Yanqui Mike

2012-01-18T18:05:00.005-03:00

The Shankees Baseball Association is proud to announce a new era in Buenos Aires baseball as they commence their Shankee Juniors Baseball Program. Club Presindent Paul Perry states, "Though this is is a real challenge, it's worth it if kids have fun playing baseball." Anyone interested can contact the Shankees via their webpage: www.shankeesbaseball.com Play Ball in BA!

Tropical City: Buenos Aires?

2012-01-12T16:52:00.002-03:00

I´ve always loved Buenos Aires' nickname, "The Paris of the Palmtrees" ...but this is getting rediculous!

Nobel Prize winner, Dr. Osvaldo Canziani says that the city has lost its temperate climate or is losing it fast due to climate change. The good doctor (MD, Ph.D meteorology) points to warming ocean temperatures in the normally cold South Atlantic which have an affect on the level of the enormous Río de la Plata where the city is situated. This, in turn, has affected rain and wind patterns as well as temperatures.

"The heat wave we are experiencing is part of this big change," he told Buenos Aires' biggest newspaper El Clarin. January in Buenos Aires is the traditional time of the "semana brava" or "tough week" of high daytime temperatures along with elevated overnight lows.

On average, however, the year-round average temperature in the city is 68º F ...with a range well within 32º and 100º. This week has seen temperatures in the city rise to consecutive days of 100º F.

"Over the past 100 years, the city's average temperature rose 3.24 degrees Fahrenheit. The change most striking is a 4.86 degree rise in the minimum temperature during this same time," says Clarin.

Dr. Canziani warns of increased flooding for the city located at the corner of the world's widest esturary and the Atlantic. He goes on to mention the spread of tropical diseases that have not been reported here before. His prescription is for a change of lifestyle in order to mitigate levels of greenhouse gases emitted by the enormous capital city of more than 13 million people.

Argentines Continue to Eat Less Beef

2012-01-11T20:00:00.002-03:00

Fine.
216 pounds per person in 1958 boggles the imagination.
135 pounds per person in 2009 was still the world record.
118 pounds per person for last year is still massive
...103 lbs, however, is the all time record (1920) and we´re on track for that this year.
(US beef consumption per person peaked in 1975 at 88 lbs. and probably stands at less than 70 today.)

Sure, there are lots of reasons you can point to for the decline: high prices, short supply ...not to mention the change to feedlot beef.

If you´re a beef producer like me, however, you have to wonder, "how low can it go?"

Are Argentines simply losing interest in beef? How 'bout you?

Waiting for Rain in Buenos Aires

2012-01-09T22:27:00.004-03:00

(Deep in the Province of Buenos Aires--) From Shanghai to Chicago the world is looking for the same thing in the same place: rain in Buenos Aires.

Some are saying the a this is the worst drought in 70 years; perhaps surpassing that of three years ago. No matter the measure, this particularly intense dry-spell has been profound.

Tonight, however, great rains have been forecast. Last week, the news reached the world's grain markets.

If tonight passes without a great good soaker, the world's second largest corn exporter and the world's third largest soy exporter will almost certainly suffer disastrous losses. Due to the extent that the national government relies on revenue from those sources, those losses could be widely felt here.

Today, the wind off the toasted pampas is like a blast furnace as temperatures reach a rare 100 degrees fahrenheit. Rural fire departments are stretched to their limits fighting brush fires that threaten live and property. One stray cigarette or spartk from a passing vehicle could destroy thousands of dollars of fenceline or any family farmhouse.

Tonight, firefighters and property owners could sleep easy for the first time in more than a week.

Insects and wildlife are scurring from the dry vegetation to seek open water tanks or any sources of moisture. Cattle seek shade but are more fortified after a particularly wet winter and spring.

Coffee shops, truck stops, and smartphones are alive with the buzz of forecasts from the major weather websites of North America and Europe. At this late hour, fears are spreading that the rain will be insubstantial or will pass the pampas with nothng more than scattered showers.

Prayers to San Expedito, the local saint of "just-in-time" are beginning to challenge bandwidth.

(UPDATE)

By Hugh Bronstein 
    BUENOS AIRES, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Rains swept through parts of
Argentina's grains belt early Wednesday, providing some relief to corn and soy
fields parched by weeks of dry weather, while farmers clamored for government
aid. 
    The drought has shrunk Argentina's corn crop, which the world has been
counting on to replenish international supplies after a disappointing U.S.
harvest. The South American country is also a major soy exporter.  
    "The rains were not heavy but they were significant considering the dryness
that had been with us, in the worst areas, for 50 days," said Martin Fraguio,
executive director of Argentina's main corn industry chamber Maizar. 
    "The drought has ended. Farmers slept better last night than they have in a
long time," he added. "It is possible that we may get more showers today, if the
stormfront stays where it is." 
    Forecasters are calling for another front to move into Argentina's grains
belt on Tuesday of next week. 
    Chicago grain futures had been pushed higher by the bad weather in the
world's No. 2 corn exporting country. 
    "It rained 20, 30 millimeters. We needed more than 100," said Fabian Martin,
who operates a small corn and soy farm in the Pampas town of Carlos Casares in
Buenos Aires province. 
    "But crops have already been very punished, principally corn," Martin said.
The drought has cost him up to half of his corn crop and about 20 percent of his
soy. 
    Growers are taking to the airwaves to pressure the government into providing
assistance by suspending export taxes.   
    Government officials will sit down with growers' organizations on Thursday
to discuss the situation. So far the farm ministry has not promised the kind of
help, such as tax breaks, that is being asked of it. 
    Eduardo Buzzi, head of the Agrarian Federation farm group, chided
Agriculture Minister Norberto Yauhar, telling local television that the minister
"obviously knew little about the drought." 
    Buzzi said, "He should take off his tie and get into the fields to see for
himself." 
    Farmers complain about the 35-percent tax the government puts on soy
exports. They say such measures are hurting investment in Argentina's
agriculture sector at a time of rising global food demand. 
     
   The country provides about 20 percent of the world's corn exports, 12 percent
of soybean exports, and nearly half the exports of soyoil used for cooking and
biofuels. 
    But an unforgiving southern hemisphere summer sun baked Argentina's corn and
soy plants this month and last, just as they entered their key flowering stage.
   
    The crop losses could add to fiscal and political problems expected to be
faced by President Cristina Fernandez this year. 
    The popular leader easily won a second four-year term in October, but her
government is bracing for fallout from Europe's financial crisis and slower
demand growth from key commodities client China as well as No. 1 trade partner
Brazil. 
    The sluggish world economy could crimp the welfare spending at the heart of
Fernandez's policy mix. 
    U.S. corn, wheat and soybeans fell Wednesday, weighed down by a firmer
dollar and the Argentine rains. But trade was restrained ahead of U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop reports on Thursday which are expected to
indicate some South American corn has suffered irreparable damage.  
     (Reporting By Hugh Bronstein)

Beef Brisket in Argentina

2012-01-07T16:13:00.004-03:00

Yummy brisket! A favorite from the Lower East Side of Manhattan to Terlingua Texas and lots of points in-between ...and even places not in-between like Argentina.

But if you ask exactly what part of the beef animal is properly called brisket ...be prepared for everything from shrugs to SWAGs to arguments on a par with where´s the best place to catch the #60 Buenos Aires bus.

So let´s put an end the confusion ...in both North and South America!

"Brisket" is breast meat or "pecho" in Argentina. Of course, since a bovine walks on all-fours, its breast faces the ground. Brisket is from the pectoral muscles. Those muscles get a lot of daily use by the animal and, therefore, are well-developed and tough (the "tenderloin" or "lomo" muscle gets very little excersize and is therefore very tender.)

The above illustration of British cuts is better than most ...in that it shows you how the leg of a standing animal obscures part of the brisket and that the "breast" extends to the front and the rear of the leg. Some illustrations leave you with the idea that the brisket is only in front of the leg or only to the rear of the leg.

The biggest difference between brisket and Argentine pecho is that the cut in Argentina is bigger (above.) The US cut only goes from the 1st rib to the 4th rib. In Argentina, at its biggest, brisket could go to the 10th rib. That´s not as crazy as it may sound: a lot of delicatessen´s prize that portion of the brisket that gets close to the navel.

The closest you are likely to get to US brisket in Argentina is the "6 rib cut" which is 2 ribs more than the US cut. Sounds good to me!

Brisket is a favorite of Texas BBQ, it is the source of most corned beef ...and most pastrami comes from this very same cut.

