the gaucho // buenos aires lifestyle mag

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STAFF CONTENIDOJose “red jaguar” LuceroDirector / Cientist Artist / [email protected]

Mato FarroniMarketing / Art Director [email protected]

Quincy LongJefa de Redacción/ Poeta

COLABORADORES Delfina Linares - photographyGonzalo Castro - photographyPaola Di Lernia - editorial design

AGRADECIMIENTOSGracias a todos los que creyeron en THE GAUCHO y principalmente a los que no lo hicieron, porque nuestro motor funciona con mas potencia cuando nos dicen que no podremos lograr lo que nos proponemos.Gracias a nuestras familias por apoyarnos desde el comienzo.Gracias a nosotros mismos por creer en nosotros. PARA PUBLICITAR54 11 [email protected]

IMPRIMEThe Gaucho

DOMICILIO LEGALGorriti 3748 - 2do D - Palermo - Bs As - Arg

THE GAUCHO es una revista independiente trimestral de distribución gratuita. THE GAUCHO MAG es marca registrada. Queda terminantemente permitido hacer lo que quieras con la revista y , sobre todo, con tu vida. Propietarios Jose E. Lucero y Matías Farroni. Registro de DNDA en trámite.Fuck everything and become a pirate!

-04-Lunfardo lessons

-05- Argentinian cocktails

-06-Literature

-07-Mini Guia.

-08-Rock culture

-09-Food recepy

-10-Wine seccion

-11-Visual artists

-12-Did you know

-13-Hints

-14- Graffiti history

-15-Skate places

-16-Tango

-16-Tango

www.thegauchomag.comfacebook.com/thegauchomag

EDITOR’S NOTE To get an idea of my life and travel style, you might want to imagine a blind man dri-ving a forklift that’s missing a wheel: subtle and methodical. So I couldn’t be more grateful for the friends I’ve met while traveling in other countries. They’ve delicately opened so many doors that I would have slammed through, or worse yet, never known existed. The-se local guides undoubtedly saved me some headaches, and steered me toward a profound understanding of a place and its people. This is why we created The Gaucho: a sort of local friend to facilitate a more plea-surable and personal stay in Buenos Aires. Consider it payback for the many incredible hosts the staff has met on our journeys! We won’t tell you what to do or which path to follow, that you must discover on your own. But we will try to hand you some basic tools necessary in the beautiful and nourishing game of submerging yourself into a new culture. We are a group of young Argentines and North Americans in love with Buenos Aires’s unique culture, from its shattered sidewalks to that undefinable air, those roman-tic an chaotic details of our particular Latin-american city. We want the few pieces of knowledge we’ve acquired in our short lives to fly free, searching for fertile brows in which to tale root. And, why not, we hope a flower sprouts, a flower the color of the sky.

BUENOS AIRES SLANG

Lunfardo is the term used to refer to Argentine jargon or slang. There are many hypothesis about the origin of Lunfardo although the revelent belief is that it was developed by prisoners so that their jailers would not understand them. Many claim it was thus the language of robbers and crooks and the very word Lunfardo meant thief back in the day. The great majority of the words are of Italian origin, although some come from indigenous, french, african, and creole languages. Lunfardo became central to the lyrics of tango and argentine poetry of the early twentieth

century, and thus its use spread from the lower-middle classes throughout society. Today it can be heard in almost every home in Argentina, primarily in Buenos Aires since that’s where it was developed. Lunfardo represents the largest portion of everyday slang, but there is another type call VESRE (or reverse); the Gaucho recomends that you look into this type of slang, although we will expand on its use in later editions.

Have you noticed that argentines are tough to understand, even after all those Spanish lessons? Have you heard about Lunfardo yet? Here’s a quick summary to awake your curiosity! Hopefully it will help you communicate and get as much information about Argentina as possible.

