Celebrating Independence Day Abroad Just Got Easier. Atlanta Natives Celebrating American Independence: Argentina Style.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina – June 28, 2010 – The Buenos Aires Pubcrawl, a division of 12^th Gate Inc, has made it possible for those traveling abroad during 4^th of July celebrations to feel right at home. For travelers not able to be in the U.S for one of the country’s biggest revelries of the year, there is now a way to party like they’re in their own backyard.

Armed with an extensive knowledge of how to party and a desire to share this knowledge, the Buenos Aires Pubcrawl has set out to make 4^th of July celebrations available globally. Founded three years ago by a few Kappa Sigma frat boys from Atlanta, the Buenos Aires Pubcrawl has made it their business to throw the biggest and most memorable parties and pubcrawls in South America. This 4th of July is no exception.

This Saturday, the 3^rd, marks the second anniversary of the company’s 4^th of July celebrations. Last years inaugural celebration party boasted over three hundred and fifty participants, most of them American expatriats, tourists and a few tourists in the throes of becoming expats. This year’s party can promise to be even larger. “Everyone heard about how massive our party was last year. This year it will only be bigger and better,” said project manager Kyle Phillips Thomas.

This year’s celebration offers traditional American fare: hamburgers, hot dogs, and cold Budweiser; a sharp contrast to the usual Argentine pizza and Quilmes beer. And what is a 4^th of July celebration without fireworks? Sparklers and American flags will be supplied to the attendees. With the combination of good ole’ American food and fireworks, one can’t help but feel right at home.

The Buenos Aires Pubcrawl was founded three years ago by a group of fraternity brothers from Atlanta. They have since diversified into event planning and other tourist related projects, recently opening a pubcrawl in Santiago, Chile. Aside from holiday celebrations, the pubcrawl runs six nights a week in the Buenos Aires area. You can check them out online at pubcrawlba.com or by phone at (15)4120-3382.

Interview Contact: Seth Todd

Telephone: AR (15)3467-8988

Email: seth.todd@pubcrawlba.com

The Buenos Aires Pubcrawl

www.pubcrawlba.com

This year, you’ll see that prices have risen 21% from last year.  When you get into a taxi now you will be paying (in Argentine Pesos) 4.60 to start and 0.46 centavos for each 200 meters that follow (that’s approximately 2 blocks).

If you’re coming in from the airport, taxi fees can run from $90 – $110 pesos depending on where you’re going and what time you’re traveling.

If you’re looking for some numbers for reliable taxi services, here are a few.  Put them in your cell phone and if you’re out anywhere you can always have the number of a good service at hand.

Radio Taxi Premium: 5238-0000 or 4374-6666
Taxi Porteno: 4566-7777 (I think they’re based out of Palermo, if you’re living in Palermo, they come relatively fast).

For those of you unfamiliar with calling for a taxi, here’s what happens.  First when they answer the phone, you tell them that you want a car.

“Quiero pedir un auto, por favor.”  (or if you’re going to the airport Ezeiza, for example, “Quiero pedir un auto a Ezeiza, por favor”).

They’ll ask you your telephone number and read you the address they have on file for that number. If they have never come to that address, they may ask for you to confirm your direction. Make sure it’s correct!  Then they’ll ask for the name of the person traveling, and tell you in approximately how many minutes you’ll have someone coming for you.

Just remember that if you ask for a taxi by phone at night, there is a minimum fee (usually somewhere around 10 pesos).  This does not apply for taxis that you pick up directly on the street.

I started off 2009 in Villa Crespo with our friends.

i started making snazzy cakes.

we went to mendoza and saw some lovely historic incan sites just on our side of chile.

and went to the bodegas and drank some delicious wine. (had to try the grapes first)

made my first chocolate whiskey cake.

and so began the palermo cupcakery.

meanwhile i also went out with friends!

and met new friends! (that’s gidget!)

and while other friends were here, we said goodbye to an ex-president.

and got our hair done.

and made more cupcakes…

and made some deeeelicious chocolate pudding…

and ate quite a few asados with friends.

and taught them how to spell….

then i went shopping..

I got treated to great food on my birthday…

and then my friends came over and we had a quiet little party with champagne… thanks friends.

and i learned to make empanadas…

and had a few romantic dates..

we went to mar del plata and saw “jesus shrugged”…

and ate squid in it’s ink.  yu-u-u-u-u-u–uuuuuummmmmyyyy

and saw touristy stuff…

and posed with jude.

people were coming in for a very special occasion!

i got married!

and went to a cactus festival.

i threw a cupcake party!

and met up with the girls one last time before the holidays…

and happily said goodbye to 2009, and hello to 2010.

