I love the 121 bus. We have picked it up down the street from our apartment and we're dropped off right in front of beautiful Teatro Solis to watch a show. I can catch it from the Punta Carretas Mall and get dropped off a block away from my Pilates classes. It also is the bus to catch if you want to head to Ciudad Vieja and explore for the day. Which is exactly what we did today.
The first stop was lunch, which I described in Comida Vasca. From there we walked past Plaza Independencia, past Teatro Solis, and headed for Plaza Matriz. Along the way we saw some Candombe drummers, playing spontaneously in the street. Today seemed to be somewhat quiet downtown, but usually a few drummers will start, and walk through the streets and plazas. As they move along, they are joined by other drummers. The group gets louder and larger as they march along. I really like hearing the drummers, and definitely want to experience more before we leave.
We headed to Plaza Matriz because the paper said there was a special artisan fair with performers. Well, it actually turned out to be the same outdoor market they have every Saturday, with antiques, old books, and a few hand made things. We had been to this market before, so we didn't stay too long. ET did eye a Montblanc (overpriced fountain pen) that we were told was an original. Some later research on the internet proved that it was missing a piece. Oh ya, she only wanted 200 U.S. dollars.
Artisanal Mates
After the market, we headed back towards Plaza Independencia. The opening picture on this post is of the last piece of the old wall that formerly surrounded Montevideo. Technically, it seperates Ciudad Vieja from Cuidad Nueva.
Next we headed to Palacio Taranco, an old residence (which looks more like a palace) of a merchant who lived in Montevideo in the early 20th century. Only a few rooms were open, but they were magnificently decorated with antique furniture. I loved the high ceilings, the stained glass and the huge dance hall.
Finally, we headed to Mercado del Puerto, which turned out to be a quick visit. I read in the paper that people have been celebrating there everyday since December 24th and the crowds would continue through the new year. It was true, the place definitely had the stench of beer and .... well, we will leave it at that.
We were victims of a custom I had recently heard about. Apparently, around this time of the year, kids take to filling up water balloons and throwing them at innocent passersby. As we were walking down the street, I eyed three kids on the a balcony getting ready to peg their victim. I thought I was being clever, and I pulled ET along the other side of the road, only to be splashed by another three kids on the balcony of a different building! There happen to be some cops on that street, and they just stood back laughing and assuring us that it was only water. We barely were splashed, so it was humorous.
We walked back away from the Puerto, avoiding the crowded Mercado. The good ol' 121 arrived just as we got to the bus stop.
Fun day in the sun in Ciudad Vieja.
30 December 2006
Ciudad Vieja
Comida Vasca
ET and I decided to check out some Basque food this weekend and had great success. Last night we went to a restaurant called "La Perdiz" which besides having the normal selection of parilla and pasta, also specializes in Basque food. ET and I both had fish, and they were both delicious. I had a salmon with a tomato sauce that included onions, garlic, bell peppers and green beans. The salmon tasted so fresh. ET had a white fish that was also very tasty. The ambiance was great. We sat outside on a hot 30ºC (86ºF) night and greatly enjoyed the company of our new friends from Australia. Great isn't it? Americans and Australians eating Basque food in Uruguay.
But today our taste buds were really impressed.
ET stumbled upon a restaurant downtown called Cantina Vasca (above picture) and we thought we would give it a try. Though the sign is simple, the building is very impressive. We entered through a marble staircase that had a beautiful stain glass image at the top. We turned to the left to enter the restaurant. Low ceilings with beautiful dark wood beams, pictures, trophies, and flags gave the ambiance of sort of a local bar and club. We sat right by the window, we had a cool breeze coming in and a view of the street.
I knew I wanted to try fish again. If was as good as last night, I would be pleased. ET and I decided to chose a different fish each, and than swap half. Good decision? Excellent decision. After a few nibbles of cheese squares and bread with seasoned mayo, our plates came of the kitchen pipping hot and ready for us to dive in.
They were both simple white fishes, but cooked two different ways and with a slight variation on the ingredients. I am not even going to describe them further. Just look at the picture and drool.
In all seriousness, if you are in Montevideo, you really should go and check this place out. (But be sure to wait until after the 15th of January, as they are closing for vacation tomorrow. ) For something very sweet and very different for dessert, try the zapallito en almibar. Yes, I know...zapallos are vegetables. I did say something different, did I not?
Ahh...it makes us so happy to find new dining experiences that are worth the buck!