LUNFARDO

10 / THE GAUCHO

Afanar: v. to steal, to rob; to over charge; to win by a large difference.Boludo/a: n. literally one with large testicles; a fool, idiot; used casually among friends, “che boludo” could be anything from ‘you idiot!’ to ‘hey buddy’ depending on the context of the situation. hacerse el boludo: v. to play dumb, to act as if you don’t know any better. una boludez: n. any matter easy to solve, something that can be done by any boludo. boludazo, boludon, boludote: n. someone who is to old to behave like they do; a big boludo (big idiot). boludear: v. to pass the time, hang out, to do nothing.Bondi: n. the bus; a mess “es un bondi, hay un bondi, mucho bondi” (it’s a mess, there’s a mess, very messy).Che: Hey!Chamuyero: n. a smooth talker, a bullshitter.Macanudo/a: n. [antiquated] someone agreeable, a friendly person; “sounds good” positive response to a

Here we’ve compiled a list of a few common Lunfardo words, so you can see what this dialect is all about!

Useful PhrasesA las chapas: lit. to the plates/metal sheet; to go very quickly.Cara rota: lit. broken face; a shameless person.Calavera no chilla: lit: skull doesn’t squawk; you get what you deserve, you made your bed now lay in it.Faltan cinco para el peso: lit. five missing for the weight; to come up short.

11 / THE GAUCHO

COCTAILS

Fernet is a bitter alcohol made from a base of distilled grape spi-rits and a mixture of herbs and spi-ces. The recipe was developed by the genius apothecary Berna-dino Branca (to whom all Argenti-nes should have an altar), whose wonderful philosophy regarding work was NOBARE SERBANDO or INNOVATE CONSERVING. The name Fernet comes from his partner and friend, the Swede Dr. Fernet (sweet name, right?). Thus from these two inn ovators we get the most important brand, Fernet Branca. The quality of the fernet depends on the quantity of herbs used in the recipe, but the pro-cess of maceration (or aging) is also an important factor. In Fer-net Branca, herbs from all over the world are used and age in oak barrels for twelve months. Fernet came to Argenti-na thanks to the often mentioned Italian immigrants who arrived here in many waves, and who brought with them this (then) sto-mach remedy used for indiges-tion and stomach pains. In 1941, thanks to strong demand, Fernet is developed on Argentine soil for the first time. It is unknown when exactly the alcohol was first mi-xed with cola, but common belief is that this brilliant combination arose in the 1980’s, when mixed drinks became popular: surely someone from Cordoba thought it up.

The proper way To make FerneT

A long glass or soda bottle cut in the middle

(not the most elegant way to drink it, but you’ll

see quite a few Argies who use this type of

glass)

3 parts fernet3-4 cubes of ice

7 parts Coca Cola

First place the Fernet and ice into the glass,

then fill with Coca Cola at a distance. You will

notice a lovely foam rising, so careful not to

pour to quickly.

NOTE_ it is said that no one likes Fernet the first time they try it, but are often won over the second time. So be like Lincoln, try try again.A tattoo of Fernet Branca!

13 / THE GAUCHO

FERNETFernet with coca-cola is like a re-ligion here, so careful not to insult the drink. Doing so could be seen like attacking Maradona or Peron, saying that dulce de leche and Tango are really Uruguayan, or that Chileans are in any way better than Argentines: it’s sure death.

Grappa is a distillation of gra-pe pomace (aka the skin, pulp, seeds and stems) aged in oak casks. Many sources claim the beverage was born in Tuscany around 400 years ago, but since it’s an aguardiente (moonshine, or a strong liqueur made of wha-tever available, in this case the waste products of wine produc-tion) it’s difficult to make a claim as to its true origin. Some sour-ces claim it goes back as long as the thirteenth century! Like our dear friend Fernet, it was introduced into Argentina thanks to those famous Italian migrants who drank grappa as a diges-tivo at the culmination of dinner time. We, of course, Argentized it! It’s popularity proliferated here in the beginning of the 20th cen-tury, when it was often drunk in the bars of the lower class. With time, the production process im-proved and quality control aug-mented, so grappa became a fine and respectable aperitif.

Here we present a few ways to enjoy a Grappa Candolini drink

A long drink glassplace ice on portion of Grappa Can-dolini Bianca.Decorate with half a slice and twist of pink grapefruit

GRAPPACITRUS

Try adding a shot of Grappa Candolini to your coffee!

Of course, you can go traditional and sip the pure Grappa in a small liqueur glass, adding a grain of co-ffee. Don’t forget to share with your

friends who enjoy a fine liquor!