I hope your 2009 was wonderful, and hope that your 2010 is even better!!!

Lots of people have asked me if we did a “traditional” Argentine wedding and the answer is no.  I think when most people think of the “traditional Argentine wedding” it’s like this:  Sometime during the week is the civil ceremony.  That’s ceremony number one.  After the ceremony and photos everyone goes someplace to have lunch or dinner – this may mean to a restaurant or as in the case of one wedding that I attended a few years ago, back to the house of either the bride or groom’s parents to have hors d’oeurves and drinks.  This may last well into the wee hours of the night.

Then there’s the religious ceremony that happens on a weekend evening usually.  After the ceremony, the couple invites people to the reception.  Just as in many other parts of the world, this is usually held at an event space or hotel.  The unusual thing about “Argentine” weddings is the amount of food consumed and the longevity of the reception.  Here is what I experienced as a typical reception:

Upon arrival: drinks (wine, champagne, soda, mixed drinks) offered.  Everyone is standing up and a picada of cheeses, meats (cold and barbequed) and other hors d’oerves are served.

After an hour: Everyone sits down at their tables and gets to listen to a few speeches, the bride and groom welcoming everyone to their reception, etc etc.. It’s time to eat.  Now, it depends on the bride and groom’s budget how many courses are served, but again, here’s what I’ve experienced.. perhaps the waiters would bring out provoleta or another appetizer.  Then comes the main course.  Followed by more drinks.

After the main course, the bride and groom cut the cake and have their first dance.  After the first few songs have been played, everyone is usually asked to return to their seats for what may be another half hour while desserts come out and either more speeches or perhaps a video or slideshow is played of the couple.  Then people return to the dance floor.

There’s a lot of people throwing the bride and groom up in the air, lots more drinking and then everyone sits down to be served tea and coffee or another light snack.  This goes on throughout the night.  A lot of times, people even hire “party animators” to get people back up and dancing between the hours of 2-4am.  They bring costumes, hats, masks and noisemakers as everyone starts to gain their second wind.  Around 4am, pizza may be served. If the wedding goes throughout the night and into the wee hours of the morning, a breakfast table is usually set up with sweets, fruits, juices and coffee.

Our wedding was a lot different than that.  We just had the civil ceremony and invited our family and best man and maid of honor to eat at one of our favourite restaurants, Don Julio.  After that, Javier and I returned to the hotel for a nice long nap, knowing that this was going to be a long night ahead of us.  At 6pm, we returned to our home to receive the catering and set everything up for the cocktail party later on that night.  The whole house was cleared of furniture and each room was a dance floor or mini-living room where people could sit down and chat.

Luckily it was a lovely night and our terrace was also full of people.  When guests started arriving at 9:30pm, we were all set with meats and cheeses, sushi and tacos.  Throughout the night, people were served champagne and wine, with the option of a few mixed drinks. We received a gift from our wonderful friends Frank and Fabri at Sugar and Spice – so people could munch on a bunch of deeeeelicious Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal Raisin (to DIE FORRRR….) cookies and my many many cupcakes that I made the day before – well, I **AM** the Palermo Cupcakery, of course I’ll make my own wedding cakes!

The party ended at 8:30am and by the end of the night, our toilet was completely broken, there were cups and plates all over the place… spilled drinks and tons of cleaning to do.  That morning, we spent two hours cleaning the apartment.  The next day, we came back to the apartment in the evening and cleaned for another 5 hours and had all the leftover foods with family and friends.  The day after, we spent another 7 hours cleaning.  The toilet didn’t get fixed for another week.  It was gross.

Anyway, a few weeks later, my parents left, and I’ve been busier than a hummingbird with my businesses and Javier with his architecture.  So we have yet to go on our honeymoon!!!  We were going to go to my hometown for Christmas, but that is getting a little complicated and starting to look more expensive than a trip to the moon.  Anyway, we’ll figure it out.  It’ll probably be delayed until next year.

Meanwhile, as if we’re not busy enough with work, we’re moving in a little over a month!!

Within the province of Buenos Aires that stretches down to Bahia Blanca, there are more than 700 kilometers (434 miles) of coastline to enjoy and explore.  All along the coastline there are many towns and cities worth investigating and there are several ways of reaching them. But when you think beach cities, please don’t have the expectations of places like Miami or Rio de Jaineiro – although these beaches are fun and warm the experiences are different because the cities along the Atlantic coast of Argentina are a lot smaller than other big cities.