27 December 2006
Nochebuena y Navidad
I hope everyone enjoyed their holidays! ET and I had a great Christmas. We were able to celebrate with both Christmas Eve and and Christmas Day with new friends whom we have met here. We feel so blessed to be invited in as part of the family.
We were also able to talk to many our family back home and see some of them through webcam. Wow, technology is great!
Here in Montevideo, most families celebrate "Nochebuena", or Christmas Eve, more than Christmas Day. In our case, we went to our friends house around 9:00 pm for dinner. Dinner did not actually start until much later, but of course there were drinks, appetizers, and conversation. Dinner was delicious. We had pork stuffed with prunes, chicken and garlic sauce, a "torta de queso" and a delicious selection of salads. The "torta de queso" was similar to a quiche, but had a sweet bottom crust and was filled with a mixture of heavy cream, eggs, and Parmesan. The salads ranged from Greek salad, lettuce and tomato salad, and few others that we were less familiar with. For instance, grated carrots, mayo, and peanuts. Sounds odd, but it was really tasty!
After dinner, everyone awaited midnight. As it got closer to the hour, we started to hear firecrackers. Uruguayans LOVE fireworks, and around this time of year they are a part of the celebration. Finally midnight arrived, and we toasted with champagne, and then headed for the front door. Fireworks were now in full "boom" and were going off from and in every direction.
I felt like I was in a war zone.
It was really impressive actually. Every few houses there were small groups of people lighting small, medium, and large firecrackers in the street. Some crackers just made noise. Kids had sparklers and those little pop things that you throw. Everyone was having a great time. We were outside for about a half hour, and I was told that this is the time that "Papa Noel" visits your house and leaves presents under the tree. As one American observer asked, "Don't the kids wonder why they do not SEE Santa overhead?" (I think the more provocative question is : Don't they worry that Santa or one of his reindeer are going to get singed by one of the firecrackers? I guess you give it up the magic of Christmas.)
We happily trudged back inside to find our presents and open them. ET received a very cool black and white poster of Montevideo and I received a beautiful silver necklace. Thanks Papa Noel!
Dessert followed. We had American Brownies (from the Ghiradelli mix..yum!) and a homemade Uruguayan dessert with alternative layers of crushed chocolate cookies and a mixture of heavy cream and ....you guessed it....dulce de leche. It is frozen after it is prepared, giving it an ice cream like texture in the soft layers. It was delicious and reminded me of mud pie.
We did not leave until 3:00 am, and as we walked home there were still people in the street lighting fireworks, drinking, and chatting. When we got home we crashed from happy exhaustion. As you can see, we had a lovely Christmas Eve.
We did not awake until 11:30 the next morning, but it was a treat to have a few presents to open that had been sent from the U.S. (Thanks mom and F! ) After, we head to our other friend's house were we spent a great day chatting, relaxing, and of course... more eating. They prepared a delicious spread of sweet breads, fresh fruit, cheese, prosciutto and eggs. I particularly enjoyed my two cups of coffee! Again their generosity was so abundant; inviting us over, giving beautiful gifts, and best of all sharing their warm hospitality and friendship.
A memorable Christmas!
25 December 2006
New Christmas Tradition
As this is our first Christmas as a married couple and we are geographically separated from family, we decided that we would take it upon ourselves to start our own Christmas traditions.
While images of Santa and white Christmases have been evident in the stores, and decorated trees in people's homes, mistletoe has not been introduced to Uruguayan pop culture and is nowhere to be found...
So our new tradition, improvised and based on wonderful availability here of a plant we can find in California, is to string up some chiles to remind us of our first hot South American Christmas. And since it will forever take the place of mistletoe in our home, we will look forward to finding ourselves under it every December.
Merry Christmas! Peace and grace be with you always!
23 December 2006
The Weather--Simply Unpredictable
Weather forecasting here has a lot to be desired. I check three different websites, daily, to take an “average” of what three independent forecasting systems suggest the day will be like. Most days it’s been harmless; a difference of 5ºC or about 10ºF between them.
I checked last night just after midnight and all three sites agreed there was to be nothing but sunshine. The picture below is essentially the same as it was last night, except for the 9 p.m. rain start time which originally was set for 3 a.m. (By the way, this photo was taken at 2:45 p.m.)
This was the weather forecast at 11:37a.m. 23 December 2006.