It might be tough ...but the brisket is chock-full of great strong beef flavor. No matter where in the world you find brisket-eating people they will describe a similar cooking technique: low-and-slow and with as much moisture as possible. After all that, brisket can get as tender as spring chicken!

On the bbq, every attempt is made to keep the roasting temperature as low as cooking will allow and to somehow cover or contain the meat to capture any of the natural moisture that will escape during the 3 or more hours needed to tenderize it.

In the case of corned beef or pastrami, the meat is generally oven-roasted for the same amount of time while covered to retain the juices and any added liquid. Pastrami is corned beef that then graduates to being rubbed in black pepper and spices then smoked.

As soon as El Tejano gets back from the old country ...expect to sink your teeth into some soon!

train ride through the suburbs

2012-01-07T14:49:00.003-03:00

riding on a run down train.
seats torn,
floors covered in grime,
and the smell of stale sweat and piss reek from the walls.

I’m heading deep into the southern suburbs.
seemingly on route to no man’s land.
nevertheless, one simple fact still remains;
you can always find a beautiful woman on board.

it is one day after having suffered a concussion
from falling off the hammock in my living room,
and here I am,
drinking the local beer from a tall can,
and traveling on a run-down train.

I pass the rotted Riachuelo river,
as the conductor comes around collecting tickets,
punching two small holes to verify that I paid my seventy cents to ride this train. between the first and second stop the train fills up with smoke.
people from the villas are burning leaves,
garbage,
and other elements which make the inside of the train smell even worse.

my destination is a lab that makes drugs for animals.
there I must meet someone whose English level is quite good.
it is my job to verify this.
meanwhile, the train ride continues.

I see a dead chicken by the side of the tracks as I pass more villas
as I finish my first can of beer
and pull out another from my backpack.

third stop.

there is a beautiful girl sitting in front of me.
she is the one that lent me the pen to get all this down.
two cops pass by and look at me suspiciously; ME!
I can only see the back of the girl’s head
and gaze at the beauty of the color of her hair.

I smell more rotted odors.
as I pass a playground with no playing children.
the train’s whistle blows loud.
I hear a thump under the train and on the rails.
meanwhile, I look for some beauty in the back of the girl’s head.

I can only see one quarter of her face,
notice her right ear,
a small red mole,
a dark blond eyebrow and a couple of eyelashes
as she turns to look out the window.
her thin shoulder and her arm rest on the window ledge.
she looks really good.

I am a writer,
an English teacher,
a drunk and hunter of hidden beauty.
I live off what I say,
drinking from what I make,
and thriving off great shitty train rides like this.

Babe on the subway

2012-01-07T13:35:00.007-03:00

a babe on the subway

she has the hottest legs

skin golden brown

a body that seems to have been truly molded by god himself

and she stands about 2 feet from where i placidly sit.

she stands reading an instruction manual of some sort

and she wears a short blue skirt and matching high heel pumps.

her toes are perfectly proportioned so that every toe descends in perfection

and every now and then

she turns slightly to show me some more of what she has to offer some lucky guy.

i sit,

trying to read my bukowski book

but i can not concentrate

(sorry charles).

meanwhile

the subway gets more and more crowded

so i lose sight of the only beautiful thing to look at down here.

i spot her

standing behind a small mass of hanging bodies,

as miraculously

the seat next to me clears

and somehow,

as if out of a dream,

she appeared from behind the wall of drawn fabric

and sat down by my side.

she sits next to me for a couple of stations

as i think of something cool to say before it's too late.

finally

i get up the nerve to say something to her.

i turn and say;

"you got great legs"

she gives me a strange look,

gets up,

and walks away.

i never did know what to say to women.

paul perry

Burgers at The Office with Friends

2012-01-06T00:15:00.001-03:00

There´s no easier blogpost than one about meeting new friends at a great place.

Tonight, my missus and I got to put some faces to names. Together with Wanda from Walla Walla and her husband John ...and her father Richard, a former cattle rancher who hails from North Dakota ...kicked the ass out of some great food and libation at Alan Epstein´s The Office in Las Cañitas.

We sat on Alan´s famous rooftop and enjoyed the evening air in true Buenos Aires style. If you haven´t yet been there, you really don´t know the meaning of "laid-back expat hangout" ...not to mention the very best burgers in Buenos Aires.

Alan´s got a new bartender, Sandy from Australia, who has imported some great specialities ...such as the Vodka Lemon Bitters. Splendid! That drink is a contender for the Official Cocktail of Summer 2012. Don´t take my word for it. Get there and try one for yourself! Fizzy, lemony-limey, icy, and with the expert´s touch of bitters to balance it all. That drink is worth the trip.

Of course, if you don´t have good company, nothing is just quite right.

Wanda, John, and Richard made it all great. They challenged Argentine Customs to bring me some very special herb and vegetable seeds ...the fruit of which you might be enjoying next year.

Git yersef to The Office and groove to summer the way you oughta!

Argentina Bans Import of Blackberry and iPhone

2011-12-29T12:26:00.000-03:00

It doesn´t look official yet ...but there are reports that Argentina has banned the import of the two smartphones that make up 60% of the local market: RIM´s Blackberry and Apple´s iPhone.

Can anybody confirm?

Big Money Targets Small Argentine Farms

2011-12-29T11:53:00.001-03:00

"Over the last 10 years, there’ve been dramatic changes in Argentine agriculture. Many small soybean producers have been put out of business, and the sector is consolidating fast. Despite the tough environment, many smaller farmers continue to survive, but their days could be numbered," reports John Kennedy for Corn and Soybean Digest.

The old story of fewer but bigger farms is starting to show up in the statistics here. Farmland is too expensive for small farmers to buy and is being snapped up by farming investment funds and foreign buyers.

The national government passed a law last week limiting foreign ownership of rural land to 2,500 acres per titleholder, and bar any more purchases by foreigners once 15% of Argentina's land is foreign owned.

Hours before the passage of the law, however, Saudi Arabia, was allowed to purchase 30,000 acres. That acreage will be devoted to producing feed for Saudi animals.

Neighborhoods in Buenos Aires

2011-12-23T23:37:00.008-03:00

Although about half of my life is lived deep in the countryside where cellphone coverage is rather new and we still don´t have "real" electricity yet ...I spend the other half living very close to what you might call "downtown" Buenos Aires.

Now I´ve always been a city boy ...but even after emigrating here from Chicago, I´m still amazed at how urban this place is. Other than maybe downtown Manhattan, I don´t think there is anywhere in the US with this kind of population density.

Of course, that kind of density is not everyone´s cup of tea (Jesus Christ, Mildred! Millions of those poor bastards all livin' on TOP of each other!) ...and some days it does seem a little overbearing during rush-hours. However, density does bring its conveniences.

I think it could even "play in Peoria" ...after all, in a city this big and dense, every little sub-neighborhood roughly equates to a small midwestern town. The biggest difference being that within only a half a dozen square blocks you can find a vibrance that small-town mainstreet hasn´t shown for half a century.

Tonight, my missus sent me to the all-night pharmacy for a cold remedy ...and it was such an easy task that I came back an drew you a map of my 'hood.

H marks our home on the sixth (seventh, in the US) floor of our building.
B is a great bar with microbrews and open-air seating.
C is a little store that sells beer-to-go 24 hours a day.
D marks a couple of locations that sell great hotdogs.
E is our parking garage.
F is a 24 hour pharmacy.
G marks three groceries ...one of which is actually two-in-one, it has one of those great vegetable markets next door. Imagine! Urban people ususally have trouble getting to a grocery ...I choose from four (there is actually a fifth one in my barrio which I never go to.)
I is a terrific, old-fashioned neighborhood ice cream store. I don´t think there´s a better one in town.
K, is a 24 hour convenience store where I can pickup cigs and sodas and few other such things. They don´t even close for holidays!
P is a great pizzeria that delivers.
R is a barbershop ...he´s not that good but he´s there in a pinch.
S is a subway stop. I can´t tell you how nice it is to have one that close.
W is a very big sidewalk cafe ...there are too many others to show on the map.
Y marks two locations where I can pay any utility bills that don´t yet accept online payment.

The big avenues are great for busses and taxis and loads of shopping of all kinds. The big park is beautiful and usually has some sort of art or history or cultural instalation.

I´ve only listed the places that I go to regularly. There just isn´t space to include all the banks, little hardware and appliance stores, the shoe repairs, nightclubs and restaurants, coffee shops and lunch counters, bookstores, police stations, doctors, dentists, veterinarians and pet stores, and more.

...and it´s nothing special. Anyone in any neighborhood in Buenos Aires can tell you the same kind of story.