How to get there:

Bus: Buses in Argentina aren’t as uncomfortable as in the United States – in fact, they’re quite spacious and affordable.  Buses that go to the Atlantic Coast leave frequently from the Retiro Station in Buenos Aires and tickets can be purchased from any of the official vendors at the station in advance of travel.

Train: The train company that stops at select coastal cities is called Ferrobaires.   Trains leave from the Constitucion Station and during peak travel season, there are two new first-class, non-stop services to Mar del Plata called the “Marplatense” and “Expreso del Atlantico”.

Car: As exciting as it sounds to just hit the National Route #2 straight to Mar del Plata, there’s an alternative route #11 that rides the coastline from just south of Buenos Aires to just south of Mar del Plata called Mar del Sur.  Driving your own car or renting a car for the trip is really worth it since you are at your leisure to stop and see and do and discover whatever you want. Plus, it’s probably the most economical way of getting around for a group of friends or a family.

Plane: Aerolineas Argentinas offers several flights per week going to Mar del Plata and Bahia Blanca.

Just two hours south of Buenos Aires by car is a cluster of small coastal towns including San Clemente del Tuyu, Santa Teresita, Mar del Tuyu, La Lucila del Mar and Mar de Ajo. These are all smaller villages and towns that pick up during the summer and come alive with lots of activities for everyone.  There are thermal springs, lots of beaches, good food, small concerts and asados in the parks where everyone is invited.  Some of these towns are kind of kitch and really can take you back to another era, however when you want to find yourself on the beach with few cares in the world, these small and relatively inexpensive towns can be a lot of fun.

About 50 kilometers (20 mi.) south of Mar de Ajo is the resort city of Pinamar.  It’s much larger than the previously mentioned towns with lots of activities from riding a 4×4 or sandboard down the dunes and golfing to art galleries, spas and shopping.   There are lots of nightclubs that book international DJs in the summer and the party moves to the beach after a long night out on the town.  Just south of Pinamar are Villa Gessel, and Carilo – worth mentioning for its lovely little town center (expensive, but quaint) and the Carilo Golf Club – one of the finest that I’ve seen in Argentina.

Moving about an hour south of here is the gem of the coastline – Mar del Plata.  Once considered the Riviera of Argentina, Mar del Plata (also known as “La Ciudad Feliz” – the happy city) is still home to one of Argentina’s largest casinos and several annual conventions and festivals (most famously the Mar del Plata film festival).

For me, the port is not the best place to go to get fresh seafood (for those of you living in Buenos Aires, remember what that is?? fresh fish – omg!).  Well, I’ve found a place that is just as comfortable as the food.  “La Taverna Baska” is located at  12 de Octubre, 3301 and is one of the most authentic restaurants that I’ve ever eaten in in Mardel.  I’ve had a number of dishes, but the fresh grilled tuna steak (bife de atun) or a Spanish tradition, squid in their own ink (chipirones en su tinta) slow baked with an almost risotto is so amazing that it’s like being in Spain.  You can surely find great ice cream, pastas and parillas as you would in Buenos Aires as well.  If you’re looking for casual dining in a bar like setting that is not pretentious yet has excellent food, check out the Almacen Condal on the corner of Garay and Alsina.  There you can find really well prepared food and some great drinks, pool tables and in general, really nice, normal people. There are also tons of trendy restaurants, cafes and bars along Guemes Street where you can find tons of people along this strip on most weekend nights – even in the winter.

When I stay in Mar del Plata, I tend to go to the Hotel Imperio – just because of its proximity to Playa Varese (my preferred beach) and Tio Curzio (my favorite cafe) with the best medialunas (spanish for croissants) in all of Argentina. Now here’s where it’s convenient to have a car: there is a ton of surfing in the beaches just north of the cliffs of Mar del Plata.

Hertz Rental Car has just started doing some vacation packages.  They offer a package for the rental car and a stay at the bed and breakfast / hostel, Casa del Balcon in Mar del Plata.  It’s a cute place, but kind of inconvenient since you have to drive all the way across town to go to the cool beaches or nice bars, restaurants and such. Plus, you’d probably want to not take a car out if you’re going to a restaurant or bar and plan on having a few drinks, anyway.

Sweets
One of the wonderful things about traveling the coast of Buenos Aires is not only seeing the diverse landscapes and going to the beach but also trying the many variations of sweets that the coast has to offer.  You may know about the infamous alfajore (pronounced alfa-hore, keep your jokes to yourself, please…) and consists of a thick layer or two of filling – usually dulce de leche or chocolate or fruity jam sandwiched between two cookies and coated with chocolate or powdered sugar.