At 2pm, we experienced a storm burst with, get this, small hail for about 10 minutes. The sky is still cloudy, but the rain seems to have stopped.
Then again, after a 15 minute lunch, the rain was in full swing with thunder and lightning.
Check out some video footage here…
This is the scene one hour later...
Gladly, we got an early start on the day and were back at Casa Linda while it was still sunny out.
21 December 2006
"Arbol" de Navidad
ET and I decided not to get a Christmas tree this year. A) We couldn't imagine having a winter tree in our house during the summer B) I am not a big fan of fake Christmas trees. (Though, I have to admit I have seen some nice ones)
Well, call it Charlie Brown-style, but we have semi-converted our lovely in door plant to a little Christmas bush. Our two little ornaments are compliments of Tres Tias. Perhaps I'll manage to invent some more over the next few days.
Selling Santa in the Street
I mentioned that there are frequently vendors in the street selling flowers, washing windows, etc. Today I saw a new sales item...Santa Hats! They are more decorative then what I have seen in the U.S. Many have patterns or stars and some even light up. 
I went over and chatted with the vendor and he showed me the different hats and these little toys that bounce up and down and light up. He said he would be working on Christmas Day, hoping that would be the most lucrative for sales.
Just across the street they were selling fireworks...I guess the same laws we have back home really just don't exist here!
20 December 2006
Flores
Not too long ago I mentioned how fragrant the Jazmin is here in Uruguay. When we were in Buenos Aires we saw some gorgeous flowers as well. These pictured above really made an impression on me. They reminded me of orchids, though I have never seen such large orchids with this bright red color. The tree was located in the plaza in front of the "Casa Rosada", where the Argentine president lives.
The last day that ET and I were in BA we took a beautiful long walk through the rose gardens which are located past the barrio of Recoleta. The gardens were very well kept and they had hundreds of varieties. There is also a white bridge with a legend for lovers...or rather, those seeking lovers. I can't remember quite how it went, but something about walking on the bridge forward and back will bring you a match made in heaven! It must work...I had not seen so many people smooching in public since high school!
16 December 2006
The Farthest Traveled Homemade Christmas Bread?
Ever since December 1976, my family has enjoyed the venerable tradition of having Julekagge (pronounced "Yu-le-ka-ga) or Norwegian Christmas Bread, made lovingly by Grandma D. In times past, I am told, the list of recipients was over 100 families and friends long. Gotta love women who like to bake and share. We usually received the bread on visits prior to their retirement to the Far East (Arizona) and since then have been eagerly awaiting the postman's delivery of the foil-wrapped, ziplock sealed bundle of goodness.
As our family has grown, G-ma D. has been making individual breads for her grandchildren and sent them to us, whether we were at home with our parents or away at school. This year, because of our Uruguayan Adventure, and the over 6000 miles between us and the baker's oven, we weren't expecting the delicious delectable.
But after a few curious chats with the Grands, we began to look out for the little guy. Although we have been lucky sending and receiving cards, we (mainly I) still get concerned about items being lost in the mail or stopped by customs for the most spurious of reasons. If it did arrive, it would be the biggest and most delicate package sent to date. Sure enough, he arrived 6 December 2006 after a trip of 10 days and 6250 miles (as the crow flies).
It was consumed in record time, ahem- 2 days. It tastes best in thick slices, toasted, with unabashed amounts of butter. Only after it was a fleeting memory did GG ponder aloud that it would have made a fantastically flavorful French toast. We'll make sure to try that next year.
I must say at first I was surprised that we didn't have to go pick it up at the central mail office; instead it was delivered straight to our door. When we cut through the tape, unzipped the ziplock, and peeled away the aluminum foil, it was the most symbolic image and gesture of the upcoming winter traditions we will be missing. The 85º weather does not equal "it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
THANK YOU Grandma D and Grandpa!
14 December 2006
I'm Craving Tamales!
I spoke to my lovely mom the other day and she happened to mention she just placed the order for the Christmas tamales. She ordered the usual, 1/2 dozen meat, 1/2 dozen chicken, and 1/2 dozen chile and cheese. I always liked the sweet ones, which are harder to come by and also vary from tamale maker to tamale maker. Our tradition is to eat them Christmas morning, with a fried egg on the side and plenty of salsa. After there is some sort of sweet to accompany our present opening...hot chocolate, See's chocolate, or homemade Christmas treats.