COCTAILS

14 / THE GAUCHO

Grappa Candolini Bianca, one of the oldest brands of Italian grappa, is produced by a distilla-tion of a careful selection of gra-pes, respecting Italian tradition in its elaboration. The spirit has satisfied the most demanding of palates since 1898. Recognized world-wide for its distinctive fla-vor and that oval shaped bottle who promises a complete pro-duct, delicate and pleasurable.

If you need to travel

Do you like tango?



Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) is probably Argentina's most famous author. He is particularly famous for his short stories, although he also composed poetry, books, translations

and was numerous speeches. An astute intellectual, Borges's work is prolific and spans traditional Argentine themes to surrealist narratives that challenge traditional linear stories. Because of a hereditary condition, Borges began losing his sight around the age of thirty and was completely blind in his mid fifties. He continued lecturing and writing in spite of his condition, and in fact it was a major influence on his later works. In the poem “The Gifts” he writes, “I drudge aimlessly about the limits / of this enormous library of my blindness... I who have always imagined Paradise / To be a sort of library.” Indeed, common themes in his writing include libraries, mirrors, labyrinths, and himself (the author) as a character in the work. Because of this playful spirit, we absolutely recommend that you pick up a copy of anything of is you can get your hands on, do the mental work of decoding Borges, and enjoy! I personally recommend that you begin with his short piece The Library of Babel to get a sense of Borges’s surrealist imagery and intellectual perspective. Noticed that there’s a street in Palermo bearing this author’s name? It was renamed for him since he was born on this street (then Serrano). It is also interesting that Jorge Luis Borges crosses with the street Soler, since Joaquin Soler Serrano was a Spanish journalist who conducted two excellent interviews with Borges.

BorgesJorge Luis

LITERATURE

Copy: Quincy Long

For more information on the author, check out the Centro Cultural Borges downtown or the Fundación Internacional Jorge Luis Borges in Recoleta. And happy reading!

Centro Cultural Borges

Viamonte 525 Mon-Sat 10am-9pm, Sun 12pm-9pm

www.ccborges.org.arTel: 5555-5449.

Fee (some exhibits only)Students: $15Retirees: $10

Children under 12: Free

How wonderfully defined and neat, a map of Buenos Aires! The neighborhoods heavy with memories, those with loaded names: la Recoleta, el Once, Palermo, Villa Alvear, Villa Urquiza; the neighborhoods familiar because of a friendship or ramble: Saavedra, Núñez, the southern Patricios; the neighborhoods where I have never been, which fantasy fills with colorful towers, girlfriends, and little fellows who shuffle along dancing.From Textos recobrados 1919-1929

Fundación Internacional

Jorge Luis Borges

Anchorea 1660. Mon-Fri 4pm-9pm.

www.fundacionborges.comTel: 4822-8340

Agradecemos fervientemente a la Sra. María Kodama ,presidente de la Fundación Jorge Luis Borges, por brindarnos su apoyo.

http://www.ccborges.org.ar/

http://www.fundacionborges.com/

An argentine asks a spaniard, ‘Ami-go, do you know which country is closest to heaven?‘Argentina, I suppose,’ retorts the angry Spaniard. ‘No, amigo’, says the Argentine. ‘It’s Uruguay!’

The UN distributed this questionnaire:“What is your opinion on how to reduce food

shortage to the rest of the world?An european replied: “What is shortage?”

An african replied: “What is food?”A chinese replied: “What is opinion?”

and finally an american replied: “What is the rest of the world?”

HEY MAN! Do you know why are blonde jokes so short?So men can remember!

10 / THE GAUCHO

Buenos airesMINI GUIDE

THE GAUCHO

places you must visit in

The staff here at The Gaucho worked hard to test out and hand pick every one of the places in this guide. We ate, we danced, we chilled, we drank (some of us too much), we laughed, we kissed, we touched, ONLY for the sake of recommending the best that Buenos Aires has to offer to all you gringo adventurers out there. Enjoy!

MEAL Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, acogedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadía.

Barrio: San TelmoDirección: Av. San Juan 1271Teléfono: (5411) 4304-1824www.hostelgardenhouse.com.ar

Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, acogedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí












Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, realmente disfrutes de tu estadía.