The wonderful thing is that every town along the coast has their own version, their own specialty alfajore if you will… and each one is better than the next.  Havanna brand is one of the largest producers of alfajores in Argentina and is actually based out of Mar del Plata.. but near by (and just a short drive away) is Balcarce, a small town that has it’s own pastry and cake fair in the spring and a little closer to Bahia Blanca is a quaint little village called Sierra de la Ventana.  There’s lots of hiking and rock climbing, nature walks and all sorts of things to do where the hills lead pointing towards the Andes Mountain range.  But in this small village is a place called Sozzani – who makes the best alfajores in all of Argentina.  Believe me, I’ve tried to try them all…

Anyway, now you’re prepared for escaping the heat in the summer in Buenos Aires.

Bahrein’s Address: Lavalle 345 – Downtown

I don’t know why it is, but it seems after a few glasses of wine this subject seems to come up quite often… Tongue-Twisters – or Trabalenguas. Of course, even though your tongues might be a little more loose after a drink or two, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll be able to say these. Even native speakers have problems – but that’s why they’re called Tongue TWISTERS no?

Here are a few favorites in Spanish with English translations to practice before going out tonight!

•  Pablito clavó un clavito en la calva de un calvito. En la calva de un calvito, un clavito clavó Pablito.
(Pablito nailed a little nail in the bald head of a little bald man. In the bald head of a bald man, a little nail Pablito nailed.)
•  Cuando cuentes cuentos, cuenta cuántos cuentos cuentas, porque cuando cuentas cuentos, nunca sabes cuántos cuentos cuentas.
(When you tell tales, count how many tales you tell, because when you tell tales, you never know how many tales you tell.)
•  Ñoño Yáñez come ñame en las mañanas con el niño.
(Ñoño Yáñez eats yams in the mornings with the boy.)
•  Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico, con un pico pica papas Pepe Pecas.
(Pepe Pecas slices potatoes with a pick, with a pick slices potatoes Pepe Pecas.)
•  Pepe puso un peso en el piso del pozo. En el piso del pozo Pepe puso un peso.
(Pepe put a peso coin on the floor of the well. On the floor of the well Pepe put a peso coin.)
• Erre con erre cigarro, erre con erre barril; rápido corren los carros del ferrocarril.
(An R with an R cigar, an R with an R barrel; rapidly run the cars of the train.)  ** Everyone seems to know this one in Argentina
•  Oiga don Diego al godo, y diga como yo digo: que donde digo “digo” no digo “digo” sino que digo “Diego”.
(Listen don Diego the Goth, and say what I say: that where I say “I say” I don’t say “I say” but rather I say “Diego”.)
•  El niño está sosegado. ¿Quién lo desasosegará? El desasosegador que lo desasosiegue, buen desasosegador será.
(The child is calm. Who will disturb him? The disturber who disturbs him will certainly be a good disturber.)
•  Poquito a poquito Paquito empaca poquitas copitas en pocos paquetes.
(Little by little, Paquito packs a few tiny glasses in a few packages.)
•  Si don Curro ahorra ahora, ahora ahorra don Curro.
(If don Curro saves now, now is don Curro saving)

It’s super easy to do – and as many of my friends know, I love raspberries, however at this time of year, it’s really difficult to procure raspberries (fresh or frozen) at this time of year.  So, I went to the local supermarket (my Disco) to find out what kind of berries they had to offer. 

I found two very interesting possibilities.  First of all, blueberries – one of my favorite berries.  I was thinking of using strawberries because they’re more common here and hence (normally) less expensive but they were so ridiculously expensive that there was really no difference in what I would have paid for the blueberries.

And then I saw them…

Yellow, squishy, wrinkly, slightly ugly fruit with a shiny skin.. was it?  Could it be?  Maracuya??  Passion Fruit!  I had only seen them in China blocks, but in Palermo??  No WAYY!  I bought 5 ripe passion fruits.  How did I know that they’re ripe?  You take one in your hand and shake it.  If you feel the seeds moving  around on the insides while you’re shaking it – it’s ripe.  If not, it’s just not ripe yet.  Sometimes (depending on the noise levels around you) when you shake the passion fruit, you can also hear the seeds moving around.  5 passion fruits = 24 pesos.  So, much more expensive than the strawberries but what can I say?  I HEART MARACUYA!!!

The first blanc-manger that I attempted was so quick.  The whole process took me less than 15 minutes to prepare – grinding the almonds, whipping the cream, boiling the milk and sugar… I had everything folded together and in the refrigerator to sit for a few hours while Javier prepared the pork roast.

The first attempt was such a success and although we had some help from friends who stopped by for dinner the following night.  It was gone within 48 hours.