I have not tried tamales here in Uruguay, and I can not remember if they were on the menu at La Lupita, but I figured I could at least make some homemade four tortillas. ET has made them twice before, and they came out very good. I chopped up a version of salsa, shredded some chicken, and we had ourselves a little Mexican feast.
These jalapeños en escabeche were a labor of love by ET. Jalapeños are hard to find here in Montevideo, and are not spicy. But we did manage to find these a few weeks ago at the Farmer´s Market, and paid a price that would be embarrassing to publish. I am not one for pickled goods, but ET has been enjoying a little Mexican flavor to his dinners.
Cheers to the family and our home cities with so much great Mexican food! Next time you have a Margarita think of us!
Merry (early) Christmas!
12 December 2006
The Rambla
ET and I are lucky to live just about five blocks away from the beach. As I mentioned in an early post, the road and the shore along Montevideo is referred to as The Rambla. I love to go and walk or jog on the sidewalk or along the beach. The weather has been in the high eighties lately, and the beaches are getting more and more crowded each day. Last week there was a huge firework show. The Rambla was PACKED with people.
Locals complain the water is cold, and truth be told I have not felt it yet. There are no waves (or very small ones), and from what I can tell the water level is still very shallow a good distance away from the shore. I have seen many people enjoying doing laps, and others calmly floating in the water. The beach is super clean, which I love, even after the firework display there was minimal trash. The other day I told ET that I am thankful he chose such a beautiful place to work! But don't worry family and friends...I still remember how beautiful home is!!!
08 December 2006
Jazmin
As we are enjoying spring all around us, the local street vendors have started selling jasmine. It is not like the small jasmine I am used to in the U.S., but much larger and just as fragrant. Every busy street corner has someone selling jasmine, and as the summer gets closer the price gets better and better.
Street vendors are common in Montevideo and will usually come right up to your car window. Besides selling flowers, many street corners have people ready to wash your windows as you are waiting at the red light. Some are aggressive and will start washing your window without asking, while others are more polite. On the beach there are venders selling CocaCola, mani (roasted peanuts) and today I saw someone selling necklaces and belts.
You can also find it growing around some people's houses...
but I decided purchase rather then take my chances at getting in trouble for stealing flowers!
Another common thing you will see in the streets are these banners to announce birthdays of people who live in the neighborhood. I am not sure how they are bought, or who puts them up...but it reminds me when I would see helicopters trailing a banner over the beach in the U.S. Perhaps I should have put one up for E.T. last month?
06 December 2006
Speaking of Parrillas...
In the United States most of the construction workers that I see take sandwiches (or maybe leftovers from last night's dinner if they are lucky) in a little white cooler for lunch. Not in Uruguay. Chivitos you say...or maybe empanadas or a torta? Maybe for some. Others just construct a Parrilla on the sidewalk!
I am not sure how they keep their asado cool all day. As I was told, the expression goes..."El fuego mata todo" (The fire kills everything). So I don't think they are too worried. These are some pictures from outside the apartment building on our street. Around 11:30 nearly every morning, I start to smell their lunch cooking!
03 December 2006
La Otra -- Parrilla
La Otra. It's a parrilla here in Montevideo, Uruguay. Tomas Diago 758 esq. J. M. Perez. Phone #711-3006. Lunch from 12m-3p.m; Dinner from 7:30p.m. until closing (usually around 1a.m., later on weekends)
Parrillas, as I have mentioned in another post, are grills. Restaurants here in Uruguay and Argentina are built around grilling beef, chicken, sausages, provolone cheese, vegetables, and roots (potatoes, both regular and sweet). I've been to quite a few parrillas on both sides of the muddy river, including Cabaña Las Lilas. In my humble opinion, La Otra is definitely the best parrilla in Montevideo, if not the entire River Plate region.
Uruguayan parrillas are an experience. To start, there is the lighting of the leña, or wood. The wood is placed into a grate and lit using smaller, thinner sticks (or paper) and matches. The fire begins slowly at first and then begins to roar and crackle. As the wood burns to coals and ash, the mostrador (grill master) begins to put the bigger slabs of meat, like the pulpa, potatoes, and various sausages onto the grill. He then uses a poker to bring the coals under the food filled grates. Most mostradores only add salt for seasoning. The flavor of the meat and veggies comes alive. The meat begins to sizzle and drip; the vegetables cook and blacken; the sausages sweat.
