006-12-13 22:30:05
A long, long time ago in a land far, far away, I used to get very little sleep, had no time for lunch and little time for dinner. There were occasions when I woke up in the middle of the night not knowing which country I was in. Diet Coke was the main feature in my unbalanced diet then...now you may begin to understand why I'm evangelical about real food with provenance and speak of the evils of fake food and drink.Those were the days when one could still get Diet Coke in Asia. Diet Coke is sweetened with aspartame which is the basis of NutraSweet and Equal; it flavours Diet Coke, Diet Pepsi, other drinks, and sweetens a host of foods you or I wouldn't even begin to suspect.What does aspartame do? Aspartame (aspartylphenylalanine-methyl-ester) is a brain drug that stimulates your brain so you think that the food you're eating tastes sweet. If you pay attention you'll notice that when using aspartame, everything you eat at the same time also tastes sweet. You may also notice when...
More About: Health , Cheer , Heal

Sugar is Sweet but Pretenders are Not!
2006-12-13 16:30:01
If I had a "peeves" list, the ludicrous advice I've been hearing from licensed nutritionists in this city comes close to the top.After one licenciado (licensed practitioner) showed alarming ignorance and arrogance in telling my sister-in-law (who has to learn all about milk allergy to take proper care of her daughter) that milk allergens are found in milk but not cream, another one had told her to add artificial sweeteners to Maria-Paula's formula powder which the little girl consumes regularly. This advice means that a two year-old body is processing no small amount of saccharin daily.Saccharin, the first widely available chemical sweetener, has been replaced by aspartame in most countries but is still an ingredient in some prepared foods, gum, toothpaste, and over-the-counter medicines. However, it is the main ingredient in the most popular, widely available brand of artificial sweetener in Argentina ? Hileret.Remember those carcinogen warnings on the side of products that conta...
More About: Sugar , Tend , Sweet , Rete , Ender

Urban Myths
2006-12-13 04:29:01
It is not often that I seek reading material in Guillermo's office as most of his books have a neuroscience slant to them. However, he was reading out loud a paragraph from one of his collection and I found myself listening with interest.The book "Early Intelligence - how the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life" is written by Lisa Eliot, a neuroscientist; a Harvard graduate who received her Ph.D from Colombia University. Dr Eliot is an assistant professor at the Department of Neuroscience at the Chicago Medical School and a lecturer at the Erikson Institute, the graduate school of child development in Chicago.Her book begins with the question "Nature or Nurture?" and it goes on to explain how children are raised in their early years (counting from pregnancy) has a profound impact on their future lives.She says that we are the product of a "delicate dance between genes and environment". While genes programme the sequence of neural development, its quality is shape...
More About: Urban , Myths , Myth

Taking Stock
2006-12-11 16:27:01
It has been one full year since the renovation of our apartment. Our lunch on Sunday was like an anniversary celebration. With my bones still arching from exhaustion, I reflect on how things have changed in the past 12 months...All three abuelos (grandparents) have become significantly more health conscious since Abuela (Guillermo's maternal grandmother) had a series of strokes. Further, my mother-in-law who never liked exercise has started weekly Pilates, acupuncture and is following a balanced diet without any artificial-tasting Ser products (Ser means "to be"; it is the low-calorie range from La Serenissima). These days, she is always smiling and looks radiant; it seems she has kissed that siempre enojada look (or more accurately described as "the fruit stuck permanently up her bottom look") she used to wear a permanent goodbye. My father-in-law is also eating much less salt, drinking much less coffee, coke and wine; I have finally seen him drinking water!I am really happy; not ...
More About: Stock , King , Taking

A Matter of Timing
2006-12-11 16:27:01
Piled up among my stack of Italian cookbooks, I noticed an artfully bound journal covered in an old fashioned, multi-colour Venetian print-pattern. I opened it and saw half familiar scrawls; written in a different time, at a different place and by an almost different person...Somewhere in the journal it says "I wake up to the sound of birds chirping. When I push the library-green shutters and open the window, I hear the city, at its most serene, being woken up by a symphony of campanili (bells). When I look out onto the garden through my window, I feel I have been in Venice forever..."On another page, "...The San Giuseppi sisters remind me of Sr. Carla at the Italian convent where I attended primary school, delightful yet strict. They look like merli (Italian for black birds; the sisters wear their habit in black) busying themselves in their daily chores with feet shuffling very close to the cool terrazzo floor...?"Mother Superior has the eyes of an indulgent grandmother; she always...
More About: Matter , Matt , Ming , Timing