Buenos Aires: urban living at its best.

Snif Snif: 300 Dogs stop Dollar Flight

2011-12-18T17:57:00.001-03:00

Reports are that AFIP, Argentina´s tax collection agency, is deploying specially trained dogs to detect travellers leaving the country with undeclared US dollars.

Presently, the poochies are on duty at the Buquebus terminal, the municipal Aeroparque, the cruiseship port, and some land-crossings into Uruguay. AFIP says that border crossings into Paraguay and Bolivia will be dogged later this summer.

The Season Finale of BACast.com ...catch it now ...and catch-up on all the previous episodes too!

2011-12-10T01:49:00.008-03:00

For two guys to even think of embarking upon the task of muddling through all the myriad topics of life here in both the shiny, happy streets as well as the gritty streets of the "Paris of the Palmtrees" ...the proposition should have been enough for them to give up after the fourth beer ...or, in their cases, the 4th fernet y vaso de vino.

But no. Their latest episode marks the end of their second season and there's no sign of them stopping ...or failing to add something new ...nor ceasing to delve into subjects that could offend those without a sense of humor and/or those without a recognition that any walk through the true experience of Buenos Aires leaves you with so much of the palpable distinctiveness of our fair burg that you have to brush yourself off before entering your tiny apartment.

Long-time US expat Dan Karlin has been here so long and has integrated himself into Buenos Aires to the point that you have to wonder if he is just keeping up the appearances of the naïve clinging to his yanqui attitudes. But who knows, he plays his part so well that even I wonder.

Dan has spent years here building a successful business with his lovely wife, Lourdes. That experience could actually harden a fellow countryman in attitudes against the lack of streamlined capitalism here ...or could result in an nuanced opinion of how economic transactions here are so very much based in and on personal relationships. Either way, Danny sticks to character to great creative and comic effect.

Fernando Farias plays the part of "the local" and has none of the same pressure to assimilate. He also brings the expertise from the English language service of Argentine public radio and all the technical expertise that entails. Fer never shrinks from his end of the two-man-show and is even less inclined to be a straight-man than Karlin ...although, when the cultural vicissitudes of the show corner him, I´ve never heard him shirk from laughing at himself.

Fer also brings his radio man's commitment to the Theater of the Mind. The pacing and the sound and the choice of music lend so very much to luring listeners to sit still for more than the 5, 10, 15 minute broadcast (podcast) that a more shallow duo would settle upon. Truthfully, sometimes I wish I could SEE them doing it in the studio via webvideo ...but I have to admit to myself that would destroy my imagination´s ability to paint what I already think is going on in the sound booth.

Personally, I´m always intimidated by the prospect of their usual 45 minute podcasts. But after only a very few minutes, I´m hooked and I listen to every minute. Dan and Fer always get my head spinning in a really very cinematic way at what they choose to throw at listeners every few minutes or so ...without making their episodes frantic. That´s a fine line to toe ...and I don´t think they´ve ever failed. There has never been an episode that wasn´t entertaining. I can´t count the times I´ve laughed out loud.

They generally have a light touch even though they never seem to hesitate to occasionally tackle some pretty heavy topics. Those have been the times in which I´ve noticed bacast.com dealing wth serious topics more seriously than any other media in town. I applaud them for that and love it when they do it ...but I understand that the humor and humanity of situations in Buenos Aires is their stock in trade. But that doesn´t detract from any of anyone´s enjoyment of their labor of love.

Fer and Dan are like two co-pilots, taking it upon themselves to fight the controls at high-altitude to give you the ability to see the big picture of a complicated city, nation, and culture ...but never afraid to buzz the tower when a closer look would let you see something that you might never have seen otherwise.

Catch-up on your episodes! If you ask me, next year is only going to be better.

Baseball and BBQ this Saturday!

2011-12-08T19:10:00.015-03:00

The Shankees are on a winning streak and
El Tejano is stepping up to the BBQ bat.

This Saturday is guaranteed to be a beeyoutiful day for baseball in the friendly confines of Shankee Stadium in lovely Parque Roca. Bring your favorite squeeze and mom and the kids!

WATCH THIS SPACE for info on round-trip transportation on the Shankee Shuttle from Plaza Italia ...all for your baseball pleasure an convenience!

Cheer our US expat boys of summer on to ANOTHER big win withing Buenos Aires' famed La Liga Metro ...and enjoy the full service concession stand. Cold beer and sodas and snacks galore.

And before, during, and after the game; belly up to the parrilla and watch that Texas wildman, El Tejano, do his stuff with bbq chicken and a pork bondiola slathered in his NEW hot sauce: Locoto Ahumado!

Fans, if you haven´t tasted this award-worthy addition to the El Tejano hot sauce line-up, lemme tell ya ...you are striking-out! It knocks pork out of the park!

So keep Saturday open for a great day at the ballpark ...and save some room for great eats and drinks.

Gooooo... SHANKEES!

The Year in Argentine Beef - 2011

2011-12-06T23:42:00.005-03:00

(...more on argentine beef, here)

It´s the Argentine National Day of the Gaucho! What better time to look back on the state of the Argentine National Dish: Grass-fed, Free-range BEEF?

Was it a good year? I guess it depends on whose ox was gored in 2011.

Supplies of any kind of Argentine beef are down. Prices for beef ...from on-the-hoof to your supermercado ...are up. Grass-fed, no-grain beef is disappearing rapidly while feedlot beef takes the day over and over again.

The number of cattle in Argentina continued to drop in 2011 ...20% in just in the last 4 years. At the same time, the number of cattle that went to slaughter went up 10% from last year's incredible, historic lows. What´s that mean? Answer: fewer and fewer cattle and cattle-ranchers in Argentina.

Why are the numbers of cattle dropping? Answer: the irresistible pull and profit from soy. Raising free-range cattle is not all that complicated, as you might imagine. However, growing genetically modified soy is so simple that it is often referred to as "the farmer-less farm." You spray, you plant, you spray again, you wait, you harvest ...then sell at historically high prices. The local saying is, "most of the soya in Argentina is planted in Buenos Aires ...by telephone." You can literally "phone it in" ...and reap big profits even when soy exports are taxed at 35%.

What´s a cattleman to do? Switch to soy. It´s a no-brainer. The money is so big that you can´t say no to it. It´s the "offer you can´t refuse" especially when an outside company offers to pay you in advance, in US dollars, to plow-up your pastures. You don´t care if the crop fails ...you already got paid in hard cash ...but your pasture and your herd are gone.

For cattlemen who have resisted soy´s siren song ...there is a consolation prize: prices of live cattle continue to rise. Within the last four years, cattle prices have quadrupled for the most sought after categories.

But those live-cattle prices are the same for both feedlot producers and the remaining traditional free-range ranchers. As such, there really is no economic reason for grass-fed ranchers to continue. 2011 did not see the emergence of "boutique meat" or any sort of premium for ranchers who continue avoid feeding their cattle anything but grass.

For that reason, as much as any other, only 20% of beef in Argentina came from all-grass ranches in 2011 ...down from virtually 100% in 1993.

My contacts in the meatpacking industry, however, inform me that there actually is a premium for what little grass-fed beef remaining in Argentina. High-end steakhouses in Buenos Aires entice their suppliers to steer any obviously grass-fed beef to their restaurants. In 2011, supplies of grass-fed beef even to those well-heeled establishments fell short. For about a month this year, bife de lomo (filet mignon) of any kind was almost impossible to find anywhere.

The old saying from the commodity traders in Chicago is, "high prices cure high prices," meaning that if the price of beef is at an all-time high ...beef production will inevitably rise as investors enter that market in search of those high returns. However, beef cattle has a natural cycle that is different from soy, corn, or household appliances.

Pastureland is economically easy to convert to grain production. However, once converted to grain, it is a difficult proposition to revert to pasture. A soy farmer, for example, would have to "give up an annual payday" harvest to wait for grass to return. Even then, to populate his newly returned pasture with cattle is difficult because the price of live cattle is so very high now. No one appears willing this year to give up a year´s soy profits in order to grow grass for cattle for which they will have to pay record prices ...then wait a year to send the calves to feed lots ...or the 3 years to fatten the cattle on grass. Future free-range beef will no doubt come from those small and medium ranchers who have not given-up the method. Expansion of beef production in Argentina doesn´t seem to be in the cards in the near term.

To add insult to the injury which the beef industry has felt this year, Argentines are turning away from their national dish due to its high price. Argentines consumed a whopping 216 pounds of beef per person in 1958. This year, the average may end up being about 100 pounds. In 2011, beef consumption dropped 25% from the year before. The title of "beef-eatingest nation" fell to Uruguay last year and remains so.