So on Sunday afternoon, Ida stopped by.  I had made her cupcakes for her 30th birthday and was totally and completely too exhausted to go out on Friday night for her party.  So, on Sunday, she came over in the afternoon for tea.  I was anxiously looking at my passion fruits – and knowing that Ida loved them as well, I invited her to make a Passion Fruit Blanc-Manger with me.

We set off, and within another 15 minutes, everything was in the refrigerator.  I ended up having to put some blueberries in there as well, because the pulp of four passion fruits just didn’t add up to enough fruit  for the blanc-manger (and I was saving the fifth one to make a “coulis” for the top of the blanc-manger).

So when Ida came back for dinner that night (I made a very simple butternut squash soup) and then we all feasted on the Passion Fruit Blanc-Manger.  I thought it came out beautifully.

The flavor was so distinct to that of the blueberry that I can’t decide which I like better – although I loved the flavor of the blueberry against the almonds and cream, the crunchy seeds of the passion fruit blended surprisingly and wonderfully with the almonds and I dare say naturally goes with creamy stuff (think Mousse of Maracuya or a Brasilian Batida with Condensed Milk and Maracuya – yuuuummmm!)

We each had two pieces.  And I’m going to have one right now.    Yum Yum!

Although the empanada is a regional specialty of Northern Argentina (such as Salta), you can find them sold easily in many forms and varieties in the capital – sometimes even folded in a triangle with lamb or vegetables and middle eastern spices, called the “Empanada Arabe”.  Walk into any pizzeria and you can find a handful of varieties of empanadas, ready to be heated in the giant stone ovens next to the pizzas.  Most Argentines have had the experience of making empanadas at their mother’s side at some point in time – and visiting my friend Florencia’s house the other day, I learned a little bit about filling the little dough pockets with her personal meat mixture.

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of empanadas.  I find that sometimes at the pizzerias, they can be bland and soggy.  I felt like every time I would eat just one, I would feel bloated and heavy.  That was until I went to Salta.  If you have the opportunity to get to the north, the empanadas have a lovely depth of flavor, a little more spicy than from what you would find in the capital, and sometimes even baked in an adobe oven, making the crusts crisp and lovely.  The first night we were there, we ate half a dozen each and could have asked for more.

The morning I went to Teresita’s house, I was skeptical.. it was a gray and cold morning – I thought of how I could have been sitting in my pyjamas writing about any number of things, working on various projects – and instead, I was heading out from the train station in the center of the city – Constitution, on my way to a suburb I had never heard of – Adrogue.  All for a class in making a food that I didn’t even really like outside of Salta.  I arrived a little late, and the other people had already finished chopping the onions… no loss.. so Teresita welcomed me into her kitchen and introduced me to the other members of my class – a Canadian couple, an American couple who also live in Buenos Aires and their house guest.  Teresita put us all to work chopping the ingredients and we all enjoyed the small talk in the lovely, spacious kitchen.  She taught us all about how to prepare the filling as we were to make one batch of beef filled empanadas and one batch of “humita” empanadas, filled with corn.  When that was done, everything went into the refrigerator for a while and she introduced us to some wines that would go well with the dishes we were about to make.

She talked about the different wine regions, and we tasted a few wines of the Torrontes varietal from Cafayate. After we were all well into that first glass of wine we began to measure the flour and other ingredients so that Teresita could teach us how to make the dough. Let me tell you, put a little vino in a couple of Americans and Canadians, and you have dough making machines. We turned them out so fast just so we could enjoy another glass of wine.

So we learned to fill and bake / fry the empanadas and then moved out to Teresita’s courtyard to enjoy the afternoon which had cleared to a slightly crisp and lovely afternoon. We all sat around chatting away, anxiously waiting for the empanadas to get out of the oven. I have to say, when the empanadas came out of the oven and fryer, we started to eat them – and they were probably the best empanadas I had in my whole life. And I’m not just saying that because I made them. They were light – and TASTY!!!! I could have eaten a dozen to myself!

Normally I don’t like going outside of the city – I’m a real city rat. I love my neighborhoods in Buenos Aires – there are people, cars, movement, noise – I love it. Every time I go into the province, I think about how much I miss the cafes, the big city people… but when I went out to Teresita’s house, and got off the train, I felt like I was on vacation. This wasn’t the boring suburbs that I was used to. And at Teresita’s rustic house, she brought together a few people who probably wouldn’t otherwise have crossed paths, we were united with our common interest of learning about Argentine culture through its cuisine with a wonderful teacher who showed us about creole style cooking in her own home.

Honestly, the classes are not expensive for the price – and if you want to know more about her class schedule (she does teach a lot!) feel free to contact her from her website.