Kindness & Bounty
2006-12-09 22:24:02
The public holiday yesterday turned out to be rewarding in more ways than one. Our esoterically tuned masseuse Diana paid me an afternoon visit. I often joke that I turn into the worst hostess with her because she routinely declines my offer of food and drink, not even a drop of mineral water would go pass her lips when she visits our home.On the other hand, she is always bearing me gifts ? trays of organic eggs (once there were so many that I had to give some away), medicinal herbs and ointments; even homemade sweetened red bean paste (red bean is commonly known as aduki) from her family's well-guarded recipe. This time she brought me a bag of glutinous rice (??).This short-grained Asian rice turns very sticky when cooked. Almost every Asian culture has its unique way of transforming the humble grains into culinary delights. Glutinous rice is typically used in the Chinese culture for a leave-wrapped parcel of rice and meat called ?? (pronounced zòngzi) eaten during the Dragon Boat...
More About: Kindness , Ness , Bounty

A Bonus Harvest
2006-12-09 10:23:02
I have lost count of the number of public holidays in Buenos Aires province or in this country ? the two are not always the same. However, today is a national public holiday celebrating Ascension de La Virgen (Ascension of Virgin Mary).Despite being baptised as Roman Catholic at 3 months and a convent educated girl since kindergarten, I had only a vague idea of this day and it was only yesterday I realised it is a public holiday in Argentina.I breathed a sigh of relief because this feriado (public holiday) leaves me "bonus" time to organise our upcoming trip home to Sydney, the Sunday lunch we are hosting for La Familia with all their different dietary needs and desires and the cooking classes I am teaching next week.In my attempt to organise and deplete stock in my pantry and freezer, I have left myself a little short on nibbles for morning coffee and afternoon tea. One cake fest after another in the past weeks with knowledge that only more such occasions are coming before the mont...
More About: Vest , Bonus , Harvest

Another Inconvenient Truth
2006-12-07 16:20:01
Since much of my recent thoughts have revolved around two growing porteñas whom I adore very much, Gabriela and Maria-Paula, I have taken a fresh and more serious look at how advertisements affect our decisions as consumers.For quite some time now, I have been feeling particularly uncomfortable about two television advertisements aired on various local channels during the "family hours". Each advertisement targets the mother, the individual with decision making power as to what food is purchased and consumed by her family, especially her children.The first is a dairy product by La Serenissima named Cremix. It is an overly sweetened yoghurt artificially flavoured with vanillin and made with an extra dose or two of emulsifier to make it thick and creamy; hence the name which conjures up idea of lush creaminess.The prime time advertisement shows an actor being portrayed as a "yoghurt expert" asking volunteers to taste-test Cremix, the yoghurt in question. An actress playing a mother, w...
More About: Truth , Other , Another , Ruth

License to...Confuse
2006-12-06 22:18:01
Having lived and worked in a number of countries on various continents, I appreciate and accept differences in education systems, qualification procedures, even methodologies. However, there is an issue which I've encountered in Buenos Aires that would probably sit in my "to be reconciled" tray for a while.It had been explained to me by Guillermo and a number of Argentine friends that the local university education of certain subjects takes much longer to complete than it would in other countries because a graduate under the Argentine system is also an licenciado (licensed practitioner) whilst in many other countries graduates who studied a vocational subject would have to work in the related field for a number of years after their graduation and then sit for professional exams in order to qualify with a practitioner's licence.While my personal experience with licensed professionals here, especially medical doctors, has been a very good one, I have observed the following:Firstly, ...
More About: Ense , License

Gelatissimo!
2006-12-06 10:17:02
When I started this blog, never did I imagine it would lead me to some truly exceptional people with whom Guillermo and I have become firm friends. The feeling of meeting my readers is akin to finding warmth and comfort among kindred spirits in a world that can often be unnecessarily mean and chillingly cruel.I had one such beautiful encounter yesterday with a wonderful couple. To my utter surprise and delight, they brought me a treasure which brings back many fond memories from a land which seems so far away now...Pernigotti, the famed Italian chocolate maker based in Torino, is best known for their Gianduiotto. The sweet nuttiness of their cioccolatini is one of many reasons why mortals find Italy so easy to love. Another reason would be Italian gelato which is in a class unto itself even when compared to the best ice creams or helados.Firstly, gelato is served slightly warmer than the other two varietals, which allows it to keep its smooth and supple texture while the higher temp...