World-class beef in Argentina was as much of the national patrimony as cheap gasoline is for US citizens. No one I know would have imagined either disappearing without a major expression of discontent. As it has happened in 2011, Argentines have not complained in any notable fashion. My opinion is that all the beef available outside the toniest restaurants ...just isn´t as satisfying as it used to be anyway.

Are exports sucking-up all the good stuff? Not a chance. I have not seen export figures for this year yet. However, 2010's figures were the lowest in a decade. Nothing has convinced me that the 2011 figures will not follow that trend. We´ll see.

Once the PBR of a proud people, the reknowned Argentine beef (even feedlot beef) has become akin to champagne in 2011.

It´s your lucky day: Win BOTH El Tejano Hot Sauces ...shipped free Anywhere in Argentina! Be the 7th Comment!

2011-12-06T00:35:00.005-03:00

The Texan, hisself, was in a splendid mood this evening at Drinking Liberally Buenos Aires ...and he has deputized me to offer you two free bottles of his amazing hot sauces.

Be the 7th commenter to this post and win a bottle of Red AND a bottle of Green ...shipped free to any address within La República Argentina!

De Ushuaia a La Quiaca! From Jujuy to Tierra del Fuego! Be the SEVENTH commenter to this post and get a bottle of each to your very door! Compliments of El Tejano.

You´ve heard me RAVE about his hot sauces here and here. Now is your chance to add them to your arsenal of cosas picantes in your very own kitchen.

The red El Tejano hot sauce is the iron fist in the velvet glove. His green sauce ...the smoked locoto ...is in a class of its own ...and is DESTINED for international competition.

So! Without further ado ...let the games begin and be the first one on your block to get a full-sized bottle of each ...at the same time as foodies and food reviewers all over Capital Federal.

The red knocks my socks off ...the way a red should.

The green is as mysterious and complex and satisfiying as something only found among the Indians of the Southwest US. Do yourself a favor and try it with pork and Pancho Villa Tortillas' Real Corn Tortillas. Look for it to bring home medals to Argentina. Roll yerself a fatty and find out why.

And don´t be shy with your reviews! Tex has done significant "focus groups" ...without abandoning his own personal vision of what a hot sauce needs to be.

Comment now and win! Your hot sauce shelf is bare without them.

Shanks turn up the heat!

2011-12-05T22:24:00.006-03:00

Sunday, December 4^th - Parque Roca --- Clear blue skies, wings on the grill, beer, donuts, baseball, and much more on tap as the red-hot 7-5 Shankees hosted Dokdo Baseball Club at Shankee Stadium. Coming off their fourth straight win, the Shankees are looking to make team history by winning five in a row, and also achieving the most ever wins in a season with eight. The original 2008 Shankee Squad, made up of: John Harris, Jason Hermes, Andrew Terry, Randall Bass, Dave Beaton, Adam Webb, Jon Polakoff, RJ Fox, Adam Iorfida, and Nick Nogrady, won 4 straight and finished that inaugural season 6-2 and in second place behind their nemesis the Cubans. Today, it was Jimmy ‘K’ Jr. taking the mound to face the soon to be perplexed Dokdo line-up, which batted quite well the last time these two teams met in a highly disputed game that ended in a Korean victory two months ago. But this was no friendly match turned official, this was an official match turned a vengeance, and the Shanks were there to play. Jimmy K quickly struck out the side as the Shankees scored two runs off a deep single by Jon “Take my time round the bases” Cantrell, who had RBIs in every at bat. The Shankee line up dropped bombs all day, in a manner similar to their previous four games; balls sailing over the shallow 300 foot fences. “It’s a beautiful site,” stated the Shankee Skipper as he watched his line-up tear away at the opposing pitchers and his ace dominate. However, a few well hit balls by the Dokdo batters and a homerun by their skipper rattled the young pitcher out of Williams College. Jimmy K came out in the fourth and gave way to his wingman Sam Brinkley, who this weekend flew in his parents for the game. Mr. and Mrs. Brinkley were thrilled to see their son on the mound for the Shankees. “This is wonderful. We arrived this morning and we can’t believe we’re watching a baseball game in Buenos Aires,” states Sam’s mom. Sam continued to lower the curtain on the Korean batters as the Shankee hitters continued to amass runs. David Mickelsen took over for Brinkley in the top seventh and looked sharp. The righty pitcher from Boston struck out two batters and displayed good command and speed. He retired the side and the game ended on a 15 run mercy rule. The Shankees are expected to field the same team this Thursday at Shankee Stadium. Their opponent is yet to be determined, but whoever it is better watch out, these Shankees mean business. Buttermaker gameball: Jimmy K Jr, for his eleven Ks in four innings of play. Shot of Bourbon: Jonathan Cantrell, for another RBI packed day. Final Score: Shankees 20 – Dokdo 4.

For complete box scores and stats, email Shankee Press - info@shankeesbaseball.com

Feedlot Beef not Bad Enough for You?

2011-12-02T03:38:00.002-03:00

I´m sure long-time readers are familiar enough with all the lovely accomodations at your local feedlot (prophylactic doses of antibiotics, confinement in feces, factory-trash food like broken potato chips and crackers and candies.)

Well, get ready for more Zombie Beef here in Argentina.

Nestled next to lush fields of genetically modified grains, the latest in monoculture is coming to a Cowshwitz near you: Cloned Beef.

"How´s that cloneburger gonna taste," you ask? You won´t know the difference.

You ESPECIALLY won´t know the difference because no one is going to tell you. Food companies hate labeling their cloned, genetically modified, and hormone injected products ...because they know you won´t buy them. So what´s a poor multinational or lobbying group to do when faced with laws requiring them to tell you their frankenstein ingredients? Simple ...they stop the laws from happening or make them go away.

"But can´t the non-clone producers simply put a Not Cloned label on their product?" Well, if the milk hormone industry is any indicator, it looks like it´s pretty easy to get legislators to propose laws that make hormone-free lables illegal.

Get it? Putting freak ingredients in food and not telling anyone: perfectly OK. Not putting freak in food and telling everybody about it: go to jail.

Food labeling is at the heart of the Argentine beef cloning industry. The European Union has been holding out against imports of meat or dairy from the descendents of cloned animals and is considering them only if clearly labeled. The EU is also a leading buyer of Argentine beef. For that reason, cloned cattle seem to be outside the food supply and general breeding stock in Argentina for the time being. But Europe is also worried that cloned-meat labeling could start trade war at a time when recession could be on the horizon. Expect them to cave-in on the issue of labeling.

The WSJ is reporting that there are less than 1000 cloned animals in the world right now but that "their numbers are rising and the costs falling" and Argentina is pushing to be the #1 cloner in the world.

So, is cloned beef safe to eat? Probably ...who knows? The best minds all say it is. Of course, the best minds all said it was perfectly safe to feed cattle beef by-products ...until the discovery of mad cow disease.

Is cloned beef cruel? I suppose that there are crueler practices ...but only 10% of cloned beef cattle survive to viability. Most are born deformed or susceptible to disease and die. Detractors of cloned beef often cite very large birth weights in cloned calves resulting in complicated births that often require caesarian sectioning.

Is cloned beef ethical? Tampering with the world food supply always makes me suspicious ...but what bothers me is that cloning shrinks the gene pool. Only champion cattle are cloned and, while champions display the finest qualities of the breed, it what those champions don´t display that worries me. If, for example, those champs are concealing a susceptibility to disease ...the worldwide herd could suffer a shock.

Least ethical of all, in my opinion, is the out-right refusal to tell the consumer what they are eating. If you don´t want to buy cloned beef it should be a simple and transparent process: the label should say if your steaks, roast, or ribs are cloned. At very least, producers of non-cloned beef should be free to slap a big "Not Cloned" sticker on the package.