BUENOS AIRES MINI GUIDE

1

THE GAUCHO

A NICE


REST Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, acogedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí
















BUENOS AIRES MINI GUIDE THE GAUCHO

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TOUR Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, acogedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí















TAKE A




NIGHTLIFE Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, acogedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí

















PARTY ON


Hecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, aco-gedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí
















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HOLES


WATERING


CULTUREHecho por y para viajeros. Un lugar cálido, aco-gedor y divertido pensado para que realmente disfrutes de tu estadí

















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MUSIC

C U L T U R E

For us Argentines, especia-lly the young ones (and I don’t mean young only by age), rock music is essential to our culture and our lives, probably due to the fact that the censureship caused by so many dictatorships genera-tes a hunger to express rebelion and anti-conformity mixed with love, violence, and laughter. I can’t think of a better way to ex-press these sensations other than through music,, and particularly

through rock and its relatives.As our (almost) nonexistant mo-desty is known worldwide, so is our Argentine rock, and it’s con-sidered some of the best rock of Latin America (ask any Latino if you don’t believe it). This co-lumn is dedicated to introdu-cing some of the bands you’ll hear almost all Argentines in any meeting or bar or in the street or the subway or the bus or.... well I think you get the idea. In this edition of The Gaucho, we intro-duce a band who’ll undoubtedly be gentle to your ears, but bellow we also mention more bands, from heavy to light, so you can look further into our beloved

Rock Nacional.

One of the most important bands in Argen-tine history, Los Fabulosos Cadilacs (or The

Fabulous Cadillacs) was born in Buenos Aires around 1983, along with our much year-

ned for democracy, and separated in 2002, performing a few times after their break-up. The band mixes rock, raggae, ska, dub, jazz,

and even tango in their repretoir. They have shared the stage with such greats as the Sex

Pistols, Cypress Hill, and the Red Hot Chilli Peppers and collaborated with the Cuban

Queen of salsa Celia Cruz for the song Vasos Vacios, and with Debbie Harry of Blondi on a lovely remake of Strawberry Fields written by

John Lennon.

LOS FABULOSOS CADILLACS

10 / THE GAUCHO

“Airs of sirens and cops

Buenos Aires

It burns and burns violence

Buenos Aires”

ROCK

COPY_QUINCY LONG

CHECK THIS SONGSC.J Demasiada presiónMal Bicho Arde Buenos AiresStrawberry Fields (Beatles cover) Desapariciones (Ruben Blades cover)Yo te avisé Los condenaditosNumero 2 en tu lista Vos sabés

Yo no me sentaría en tu mesa Gallo rojo (to Che Guevara)Siguiendo la luna Vasos vacios Surfer CalaveraLas venas abieta de américa latina La vida

Milanesas can be made from various cuts of meat, but we believe the ideal to be nalga (beef round) or bola de lomo (sirloin tip). Ask the butcher to cut the meat into milanesa pieces (thin and flat). To tenderize the meat, lay the filet of meat across a cutting board, then hit with a meat tenderizer. You can also use the handle of a large knife for this process. The filet should start to stretch while the meat becomes more tender. Be sure to take out any little nerves you see as this makes the meat tough to chew once it’s cooked. Mince the garlic and chop the parsley. In a large bowl, mix the garlic, parsley, eggs, salt and pepper. Let the milanesas marinate for a moment in this mixture, making sure they are completely covered. Place the bread crumbs on a plate or in a wide Tupperware. Lift the milanesas one by one, making sure to bring as much garlic and parsley as possible, and place them in the bread crumbs. Cover with the crumbs, and press them into the milanesa. Flip the filet and repeat. Once your filets are breaded, heat an ample amount of oil in a pan. Place the milanesas one at a time (or more, depending on the size) and let them fry, bathing them with oil using a spoon. Fry for about X minutes. Place the fried filet on paper towels, absorbing the extra oil. Now place the milanesas in an large baking tray and cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce, salt and pepper, some garlic and parsley and/or basil. On top of that place a slice of ham and them mozzarella and Parmesan. Lastly, a slice of tomato or two. Cook in a medium oven until the cheese melts. Enjoy!