Food cooks more slowly on the parrilla because the wood coals burn at a lower temperature and peter out much more quickly than black coals that you normally find in US stores. Beef at La Otra comes from "carnes de exportación"--raised for export and is usually higher quality than found in other parrillas. Steaks usually take twenty minutes or more depending on the cut.
Meats I have had at La Otra are: Asado (ribs cut across the cage as opposed to down an individual rib in Uruguay), Vacío (a lean cut of beef, flank or tri-tip maybe?), Entrecot (rib meat from between the ribs), Bife de lomo (tenderloin), Picanha (top sirloin); I've also had Morcilla (blood sausage) and Chorizo (a basic sausage). The vegetables are so deliciously prepared, even kids eat them. One of my favorite meals is the Provolone de la Casa--A grilled red bell pepper topped with grilled provolone cheese, onions, tomato, basil and oregano. Mmm, mmm, mm. I'll add pictures of them little by little if I can remember to shoot first, eat later.
All in all, if you're in Montevideo and want the best parrilla, it's La Otra.
01 December 2006
De Donde Viene "Che"?
In Uruguay, and more commonly in parts of Argentina, you will hear people, men and women alike, refer to each other as "Che". I have been curious where this comes from, and assumed that it derived from "Che Guevara", but I was wrong. I asked my teacher and the explanation I received was that "Che" came from the verb or action "chistar" which is a word to describe the sound "cha" that one would use to get someone's attention. It is similar to when we say "hey" to get someone's attention. ( My teacher also mentioned that 10 years ago there was a period that the buses didn't have any bells to notify the bus driver when you wanted to get off the bus. One had to "chistar" to get the driver's attention.)
Anyway, from "ch" came "Che" and instead of it being only a way to call out to someone, it also became a way to refer to someone, such as when we say "Man" or "Dude" (if you are so inclined) or "Girl". In fact there are a ton of names that refer to men here in Uruguay. To name a few...Hombre, Senor, Caballero, Tio, Loco, Tipo, and of course, Che. The reason that Ernesto Guevara came to be referred to as "Che" was through his year of travel through South America. People outside of Argentina hadn't heard "Che" before, and thus began to associate it with him.
For what ever it is worth, that is the story I got! Any other explanations out there?
28 November 2006
(90+95)/2=93%!!!
Hello everyone! I had my second (and last) examen this Monday and I received a 95% percent on my oral exam. 10% increase since my last test! My classes end this Friday. I appreciate all the time I have had to learn my grammar and a large amount of vocabulary. Now it is up to me to buy the morning paper, start watching a little more local TV, and continue chatting with as many people as I can.
"Tu" versus "Vos"
It is amazing the difference in Spanish between the Latin American countries. Thank goodness for my Spanish classes. For those of you who had high school Spanish in the states, do you remember how the teachers never taught "vosotros" (the familiar form of ustedes) because they said we would never use it? Well, I went to Spain a few years back and indeed needed it! Here the Uruguayos do not use "vosotros" but they do use "vos" which is the familiar form of "tu." I know what you are thinking...I thought "tu" was the familiar form. It is, but the Argentines and Uruguayos decided to complicate matters for us extranjeros and use an even More familiar way of speaking called "vos". It sounds similiar. For example, instead of saying "como estas" one would say "como estes" (perdon my lack of accents...there is an accent over the "a" and the second "e". Also accents in the first "o" in como)
I have learned to recognize it and use it. However, I prefer to use the "tu" form. It is not that I am trying to be stubborn. It is just that if I go Mexico or Spain and say "como estes".....they might not understand me!
Lucky for me everyone understands the "tu" form perfectly. They way it has been explained to me, and they way I have observed it, is the "tu" form is somewhere between "vos" and "Ud" or is mixed in with speaking with "tu". Are there any Uruguayos have some comments on that? I thought at first I was being too formal, as the Uruguayos are very causal and familiar in general and use "vos" with just about anybody apart from a older person or maybe in a job interview. But I was assured, that it was fine to use "tu".
So there you have it. =)
Ahhh the adventures of learning a language!!!
25 November 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ET!!!
It is El Torero's Bday today!!! Feliz Cumpleanos!!
-GG
Update: Dessert-themed birthday parties are excellent! You should try it!
Picture 1: The Spread!
Picture 2: Make yourself a sundae. Inspired by a food magazine article.
Picture 3: Clerico, or white sangria... make sure to add 7-Up or clear, sweet soda.