Shankees vs. Dokdo

2011-12-01T13:28:00.007-03:00

Shankee press coming to you live, Wednesday Evening - Cool like the other side of the pillow - The Shankees will be at home once again to host the used-to-be buena onda Koreans of Dokdo Baseball Club. The Koreans, known for having the nicest looking uniforms in the league, have yet to put their game where their uniforms are; as the hard hitting Shankees look to tack on their fifth straight victory and pound Dokdo silly with their big bats. Coming off a 25 run foray of the somewhat depleted Cardenals, the Shankees have amassed a whopping 69 runs in their last four games, and with Jimmy K Jr. expected to take the mound, offensively, the Koreans don't stand a chance of beating the wily Expats. North Carolina native out of Chapel Hill, Jon ''take my time around the bases" Cantrell, will surely be aiming for the fences once again, as will Ruben "Rio" Bravo, and Jorge "of the Jungle' Gutierrez. Julio “The Bison” Briceño is doubtful after leaving last game with back pains. Expected back among the ranks is Jonny "Doc Slider" who despite missing the entire season, bounced one off the center field fence last week, missing a dinger by two inches. Gabo "Gabba" Perdomo, who caught a fine game last Saturday is expected back behind the plate, but with Jimmy K's tremendous heat, it's not much he will endure. David "Sucker for Peer Pressure" Mickelsen and Tyson "I'm on two hours sleep" Boulais are also expected back for another dose of Shankee ball. Tyson made a pair of spectacular catches in center field for the Shankees despite his obvious hangover. Seattle party animal Nandrin Louis will be making a comeback and looking to patrol left field, along with local favorite Pablo "My sister's getting married" Valdez. College Shortstop Zack Karson, who closed out the game on the mound in two innings of relief for Buttermaker Perry is also expected back and with this star studded cast of characters, Dokdo should be toast in five on a 15 run mercy rule. “I think we’ll be done in seven, if not five,” Skipper Paul Perry told the Shankee Press, “This’ll give us more time to hang out after the game, before the sun sets over the rainbow,” he adds. - Reporting for the Shankee Press, Jack Green . Go Shankees!

Keep Entregando

2011-11-29T16:40:00.004-03:00

keep "entregando" *

I was riding the subway into town,

reading a news magazine,

singing a tom waits tune in my head.

not much going on

but my usual turmoil.

there was not much to look at but the neon sign that signaled the stations

they were usually out of whack,

(just like a lot of things in the city.)

there was a steady silence that blended in well

with the hum of the tracks.

the air was thick and reeked of perfume

then he walked in from the next train,

he was “entregando”.

his voice immediately shattered all silence…

his appearance captured all attention.

and he said once again, “sigo entregando”.

he walked, he yelled, selling his pens, his coloring books, his guide to city streets,

which bus you have to take to get to....

his shoes were worn and his sweater did little to cover the huge lump in his throat.

I had seen him many times before and it seemed as if each time

it was harder and harder to make his sentences understood.

but still he tried to sell his one peso army knife,

his three pairs of socks for 2 pesos,

his 5 peso ginzu knife set.

he walks by not having sold anything.

on the next train he keeps “entregando”

*keep handing out

Paul Perry

You are Missing a Hot Sauce

2011-11-22T18:25:00.001-03:00

From the mind of El Tejano ...to your taste buds. The Texas wildman, BBQ king, and Chili Commissioner has added a new sauce to his line-up ...and MAN, your collection just plain ain´t complete without it.

El Tejano's Locoto Ahumado makes life in picante-poor Buenos Aires a thing of the past. Tex has been talking about adding a green sauce to his roster of reds for a long time. Now with the crops of mighty locoto peppers running strong in their green and gold livery ...he´s concocted a seasonal entry that really satisfies!

It´s definitely El Tejano from the first taste: strong, complex, full of secrets and unidentifiable touches of spice. This time out, tho, it´s a varietal, only one pepper serves as the base: the locoto (aka rocoto, or chili peron.)

This meaty pepper is as smokin' hot as Adriana Lima with a big ol´ 10¢ cigar ...but the Texan blends away the excruciating leaving you with a sauce that deelights rather than deestroys. Although he´d never admit it, there´s a little New Mexico in this ...over a taco, it brought back memories of an Albuquerque Adovada I deevoured on Route 66 long ago.

Stock up today while the season lasts ...and why not make it complete with REAL CORN TORTILLAS de Pancho Villa?

Argentina - South American Champs!

2011-11-21T22:35:00.002-03:00

The ten-day event at the legendary Estadio Nacional de Beisbol came to an end last Saturday as the Gauchos of Argentina defeated Ecuador 5-0 in front of a record-number crowd. Argentina put on a phenomenal display of baseball throughout the entire tournament by going undefeated and allowing only two opposing runs to cross the plate. Led by solid pitching, superb defense and a power-packed line-up, they outscored their opponents by 67 runs, and thus walked off the diamond as South American Champions. Final standings: Argentina 1st, Ecuador 2nd, Brazil 3rd, Chile 4th, Peru 5th, Bolivia 6th. For all box scores and stats, visit the Liga Metro page. Reporting for the Shankee Press - Jack Green

Know your Argentine Beef Cuts: Matambre

2011-11-20T20:52:00.001-03:00

Yummy matambre, that Argentine appetizer. You know it when you see it, rolled and cold with hard-boiled egg and veggies and spices then sliced across the grain. But that´s matambre the dish ...what is matambre the cut? The call it malaya in Chile, suadero in Mexico ...and "rose meat" in English (if that last one sounds like a pornstar ...it is. Googling images of rose meat is NSFW.)

There isn´t a lot of agreement on what part of the beef animal matambre comes from. The above helpful diagram from ArreBeef probably gives a good indication as to what passes for matambre in Argentina. However, other sources mention matambre (rose shoulder) that extends beyond that area.

Another name for matambre is "fly swatter" ...and that´s a clue as to what it really is: a subcutaneous muscle that the animal uses to twitch its hide in order to shake-off flies or any bothering thing that touches its skin.

Another name is "elephant ear" from the shape of a common cut of the meat.

It is a "fast muscle" or smooth muscle as opposed to a "slow muscle" like that of steaks. As such, it is not tender and needs special care in cooking so that it results in something tender. Slow muscles are red, fast muscles are rather pink ...hence the "rose" designation ...but it is full of beef flavor. Fajitas and flank steaks come from parts of the matambre.

Dig it! It´s delicious and full of meaty goodness. Use a low-and-slow method without letting it dry-out and you´ll have something tasty that you base a lot of deelicious recipes.

provecho!
Mike

How Malbec Became the Wine of the People

2011-11-20T02:41:00.000-03:00

from the WSJ. Enjoy!

Great Argentine Beef Timeline

2011-11-20T02:23:00.002-03:00

from Bloomberg. Hat Tip to Fred of SilverStarCar.

The Skinny on Springtime Turkeys

2011-11-19T00:44:00.004-03:00

Lot´s of recent inquiries regarding deelicious fresh turkeys for expat Thanksgiving spreads ...so here goes the straight dope on November turkeys in Argentina:

1. Nobody wants a tom (male) turkey ...they are thought to be tough.
2. Free-range turkeys hens (females) don´t taste good in the spring because they are nesting.
3. When the hens nest, they rarely leave their nest even for food and water.
4. That´s the big difference between an autumn hen who has fattened herself as much as possible in anticipation of winter.

...and 5. Although, you could probably eat and enjoy a scrawny springtime hen ...there is one more problem ...the turkey farmer would have to pull the hen away from her nest and lose all the eggs (potential turkeycitos) in addition to the hen herself.

Factory-farm turkeys are largely detached from that reproductive cycle.

Frozen turkeys can be good if they haven´t gone thru any thaw/refreezing.

But why not eat turkey in the Argentine autumn?

Although spring is mild here in Argentina, all the hearty foods we associate with harvest-time don´t seem to really go with the glorious warm weather.

How 'bout an Argentine Thanksgiving Day?

Although, I can imagine why ...it strikes me as strange that such an agricultural country has no harvest holiday.

Whaddya say? Once the weather turns chilly again, how 'bout an expat pot-luck with all those wonderful, heavy foods we all miss?

Argentine Currency Controls Hamstring More than just Real Estate

2011-11-16T18:50:00.010-03:00

On the way to the ranch and back, the hot topic of conversation for my missus and me was the sudden dollar controls instituted by the Kirchner adminstration two weeks ago (Taos Turner has a great write-up in yesterday's WSJ.)

While the WSJ concerns itself with the controls' biggest impact: real estate and related industries such as construction ...the restrictions on buying dollars are affecting just about any sector in which you have to "put your name" on a transfer of title.

This is affecting the sale of automobiles, a sector which has seen spectacular growth in Argentina in recent fiscal quarters.

The biggest aspect not mentioned by the WSJ is ...they are not confined to dollar purchases. Even peso purchases of real estate and automobiles must be pre-approved by AFIP. Such purchases are allowed if the purchaser can show that sufficient income has been reported to AFIP, Argentina's counterpart to the IRS in the US.

In first-hand reports that my missus and I have received, the replacement purchases ...in pesos ...of automobiles stolen or totaled have not been permitted in advance of payment by insurance companies. The reason given being that there was not yet a verifiable source of income for the replacement of those vehicles.