-Meat (depends on the quantity you wish to make, see below for details)-3 eggs-1 can of tomato sauce-Ham slices-Sliced mozzarella -Parmesan-Bread crumbs-Garlic (to taste, try three cloves)-Parsley-Basil-Salt and pepper

TRADITIONALFOOD

Milanesa Napolitana

HOW TO DO A:

He told me the theme was winelike a poem could be written onassignment, stapled together,last name in the upper right hand corner.I sit sitting, sitting. A bottleof Malbec: on sale fifteen pesosthat’s $3.33 dollars by officialexchange rates and $2.20 bythe black market dollar exchange rateand people will carbon date this poemby wine’s inflation, if it ever spills out correctly, as assigned.

Finca La Elegida, The Chosen Oak Malbecperched ahead of me, awaiting it’s accolades.I remember he’d taken the corkscrewto the temp job where he’s dreaming this poem, his escape from fermented service jobs.He is undoubtedly pulling corkat a vintage table who’ll leave him five percent, maybe more tonightbecause he’s still new, full bodied,skilled at spinning the Syrah so a drop doesn’t spread through the lady’s white dinner.

They’ll promptly plop ice cubes, or worse,Coca-cola into their glasses as heparts his borgoña lips and decantsthe night’s specials.

Meanwhile, I’m dry and glaring at the robust bottle, the luring rise in its underbelly. I rifle through kitchendrawers for screws or leather strings orpairing knives sharp enough to plunge intoplastic cork, but find none and end upforcing a screwdriver, face a shrivelingraisin, splattered in red, walls tie-dyed.

And so this wine poem spreadthrough the pages, spilled by mistakeinching its way across line after blue line,my tannic undertones dispelling,soaking slowly into the barrels of a crispmagazine who’d gallop my way to aMendoza Thoroughbred Tour, woozywith sun between the vines, serving nothingbut metaphors down the loping dirt roads.

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If you like films this is a MUST



36 / THE GAUCHO MAG

Xul Solar (1887-1963) was an important Agen-tine artist and esoteric thinker with a whimsical and vib-rant perspective. He was the one, with Emilio Pettoruti, who broght the First Eupopean Vanguards to America. His pieces combine a geometrical play evocative of his training as an architect, an assortment of spirital symbo-logy ranging from the zodiac to Christian and Egyptian idols to numerology, and a skill for portraying movement within his favorite medium, watercolor. If you visit the Fundación Pan Klub and Xul Solar Museum, you‘ll learn that Xul‘s intent was to reform the universe for the bet-ter: music, mathematics, language even the human body where all mutable in his eyes.

One of the languages he developed, Neo Criollo, com-bines Spanish, Portugues, and indigenous languages of the continent: he developed Neo Criollo to promote Latin American unity. Also on display are modified musical instruments and a set of the delightful Pan-Chess: the play was intented to cross into other dimentions, the figures representing musical notes, signs of the zodiac and letters of the Pan Lingua, Xul‘s universal language of the future. The rules of play remain mysterious since he never wrote them and played only with close friends, one of who was none other than Jorge Luis Borges.

36 / THE GAUCHO MAG

ART

XulSolar

THE LATIN AMERICANAVANT GARDE

THE GAUCHO MAG / 37 THE GAUCHO MAG / 37

Laprida 1212. Tues-Fri 12am-

8pm. Sat 12am-7pm. Tel: 4821-

5378. Fee: $15. Students and

Retirees: $5. Thursdays: Free.

Museo Xul Solar

DRAGO . 1927 .«If there is no country for me, all

of me, I will have to create a world

within my own thoughts»

Xul Solar

Xul Solar . Project for a facade of de city . 1954 . Acuarela . 25,5 x 36,5 cm

www.xulsolar.org.ar

38 / THE GAUCHO MAG

That beautiful woman spotted by so many immigrants coming to the United States on the Hudson river, that symbol of hope and prosperity whom so many continue to visit to this day, the famous Statue of Liberty has many little cousins all over the world (that is, she’s not the only of her kind!). One of these cousins is Argentine! She is tucked away in the park Barrancas de Belgrano on the street Pampa and 11 de septiembre (or September 11th, total coincidence) right here in Buenos Aires. The statue is a simple cast iron lady, smaller than her US relative, and almost hidden from view. To appreciate her, you have to enter the plaza (stepping on the grass is prohibited, so take the foot path) and there you can read the inscription (the address of the workshop where the statue was created): Le Val D’ Osne-8 Rue Voltaire-Paris. This miniature of one of the most famous statues of our time was purchased by the government of the city of Buenos Aires. It is actually a bit older than the giant North American work, inagurated October 28, 1886, as it was inagurated the third of October of the same year. Of course, Argentines will tell you that their Lady Liberty is the original and yours a mere