An Early Berry Christmas
2006-12-06 10:17:02
In little over a month's time, we would be leaving for Sydney. We are to stay in that seaside city for over two months. Guillermo is already speaking enthusiastically of jogging along the beach every morning - the reason for his exercise plan is his anticipation of all the great culinary indulgences that await him there.Senior members of La Familia have come to terms with our absence during the upcoming festive season. Over the past year, they have finally woken up to the fact that our marriage is a merger, not an acquisition; therefore, they now understand they have to accept that Guillermo and I might like to spend time with my side of the family once in a while.Having said that, I only wish my parents-in-law wouldn't look as if they had just been to a funeral each time the subject of our Chris t mas plans is raised. I would have been peeved if not for the mounting evidence of their separation anxiety, bless them.Sensing my in-laws displeasure (Can you believe it? That's why I ha...
More About: Berry , Early

First Sight of Spring
2006-12-06 10:17:02
The weekend was all clear blue sky and sunlight in Buenos Aires; this first sign of a new season seemed to have helped Guillermo and me see our future with increasing clarity. Beside hatching exciting plans for the future, we were quite busy; our young nephews' party was on Saturday and we were invited to lunch at our close friends' the following day.The party on Saturday, at a recreational club in Villa Martelli, was a real eye-opener. Not only did I realise there is a big market for plastic Barney's tablecloths, the experience also shattered various myths such as the much touted beauty and slimness of Argentine women, only the Japanese are inseparable from their cam-recorder or digital camera, and a licensed nutritionist should know better than to push junk food on her guests.If you think outdoor parties hosted by Argentines are all asados, you are wrong, just like I was wrong. At this party, we had pizzas coming around every 5 minutes until Guillermo and I asked "when is the m...
More About: Spring , Ring , First , Sigh , Sight

Let's Blog On
2006-12-06 10:17:02
When I shared my beetroot cake recipe with sweet Bonnie at Daydream Delicious I didn't imagine the recipes I blog about would appeal to other food bloggers. However, an unintentional hit on Technorati has revealed a couple of pleasant surprises!Las chicas (the girls) at Filosofía de Sabor have adapted "my" carrot cake to suit their tastes. They enjoyed the cake; moist and light were their words and the accompanying photo did them (and me) proud.Alex at Eating Leeds tried out the original version of the beetroot cake with success. This moist and fluffier version, archived in The National Trust, is the one which Guillermo prefers and I have now reverted to making. The trick is not to overcook it; for some reason this cake cooks out really fast so you may want to watch it closely the last 5 minutes - remember cakes continue to cook in its own residual heat after you take it out of the oven.Foodie friends who visited from London last May, on the other hand, have adopted my accidental r...
More About: Blog , Fakta , Doof , The Lover , Auction 73

Costs of Free Education
2006-12-04 16:15:02
Guillermo and I were treated to a delightful Sunday lunch single-handedly managed by our friend Miguel. Together with Paola and their girls, we tucked into some delicious butternut squash gratin followed by the retro yumminess of a broccoli soufflé. We then had some of the apricot bavarois I brought over as pudding.After the girls were sent off to their routine afternoon nap, the four adults enjoyed discussing (in the English sense of the word; there wasn't any argument) a range of topics from nationalism to the girls' education.Paola is a progressive-minded paediatrician and Miguel is in the field of IT. Unlike most professional parents in Buenos Aires, they made a conscientious decision in sending their girls to a State-run kindergarten. The girls, Gabriela and Carolina, are now 4 and 2.As I mentioned before, Miguel and Paola have put a lot of thought into their roles as parents and their parenting style is quite different from most other young porteños. They do not engage in "b...
More About: Education , Cat , Free , Cost , Ducati

Deconstructing Monologues
2006-12-03 22:13:01
Fuelled by my scrumptious apricot tart, Sunday tea this past weekend was a particularly lively reunion.We weren't talking about the non-existent energy crisis because nobody in an accountable position in the country has admitted to one yet.However, existing public infrastructures have been stretched to the seams by the property development boom in Buenos Aires, especially in areas such as Palermo, Nuñez, Caballito, etc. Last week, the Buenos Aires government announced a 90-day suspension in both commencement of construction and processing of applications for new builds over a certain height in these areas so as to buy time to think about the next steps.I, the newbie to this chaotic form of governing, was shocked on two accounts; firstly, that there was no trace of any forward-thinking plan regarding developmental growth in relation to infrastructural needs and secondly, the authority obviously had not given any due consideration to this inevitable problem as they granted permits fo...
More About: Mono , Const , Econ , Cons , Deco