In one particular case, a child was not allowed to purchase an automobile with pesos gifted to him by his parent because tax records could not support how the child could possess the pesos necessary to the transaction were earned/gained.

In that case, the parent could purchase the vehicle in the parent's name and allow the child to drive. However, the child could not show the parent as the source of the income ...much like one would show a lending institution as the source of a new car purchase.

The controls are not a result of a presidential decree nor legislation but rather an adminstrative rule by AFIP, Argentina's counterpart to the IRS in the US. The rules are now resulting in AFIP requiring purchasers of any sort of "title transfer" purchases, in both dollars and/or pesos, to show how previous years' tax returns justify that retained wealth.

Even so, the controls are purported to be part of an effort to stop "capital flight" of US dollars from Argentina ...and pesos from being converted into dollars which then leave the country. Since the controls are still not well understood, it´s difficult for me to say how much farther they will reach nor if they will have the desired effect of stopping capital flight.

The new electronic approval process for these title-transfer purchases is being facilitated by a data-processing system which has been reported on nationwide TV as being state-of-the-art.

The approval process depends on the buyer´s previously reported earnings as reported on their Argentine tax returns. For example; if a buyer has reported sufficient income to purchase land, houses, apartments, or cars; the purchase is approved.

If, however, the buyer appears to tax authorities as someone who has never earned/gained sufficient income to afford such a transaction, the purchase is not allowed to take place ...and further inquiries by the tax authorities into possible tax-avoidance could reasonably be expected.

In one´s imagination, the approval process could be extended to any transaction which results in a receipt suitable for tax purposes. For example, the payment for any service that approached a peso-amount similar to the sale of a small used-car, could be subject to the tax authority's pre-approval process. If the buyer could not show from previous tax returns that he possessed such purchasing power, the sale could not officially take place.

In our own experience as cattle ranchers, we fear for the "middle-men," consignment agents who make things happen between buyers and sellers. If, for example, funds are paid by cattle buyers who can legitimately justify spending those large sums of cash ...which are then transfered to a commission agent ...my missus and I are worried that the commission agent might not have the necessary tax-reported funds to transfer that payment to us for our lovely cattle. Even worse, the data-connectivity of very rural places is very bad. Ordinary, current transactions in those areas are often shutdown due to the failure of already "state of the art" systems.

In reality, this system is already being described as an impressive albeit temporary measure. Both the WSJ and our own anecdotal accounts point to an attitude of "this, too, shall pass."

In the rural community, these measures are being described as a "stop-gap" between now ...in which foreign reserves have fallen ...and April of 2012 in which government foreign currency reserves will be replentished from what could be a record soybean export crop. At that date, the long-time national policy of entering the forex market by selling those new soya-dollars will depress the local value of the dollar.

In the meantime, Argentines' appetite for traceable purchases and even the traditional foreign vacation season could be curtailed. Fears are already being expressed regarding how these measures could affect credit card purchases.

Tournament Update!

2011-11-14T17:43:00.002-03:00

(Jack Green - The Shankee Press) The Shankee Press coming at you today with the latest in the events taking place at the Estadio Nacional de Ezeiza.

Never before, in my ten years through the Buenos Aires Baseball circuit, I have seen so many baseball enthusiasts gathered in one place for one purpose; to watch good baseball. Six South American teams began the ten day journey down the road to victory as the best in South American Baseball. Though powerhouse Venezuela chose not to take part, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru and hometown Argentina have put on quite a phenomenal baseball performance. I’m not going to get into detail, as so much has taken place thus far, but I will give you a breakdown of the scores and tasty tidbits of news from this unique tournament.

Chile and Bolivia kicked things off with Chile winning 7-4. Peru and Argentina served up the second game with a 10 – 0 blowout by the heavily favored Argentine squad. Ecuador and Brazil played the first night game at El Estadio Nacional since the 70’s. No shit! According to Shankee Press sources, the old generator was so large, noisy, and so expensive to light up, that it’s probably been 30 years since it made a night game possible. It was a most memorable moment for the baseball fans on hand. “It was incredible, seeing the Stadium illuminated from the highway was wonderful,” states Aldo Favia, one of the men behind this landmark moment for Argentina.

In a really close game that got decided in the ninth, Ecuador beat Brazil 3 – 0. Day two: Bolivia once again played the morning game, and once again kicked off day with a loss. Peru looked to bounce back after getting crushed by the Local team, and smoked their Bolivian neighbors 16-1. Argentina and Ecuador squared off, but the Argies won easily 11-1 behind solid pitching from their Cordobes pitcher Federico Tanco and hard hitting line-up.

The Shankee Skipper made his presence known as he was spotted with his son Henry working the scoreboard along the Argentine version of the Green monster. Only that this green monster is in center field, at approx 450 ft. “Only Babe Ruth could hit a homerun in this park, dad,” stated Henry Perry while hanging up a rusty, old number 5 in the second inning. “This makes for good Shankee history,” says Skipper Perry, “Not too many father-son duos working old metal scoreboards at international baseball games. Not even Visa can buy a moment like this,” he adds.

The third game of the day had Brazil facing Chile as the Stadium lights went on. Unfortunately, it was a gloomy affair for the Andean team as they got crushed 15-0. That’s all for now. Stay tuned for more news as the days unfold with a lot more baseball ahead. Chau 4 now. --- For detailed info on the games, visit the Liga Metro homepage: http://www.beisbolmetro.com.ar

Tango in the air

2011-11-13T20:51:00.002-03:00

tango in the air

by Paul Perry

it was in a house
on Colodrero street
I used to sit in the yard and drink bourbon
while sitting under the large ficus tree.
and as the sun went down
the sounds of a Bandolion started echoing through the leaves
and the chirping birds even seemed to stop to listen.

there was a five story building next door
which was once a factory,
that an Italian man by the name of Carmelo
turned into makeshift apartments.
and from within one of those enclosed spaces,
there was a guy who played tango melodies like Libertella.

and during the hot summer months
when the cement sidewalks burned under the southern sun,
and poverty knocked on my door,
as the smell of liver and onions lingered from my walls,
the cubes in the glass seemed to dance
and the bourbon would glow
once the moonlight wrapped the urquiza sky.

my private concert would last about an hour
and during that time
all my thoughts seemed blend in perfect harmony
with the tantalizing sounds of the bandolion.
when it was over
I would walk back into my house
and fill up the ice cube tray once again
to come back and join him tomorrow
for my momentary escape from reality

Dateline: Occupy Buenos Aires 11-11-11

2011-11-11T18:55:00.025-03:00

Buenos Aires expats and locals came out today in force along with the security forces of the Argentine capital and their US embassy-hired counterparts.

Mounted police forces crossed Avenida Sarmiento at one-half hour before the designated 11am start of the local demonstration of support for the eight-week Occupy Wall Street movement that started in New York’s Zuccotti Park and has spread to cities around the world ...but kept a respectable distance from the peaceful protesters.

Both police and protesters were well-behaved and all seemed to be enjoying the beautiful spring day.

The "occupiers", who numbered about 70 by this reporter's estimation, had feared that their numbers would be diminished due to a late bulletin from the United States Embassy to Argentina issued by e-mail just last night.

The embassy's statement last night, as reported by Bloomberg/Businessweek warned,

"Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and possibly escalate into violence,” the statement said. “U.S. citizens should monitor the media coverage of local events and be aware of their surroundings at all times."

As it happened, both US expat and Argentine protesters met in peaceful camaraderie brandishing signs and often wearing face-coverings to conceal their identities from the ever-watchful embassy personnel and local police forces.

Photography was discouraged during the gathering. One protester, identified only as "Wachi", consented to be photographed for this story only with a red bandana covering most of his face. He explained in US accented English that the movement was a "moral issue" and went on to say that "until the worldwide unfairness that has become so commonplace as to be invisible to most individuals becomes obvious enough for the everyday person to recognize, there will be no progress. That´s why we're all here today."

A large percentage of the protesters gathered mistakenly in the park in front of the more well-known US consular services entrance on Avenida Colombia which had been taped-off with yellow police tape. Those protesters voluntarily dispersed after what was described by one as an "eyeball to eyeball" standoff.

Somewhat less than two hours later, the crowd in the park across 8 lanes of traffic from the more ceremonial embassy residence drifted away without incident.

Occupy Buenos Aires Tomorrow

2011-11-10T16:26:00.001-03:00

(Please click here and say "I´m Attending" Occupy Buenos Aires this Friday, 11-11-11, the worldwide Occupy Wall Street Day.)