DID YOU NOW?Little ofSTATUE

Liberty

38 / THE GAUCHO MAG

LIBE

RTY

40 / THE GAUCHO MAG

The hour in Buenos Aires is expressed in military time. Argentina does not participate in daylight savings time.Banks and Money Exchanges: Monday-Friday 10am-3pm. ATMs function 24 hours a day.Stores and businesses: Mondy-Friday 9am-8pm, Saturdays stores open later (around 11am) and stay open all afternoon. In malls, shops stay open until 10pm, including week-ends and some holidays.Cafes, bars, bakeries, pizzerias: open bet-ween 7 and 9am daily, stay open until 2am.Restaurants: Lunch is served after 12:30pm, dinner after 8pm.

You may recuperate the IVA tax you’ve paid if you’ve purchased national products with a value about $70 pesos in businesses who participate in the “Global Refund” program. The store will have a Tax Free Shopping Logo displayed: ask for el cheque de rein-tegro and make sure they give you a proper bill, a ticket fiscal. In customs upon leaving the country, show your receipts and you will receive a refund for the 21% sales tax.

To call Argentina from abroad, the country code is 54 and the Buenos Aires area code is 11. Sometimes it is necessary to dial a 9 after the 54.

HELPFUL HINTSHOURS

Tip is generally not included in your receipt. It is custom to leave 10% tip in cafes and restaurants. Note that tip cannot be left on credit cards, so be sure to care some cash with you. Taxi drivers do not expect any tip except coins to round the fare.

TIPPING

Though public telephones are prominent, it is much more convenient to pop into a communication center, called a locutorio or telecentro. Here you can conduct local, nation, and international calls and use fax, photocopies, or internet. Some are open 24hours a day.

To call internationally from Buenos Aires, dial 00 + country code + area code+ num-ber.

TELEPHONES

TAX FREE

Buenos Aires is a safe city, but like in any major metropolis, one should talk precautions. You may walk around alone at any hour of the night, as people stay awake quite late, even as a woman, as long as you avoid certain neighborhoods like La Boca and neighborhoods off the tourist path. Try sticking to large avenues and walk with confidence.

Tourists defense: if you suffer any mistreatment, abuse or discriminati-on, the Defensoria del Turista exists to protect you. Avenida Pedro de Mendoza 1835, open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm. 4302-7816Tourist‘s Police: this force attends to tourists who’ve been victims of crime, robbery, theft, losses, and disagreements. Helpful with paper-work for embassies or consulates. Interpreters available. Av. Corrien-tes 436. 0800-999-5000 or 4346-5748

SECURITY

THE GAUCHO MAG / 41

1. Be attentive when paying taxi drivers and try to pay in small bills. It is not uncommon that they will slip you a false $100 bill, clai-ming it’s the one you gave them.2. Never leave bags or purses unattended in restaurants. Even in a nice neighborhood you should keep your belongings in sight or, better yet, attached to your person.3. Be aware of bags, purses, and wallets in busy places like on Florida street or in the subway. Carry your backpack in front of you.4. There have been cases of “mustard rob-bery”. The culprit ‘accidentally’ spills so-mething on you, then offers to help clean it up. Amid all this confusion, they steal wal-lets and belongings. Be careful!

Check all bills given to you!

only one kiss... he’s just being friendly

They’re more like wine, and beer people

1- Watermark: a portrait of the ex-president on the bill can be made out when you hold it up to the light. Underneath you should be able to make out the figure’s initials.2- Optical ink: The number 50 or 100 should alternate green and blue depending on the angle.3- Security thread: Should made of clearly silver-like dashes. When held to the line, the dashes turn into a solid line. It should have the denomination of the bill, though it may be hard to make out.4- The paper: You can tell immediately by the texture. The numbers should be slightly rough and raised. Fake bills feel like printed paper while real ones feel softer, like fabric.

