This past weekend marked my two month anniversary and a few neat things happened to celebrate our time here in B.A. In lieu of continuing my eating spree from last week, I decided to integrate in some cultural activities to the tune of a visit to Chinatown and a Boca Juniors Futbol Game!
Chinatown Belgrano
Saturday began a little late, with hunger pangs and without much motivation on my part. However, after scouring the internet my interest was sparked when I discovered that yes indeed Buenos Aires has its own Chinatown not too far from our neighborhood of Palermo Soho. Without paying much (any) attention to my appearance, Jen and I headed for the Subte stop to begin our Chinese excursion. Only a few stops away from us lies the neighborhood of Belgrano. A bustling barrio full of artisan fairs on the plaza, museums, outdoor cafes and cool shopping it is also home to one of the better Chinatowns in Buenos Aires. After a deep breath in (and the resulting mix of smells) I knew we were at our spot. The stereotypical 'Chinatown Arch' held up by stone dragon statues only further supported my assumption. Being that it was already 4pm on a Saturday the streets were full of locals and tourists alike stuffing themselves into the various trinket shops that filled the four blocks that were Chinatown. Littered in were some Chinese supermarkets and Asian inspired restaurants along with some pretty funky little apartment buildings.
Sign in the Chinatown store: "Don't Touch. He who breaks, pays"
After examining the lay of the land we decided to head into the busiest supermarket assuming if it drew such a big crowd it must be pretty good. Upon entering Casa China we were faced with shelves and shelves of the asian flavors and spices that the local Disco Supermarkets lack. Everything from peanut butter to gallon containers of soy sauce for a mere $8 USD there were no shortage of surprises. Spices turned into packages of Ramen style noodles which led to aisles of creepy Asian candies amongst which I found some gummy bears...finally. After ooing and ahhing at the various goods I was able to recognize a few good things the Casa China had to offer: nuts at a cheap price (although I can't tell you where they were before they were put into 'Casa China' individual bags by store employees), an abundance of (gluten-free) rice noodles and rice flour at dirt cheap prices and a random assortment of American candies ranging from Skittles to M&M's. It may have been a fairly trivial stop on our trip, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.
Mmmm....
Upon exiting the Casa China the smells of local restaurants (as well as the unpleasant look of the street vendors' foods-on-a-stick) lured us into a small, corner chinese restaurant. Simply decorated with white porcelain plates on paper placemats and bottles of soy sauce it was full of locals so we figured it couldn't be that bad. After some deciphering, translating and downright guessing we ordered a nice abundance of food hoping we would get something that we recognized. Even though the sweet and sour sauce was pink and none of my guesses ended up resulting in a plate of cho mein, the food was good and welcomed wholeheartedly by myself and Jen. I will still maintain that Lucy Chen does it right at the Ocean Kai at home but the fried rice, spicy chicken, and lo mein from Chinatown are a good solution to hold me over until I'm home :)
"We're not the only ones, so we decided to be the best ones"
After a full night's sleep on a full belly we awoke on Sunday to a beautiful day for a Boca Juniors futbol game! The Boca Juniors (CABJ- Club Argentina Boca Juniors) are a local Argentine futbol (soccer) team who is part of the Club Argentina soccer squad that plays at La Bombonera (the football stadium located in the colorful neighborhood of La Boca). We all decided to hire 'guias' (guides) to escort us through our first CABJ experience. For around $300 pesos we had a full day planned. We met our tour guides several blocks from our apartment at 2:30 where a school bus (resembling something that had once been on MTV's 'Pimp My Ride') collected the 20 or so fans to head into La Boca. Our first stop was a homely little bar that didn't offer much room but instead showcased various CABJ paraphernalia and a whole lot of Argentine pride. We were offered pizza and Quilmes until we couldn't take anymore. There is no doubt that the name of the game is having fun and they don't have a problem imbibing a bit to ensure this happens...as they made sure to let us know- no alcohol is served in the futbol stadium...it's rowdy enough as it is and boy would this lead to a bigger mess! On the bus ride over to La Bombonera we received a brutally honest briefing on safety procedures prior to entering the game. 1. Anyone with a lighter- "put it in your sock or they will take it away". 2. Ladies any makeup compacts, lipstick tubes, or lip glosses- put those in your shoes because otherwise they will be confiscated (and assumed to be holding drugs). Simple enough. Let's go.
The Boca Fans I was squeezed between...
To say we were seated with the fans was a good bet. As we headed up to our end section we were met with cement rows of 'seats' where we maneuvered our way into any open 'spot'...I ended up between a 300 lb. Boca diehard of about 60 and a little boy no older than 8 decked out in Boca blue and gold. I guess you could say that about sums up the diverse order of the fans in La Bombonera. Hey, at least we didn't have to worry about those annoying flip seats present at every stadium from Fenway to Gilette that you have to open every time you want to sit down, right? There wasn't much need to worry about sitting space because after the 45 minute long scrimmage team match and a guest appearance by some ex-CABJ hot shot everyone rose to their feet to begin to welcome the two teams. La Velez Sarsfield entered first- another Club Argentina futbol team hailing from the Liniers neighborhood of western Buenos Aires. Next, after cannons of confetti and streamers were shot and balloons were flung from the balconies above, the Boca Juniors entered the stage...time to begin play.
Boca Juniors vs. Velez Sarsfield
Over the course of the next 90 minutes of play there was certainly plenty to watch. It was a well-matched game that resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Boca Juniors. But, that was the least of the excitement. There were ferocious chants led by CABJ fans, full of colorful phrases and sayings that all amounted to a strong desire for victory by CABJ and nothing but the worst for the opposing team. There were hugs and slaps on the back from strangers when a goal was scored, water balloons tossed from the balconies when a good play was made and lots and lots of banners. Once the game finally ended and the cold had set in we learned about how La Bombonera was evacuated after every game. The (better) other sections were permitted to leave first while they literally coralled us 'rif raf' fans in our section for 30 or so minutes until the entire rest of the stadium was given ample time to leave. Although it was chilly it was not without a few chuckles and grins as we observed the opposing team take a verbal beating from the CABJ fans as they walked by our section. Yes, victory here was pretty sweet. We finally made it back to the bus and back home where we were able to warm up and calm down a little after a pretty enthusiastic event.
One of the CABJ Fan Sections
Monday marked a little more reality and a little taste of home as I headed out, laptop and Spanish readings in hand in search of the Starbucks 10 blocks away from our apartment. Why I have not bothered to find this gem of a place before the 8 week mark is beyond me, but it's safe to say this won't be my only visit. Sure, it resembled any other Starbucks in the States- couches and chairs, WiFi, and whifs of coffee from every corner. But, there's something so cosmopolitan about being in a cafe in a different country, sipping a coffee and surfing the web...isn't there? Maybe not, that's unimportant because what really mattered was that for the first time in 2 months I was able to place my hands around an actual 20 ounce cup of java. Although the coffee here in BA has been delicious, they really aren't into the intoxicating caffeine boost offered by a large size...and as you well know us Americans are definitely into supersizing our coffee. So as I sipped my french vanilla roast and stared out into the windy, cold 'autumn' day I marked my two months in Buenos Aires with a little piece of home :)
Here's to winning teams and giant cups of joe!
xo
Per
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.