Tomorrow!

Please lend your name and/or your presence to Occupy Buenos Aires.

This Friday, 11/11/11, please show your support for the worldwide Occupy Wall Street Day.

Please come peacefully stand with us for a few hours, in the park, across 8 lanes of traffic from the front of the US Embassy Residence. Please show that Buenos Aires stands in support of our much braver and stalwart brothers and sisters all over the world who truly occupy Wall Street and beyond.

Please say, "I´m Attending" by clicking here. Anonymous is OK! More than helping us plan for how many of us will be there ...it´s more important that you be there.

No Damn Yankee

2011-11-10T16:16:00.008-03:00

(Paul Perry, actor, baseball manager, and poet lives and works in Buenos Aires. His published works include 'Buenos Aires: A Train Ride over the Rainbow', 'Buenos Aires Chronicles - Poetically Porteño', 'Poetically Stoned', 'Philly Poems' and 'Tales, Poemas desde el fondo de la pecera'.)

no damn yankee

by paul perry (1994)

yeah,

i'm a Yankee

but at home i listen to the Redondos,

loud

real loud,

and then i'll put on some Sumo

and Charlie

and blend it in with a little Garcia of my own;

Jerry style.

yeah i´m a yankee,

and sometimes hit BK or Mickie Dees,

but at home call me porteño,

sparking up the parilla

and whipping up those asados and choris.

yeah i´m a yankee

and grew up drinking that Bud

but at home call me porteño

drinking that Quilmes ale

or uncorking a bottle of Vasco Viejo.

yeah i'm a yankee,

and my Philly nostalgia sometimes comes along

but it's this southern backward town

the place i call home.

South American Baseball hits BA

2011-11-08T23:06:00.007-03:00

Reporting for The Shankee Press - Jack Green

The tenth edition of the South American Baseball Championship kicks off this Saturday at the Estadio Nacional de Beisbol in Ezeiza; with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Peru all looking to win the title.

The event gathers each nation’s best players and coaches, some of which have MLB experience, in a week long competition. Brazil was the first to host this South American Championship back in 1957, and defeated Argentina and Peru in a two day tournament.

Argentina, one of the founding members of the South American Baseball Confederation, won in 2004 and look to repeat in front of the local crowd. Good food, cold drinks, and a week of baseball await at the legendary Estadio Nacional de Beisbol.

Opening Ceremony at Saturday 2:00 pm. / Argentina vs. Peru 3:00 pm. Check Liga Metro homepage (www.beisbolmetro.com.ar) for full program.

Do You Love Boardwalk Empire like I do?

2011-11-08T00:17:00.003-03:00

That´s good TV.

Shanks - Above 500!

2011-11-07T20:16:00.006-03:00

Reporting for The Shankee Press - Paul Perry

The Shanks are above 500. The once 3 and 5 Shankees have climbed above 500 after their third straight victory against an absent Ferro baseball club, and now pose a serious threat to the would-be contenders of the 2011 Humberto Koike tournament; the second of the Buenos Aires baseball season.

Led by their flame throwing righty out of Williams College, Jimmy ‘K’ Jr. and backed by a solid defense and red hot line-up, the wily cast of expats are now currently in third place, behind league leaders Ciudad Jardin and Jupiter; who the Shankees crushed 14-1 two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Koreans of Dokdo are claiming that the friendly they played three weeks ago was an official game, despite no league umpire on hand and with Coach Roach volunteering to ump from behind the pitcher. If the league indeed rules it official, it would put the Shankee record at 6-6.

However, the Shankee front office is expected to appeal the decision at this Tuesday’s league meeting, and God help the Koreans when Jimmy K takes the mound in the real game. Shankee followers may recall that the Dokdo won that scrimmage game 12-5, but only because it was a practice game.

At 6-5 technically, the Shankees are expected to travel to La Plata this Saturday, but given the start of the South American Baseball Championship starting on the same day, all league tournament activities may take a rain-check. Regardless, there is a lot of baseball action left and the Shankees look pretty damn good entering the final stretch.

Drinking Liberally Tonight!

2011-11-07T17:05:00.002-03:00

Bar Cilantro in Barrio Norte

Anchorena 1122

from 7:30 to whenevah!

www.drinkingliberally.com.ar

Grass-Fed Beef-Share, anyone?

2011-11-04T23:39:00.018-03:00

Don´t get too excited ...this is vapor-ware for the time being. However, things keep changing both here and at the ranch and we´ve had a surprising number of inquiries recently about a beef share.

Jeff L., a recent arrival from San Francisco, CA wrote this week to say that he had better luck finding grass-fed beef in the Bay Area than in today´s Buenos Aires. I never thought I´d see the day in which urban US citizens would have better access to what used to be the pride and joy and national patrimony of every Argentine! Bueno, las cosas cambian, eh?

Another thing that has changed is that our little town, 25km from our ranch, is putting the finishing touches on a municipal slaughterhouse. That will enable us supervise the slaughter process and keep from stressing our cattle with transporting them enormous distances. Thanks to my missus, our cattle live their whole lives with near-zero stress. That makes for good beef on your plate.

(I just now received another email ...this time from another recent arrival interested in opening an artisanal butchery! The iron is hot, folks.)

Now, back to the beef share! For those unfamiliar with the term, a beef share involves non-ranchers owning a share in a particular steer. At time of slaughter and butchering, the cuts of the animal are divided equally between the owners with everyone receiving an equal share of both the prime cuts and the others.

As you would imagine, some shareholders will have different preferences ...so they will often barter away steaks for brisket, ribs for achuras, etc., among their fellow owners. Some shareholders may even have a preference for the cowhide over their alloted cuts of meat.

All of them share another thing in common: knowing where their beef comes from and under what conditions the animal was raised and cared for ...no hormones, no anti-biotics, no confinement, no grain, all grass.

It´s tremendously economical ...but does require each shareholder to accept delivery of about 50lbs of beef. A good portion of that, however, will probably disappear with Sunday's asado! The rest can fit in a normal refrigerator/freezer with a little strategic stacking.

Another benefit, though, is learning and practicing cooking techniques for cuts that are much more flavorful than steaks. For example, osso bucco from a fine grass-fed animal is a real treat. No worries about mad-cow ...and, as Anthony Bourdain has termed "the food of the gods" and his "death-row meal", roasted bone marrow, spread on crunchy bread with nothing more than a simple salad and a glass of malbec is truly a lunch devoutly to be wished.

Anyhoo! I may as well try to guage some interest before we wade too far into this first step of sharing our fine beef with the world.

Please leave a comment or send an email to letters@yanquimike.com.ar if you have any interest or questions.

Trick or treat...Shankees on a winning streak!

2011-11-01T11:30:00.004-03:00

Saturday 2:30 PM - Parque Roca

Windy and weird -The Shankees took on the always dangerous 6-3 Tiburones of Velez this Saturday at Shankee Stadium. Unfortunately for the Tiburones, Jimmy 'K' Jr. was back on the mound; as well as most of the players from last week's romping of first place Jupiter. Though some of the Shankees looked a little ghoulish from the previous nights Halloween festivities, it didn't stop them from crossing the plate 24 times in nine full innings of play.

The Shanks went to work immediately, scoring five runs in the first inning and five in the second inning and two in the third. Adam Canadian Wonder Webb was back in action at second base and did great batting at the top of the order. Jorge 'Jungle Fever' Gutierrez was at the hot corner and rocked two doubles on the day. As for his Venezuelan counterparts, Ruben "Rio" Bravo, Gabo "Yo Gabba Gabba" Perdomo, Julio "The Bison" Briceño, and Luis "Captain Crutch" Mijares all saw plenty of action. Bravo hit a two run blast, whereas, Captain Crutch took a blast in the ribs to start a 3 run rally in the sixth.

The Argie - German left-field combo of Pablo Valdez - David Raudonat, proved effective for the Shankee Skipper, as both were productive at the plate. Though there is one less menacing bird squawking about or nestling in the outfield grass, as a baseball to the head sent it to birdie heaven. Gringo expats, Sam "Wingman" Brinkley, also had a huge day. Apart from catching 6 innings of Jimmy K's heat, he caught two innings for Julio Briceño. The Wingman hit a double, went 2-5 with 3 runs scored, 1 rb, and then pitched the tow final innings, in which gave up no hits and struck out five. Unfortunately, Sam made two costly errors on the same play which led to a huge rally by the Tiburones as the Shanks then drew blanks offensively and the resilient Tiburones battled back despite being down 15- 2.