Check all bills given to you! If you have to pay a taxi driver, check the bill obviously in front of him before handing him the bill: that way he can’t change you a fakie and blame it on you!

SAFTY TIPS:1. Argentinians kiss each other on the cheek in greeting, only one kiss on the left cheek. This practice is custom among all sectors of the population, so don’t be freaked out, dudes, if another guy greets you this way: he’s just being friendly.2. Punctuality isn’t as valued here as it might be in your culture. So if someone invites you to a party or an event at 10pm, they’ll be shocked if you show up on the dot. Save yourself some discomfort, and show up fashionably (thirty minutes) late.This doesn’t apply, however, for bus journeys or business meetings!3. In the States, we have a custom to start drinking around 6 (cocktail hour, right?) and end up in bed by midnight. Not the case here. Since many clubs don’t get going until 2am, you might want to pace your-self. Also, Argentines aren’t so ac-customed to drinking hard alcohol: they’re more like wine, fernet, and beer people, so hold the phone on getting plastered, wasted, etc. since you’ll likely be frowned upon.4. Although the portenos are incre-dibly expressive when they speak (seriously, watch their hands), the decibel level of North American voices is actually 2.79 gigawatts higher. Scientific studies aside, pay attention to the volume level when you’re in restaurants and public places, especially when speaking English, to avoid attracting any un-wanted attention to yourself.

SOCIAL HINTS:

How to tell if your bill is real!

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Graffiti was probably introduced in Argentina by the first waves of European migrants around the late 1800´s. Fleeing countries in war or crisis, many arrived with anarchist and extremist political stances and painted the walls of their new host city in order to be heard.

By 1904, the papers were calling graffiti “free press”. During this time period the art form known as “filetado porteño” was gaining popularity, and the two expressions became linked,

mostly due to sharing the same urban canvas.

Around the 1950´s, people began experimenting with pitch and tar as a new medium for painting their messages. To do so, they diluted the pitch with kerosene and prepped the wall with lime: the resulting text would therefore stand out on a white background.

Aerosol paints finally entered the country in 1969, opening up a whole new world of options for artists to publicly express their creativity along with their political messages. However,

graffiti in

from illegal to everywhere!

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AiresBuenos

STREET ART

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when the military dictatorship took hold of Argentina in the 70´s, very few dared graffiti in the streets since doing so could have terrible consequences.

When the country was finally open to democracy again, many graffiti forms proliferated. They were especially influenced by the arrival of hip-hop art and culture in the 1990´s, which incorporated a once foreign aesthetic. At the same time, other forms like tagging, messages, and stylized

typography evolved. And of course, many murals can now be found on whole walls, often authorized to one or more artists.

Don’t miss the opportunity to check out Buenos Aires’s unique street art! It is truly the colorful backdrop that livens the porteño life!

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Back in the 1980’s, skateboarding arrived from the far reaches of California all the way down here to Argentina. It’s since evolved from a curiosity into a popular urban sport in our country, especially in the last five years.Unlike in many cities in the US where blocks have been put on rails and curbs to dis-suade skaters, many different public skate parks and venues have been popping up in Argentina as popularity grows. Thanks to this support, the level of skating in Argenti-na gets better daily, and there’s even some great athletes emerging in the streets.In Buenos Aires, the classic shoe brand Converse and the city government have sig-ned a contract to create two new big parks in the neighborhoods of Belgrano and Ma-taderos. Designed by and constructed under the supervision of pro skaters, both parks will be cast in smoothed cement and promise to offer a high level of diversion for seasoned skaters and newbies alike.If you’re traveling in BA and love to skate, don’t miss out on our special brand of skate culture! Or if you just want to watch some sweet ollies, get out there and check out the new park, at the intersection of Figuero Al-corta and Juramento, then stroll the relaxed Belgrano neighborhood. It’s close to the River Plate Soccer stadium and Chinatown!

BUENOS AIRES SKATE PLAZA

THIS IS A FREE PUBLIC SPOT. IT’S LOCATED ON AVENIDA FIGUERO ALCORTA

SKATEBOARDING

LOCATION: BELGRANO

THE GAUCHO

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Perhaps before coming to Argentina, your knowledge of the country consisted of Evita, some fine wines, and tango. Maybe you knew of the dance from movie references, Jim Carey in a green mask with a rose in his mouth, etc. But now that you‘re in the southern homeland of this passionate dance, here‘s a little information about the lifestyle you don‘t even realize is saturating the air you are breathing. Tango is a traditional rioplatense (from the re-gion of the river Rio de la Plata, aka Argentina and Uruguay) music. It is a fushion of rhythms brought together by the many Africans, Gauchos, colonial Hispanos, Indigenous peoples, Italians, Jews, Ger-mans, Andalucians, Cubans and more peoples who have populated these lands. The first wispers of tango can be traced to about 1865 but wasn‘t re-fined into the mix we recognize today for another 40 years. For example, the accordian, an instrument so essential to what we think of as the charactaristic tango sound, was introduced in the beginnings of the 1900s by German immigrants. From its beginnings, the music was repudi-ated by the church and seen as a great threat to the state; the upper classes believed the music to be an affront to morality and purity. As a conse-cuence, the music and dance were banned and thus confined to places where illegal things are practiced: poor suburbs of the city, the ports, brothels, bars, and jails. The lyrics of tango reflect this isolation; the lyrics mix Spanish and Lunfardo, the voice of the arrabal (neighborhood), although the first tango songs were pretty much all instumental. After a while, the music and dance were adopted by the upper classes of Argentina and later exported to the rest of the world. In the tango world, the neighborhood is the muse, a place of belonging that one should not abandon, betray, or forget. Also, there is a state of permanent insatisfation reflected through stories

tango the voiCe of the arraval

love

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of lovers‘ betrayal and the passage of time. Many have noted that the tango is a spirital relative of the blues. Enrique Santos Dicepolo, one of the grand poets of tan-go, defined it as “a sad thought that can be danced.” On a personal note, I always teased my father as a kid, saying that tango was the music of the CORNUDOS, or

you‘ll see that nothing is love those who‘ve been cheated on by their significant other. As I matured, I realized that in order to understand and feel tango you have to have had your heart broken at least once. And perhaps be cheated on :).Here‘s some lyrics and artists we recommend. Enjoy, but don‘t cry too much!

Songs:El Choclo (1947) - The Corn CobLyrics: Enrique Santos DiscépoloMusic: Ángel Villoldo.

“Al evocarte, tango querido, “Evoking you, dear tango,siento que tiemblan las baldosas de un bailongo I feel the tiles of the bailongo (place wheretangoisdanced)floorshakey oigo el rezongo de mi pasado...” and I hear my past growl...”

Yira, Yira (1930) - Lunfardo for Gira, or Turn/RevolveLyrics: Enrique Santos DiscépoloSung by Carlos Gardel

“Verás que todo el mentira, “You‘ll see that everything‘s a lie, verás que nada es amor, you‘ll see that nothing is love, que al mundo nada le importa... that nothing matters to the world: ¡Yira!... ¡Yira!... It revolves! It revolves! Aunque te quiebre la vida, Even if your life breaks, aunque te muerda un dolor, even if a hurt bites you, no esperes nunca una ayuda,

don‘t ever expect any help, ni una mano, ni un favor. “ nor a hand, nor a favor.”

(Perhaps a bit pessamistic, but certainly reflective of a porteno belief!)

~Tango, of course, isn‘t only for men and it isn‘t always sad! Here‘s a song sung by the tango pioneer(ess), Tita Merello, one of the first women to break into the world of Tango.

Se dice de mí (1943) - They say about meA milongaMusic: Francisco CanaroLyrics: Ivo PelaySung by Tita Merello

Si charlo con Luis, con Pedro o con Juan, If I chat with Luis, with Pedro or Juan, hablando de mi los hombres están. they are talking about me, these men. Critican si ya, la línea perdí, They critizice if I’ve already lost my waistline, sefijansivoy,sivengoosifui. they check if I‘m going, coming, or already left.

Artists: Anibal Troilo (1914-1935), Homero Manzi (1907-1951), Carlos Gardel (1890-1935),

Enrique Santos Discepolo (1901-1951), Tita Merello (1904-2003).

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