Jonathan "2 times" Cantrell had another Mr. October day and seemed to always be on base. He sent a rocket into the soccer fields and threw out a runner at home. Tyson "Build me a mound" Boulais had two key singles. Jimmy K had a huge day offensively and was a double away from the cycle. Defensively, he once again led the way for the Shankees. By the time he left the mound in the seventh inning, there were 13 K signs hanging on the fence by the Shankee dugout. However, the winds of change blew-in hard from the West and the Tiburones scored six unanswered runs in the bottom seventh. A string of costly errors and a couple hits had the Shankee Skipper suddenly looking concerned.

"Dude, get that dead bird out of here, it's gonna haunt us for Halloween," Skipper Perry told the baseball bird slayer. Luckily for the Shankees, it would prove to be all superstition and too little too late for Velez as their bullpen faltered and the Shanks showed their poise at the plate. Nine runs in the top of the ninth put the game out of reach and led to the Shankees straight dominating performance.

This season is far from over, so opposing teams better watch out, better not cry, when the Shankees come to town. Chau 4 now, Jack Green for the Shankee Press. Buttermaker gameball: Jimmy K Jr. for his 13 K, 3 hit day. Shot of bourbon: The baseball bird slayer - may he slay no more. Final Score: Shankees 24 - Tiburones 10.

The Flask

2011-11-01T10:31:00.003-03:00

(Please welcome our newest columnist, Paul Perry of The Buenos Aires Shankees!)It was a cold, cold morning. I stepped outside and I could quickly feel the winter in my bones. It was then that I decided to step back into the house and get that little something that would warm me up while on route to work. I didn’t want to wake-up my wife and kids sleeping snuggly in their beds so I quietly unlocked the metal garage door and headed towards a tiny wooden cabinet where I kept everyday stuff such as keys, money, ids, pens, notepads, and most importantly, the object of my desire; my flask.

I quietly crept out just as quietly as I crept in. I became accustomed to that warm sensation of bourbon on cold winter mornings back in Philly back during the late eighties, while working at the navy yard. I used to stop at the Stadium Bar before boarding the subway on Snyder Avenue. My buddy Craig would order two shots of bourbon and a cup of coffee. He did one shot before the coffee, and the other shot after the coffee. I just did two shots and skipped the coffee. These thoughts went through my mind in the early morning silence of winter. I reached for the flask and stuck it in my jacket pocket, but not before shaking it to see if it contained an adequate amount, and then untwisting the cap for a quick shot. I walked out the door, ready to brave the frigid wind blowing in from the River Plate. I got to school and shortly after boarded bus, on route to the theater to rehearse for the annual concert.

There were around forty kids, most of which were either shouting at each other or out the window at someone walking down the street. Sometimes I would catch some of them giving pedestrians the finger; something quite common I’ve come to learn. I walked down the aisle making sure they all had their seatbelts properly fastened before taking off. My mood tended to be jovial on the school bus and I normally joked or tried to be funny. I would say things like: “Ladies and gentlemen, your on-board entertainment will begin shortly, but first your stewardess will come round with complimentary snacks and drinks. We hope you enjoy your ride on the magic bus.” Some of the kids laughed, others had no idea what I was talking about.

We arrived to our destination and I helped to escort the children off the bus and into the theater as rehearsal quickly got underway. I hung my jacket on the back of a seat and got on the stage to lend a hand, but not before securing my flask snuggly inside one of the side pockets of my blue Adidas jacket with the three representative white stripes running down each sleeve. Rehearsal lasted about three hours and by that time, I was quite tired and distracted. When it was time to go, I gathered the fourth graders and led them back onto the bus.

Twenty minutes later, we reached the school and disembarked. I entered the school and suddenly realized that I had left my jacket hanging on the theater seats. “My flask, “I said to myself as I quickly left and hurried home. I got my car keys and sped back to the theater, all the while hoping my jacket was still there; I loved that flask and could really give two shits about the jacket, which I had found on the bus three weeks before. But the flask was a gift from an old friend that had been to Germany and brought it back especially for me to fill with bourbon. I reached the theater and hurried to the stage where some stage hands were putting up some props and arranging some cables.

“Hola,” I shouted up to the stage, as the workers gave no response but just a glance.
“Did anyone find a jacket by any chance?” I asked in Spanish.
“Yes, blue with white stripes?” the worker replied.
“Yes, yes!” I replied enthusiastically.
“The principle took it,” he replied as the thought of the principle finding my flask sent my heart plummeting into the hollows of my stomach.

“Ok, gracias,” I replied as I quickly got back into my van and sped back to the school; all the while thinking of what I would tell the principle, my boss, about having a flask full of bourbon in my jacket pocket, and why I had brought it to school. The obvious excuse came to mind; it had been left in my pocket and unknowingly taken to school. The perfect excuse, I thought, plus it was no crime to carry a flask, especially during the frigid winter. I reached the school and parked my van at the door.

I rang the bell and the school secretary opened the door. “Paul, the principle found your jacket and she says you can have it back, but not the flask,” she said with a grim on her face. A sense of disturbed relief came over me, noticing the comical gestures which the secretary displayed in her words. I stepped into the school as the she told me to wait for the principle in her office. I walked into the principal’s office and stood waiting, thinking about what I would say to justify the need to carry a flask of bourbon in my pocket.

Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps approaching down the ceramic corridor. Meanwhile, I got flashbacks of my high school days, and thought, “I can’t believe I’m 42 years old and waiting for the principle to scold me, just like in high school.” Just then, the principle walked in.

“Perry,” she said, “Don’t bring this to school anymore,” as she reached inside her purse. She handed me the flask as she looked into my eyes. “It’s quite good, what is it?” she asked, as relief swept through my soul. “Bourbon, Jim Beam,” I replied, while taking hold of my dear flask. She smiled and then I smiled, as I proceeded to exit her office. I put my jacket on and placed my flask securely back into my jacket, but not before realizing that it was not as full as it had been before I forgot it in the theater. A little bourbon never hurt no one.

OWS Buenos Aires and Drinking Liberally

2011-11-01T00:44:00.021-03:00

(Please click here and say "I´m Attending" Occupy Buenos Aires this Friday, 11-11-11, the worldwide Occupy Wall Street Day.)

DATELINE (Drinking Liberally Buenos Aires) - Tonight's hot topic of conversation was the Occupy Wall Street movement and ...by extension ...Occupy Buenos Aires.

A straw-poll was taken regarding the movement and Buenos Aires' place in making a show of support for the world-wide day for Occupy on November 11th.

Opinions were all across-the-board, as you would guess at any gathering of DL. At least one person did not feel informed enough to comment. Another felt that the show of support in Zuccotti Park and elsewhere was as useless as Woodstock (opinions then were expressed that "Woodstock Nation" actually kept the Vietnam war from dragging-on as long as Iraq/Afganistan.)

The very word "Occupy" was taken to task for implying a genuine "taking" of Wall Street, Oakland, Austin, and so on. Some echoed recent web-commentary that the passive nature of OWS would be a short-fall. Without calling for violence, some felt that without militancy it was doomed to fade away.

Other comments reflected poorly upon the perceived "middle-class" nature of the occupation ...instead of the truly, economically damaged segment of the population.

Even further, many comments reflected a confusion as to an opposition to capitalism itself and whether a change to socialism or communism was being advocated.

Other comments were much more encouraging toward the occupiers.

The most encouraging made a point of the fact that the movement was tapping into what could be the most central and destabilizing and explosive issue that can be faced by societies which claim to be essentially middle-class: the growing inequality between those who have risen to the top ...and those who have not.

The implication, to me, being what to do with those who have "lost" on the "level playing field" of the great economic game.

I´ve always been struck by the way that people from the US fall in love with Argentina. There are many other places closer to the US that offer natural beauty, friendly people, and great culture ...all at a big discount.

My personal opinion has been that the experience of Argentina/Uruguay resonates with people from the US/Canada ...because these two areas are the great middle-class societies of the New World.

Although the middle class has taken a beating, world-wide, during the last decade and more, these two geographically extreme cultures still hold-on to an American Dream.

The barriers against uniting these two very similar cultures are also extreme in distance and political experience.

Those barriers, both real and imagined, both geographical and political, should not keep us from showing the mutual support that we all feel.

We should stand with each other ...even though we are not clear as to specifics.

I saw a historian on TV recently. He was asked as to the lack of specifics coming from the Occupy Wall Street movment. He said not to worry about it.

He said that the movement to abolish slavery had no specifics. They had no point-by-point plan as to what to do if slavery was abolished. They did not concern themselves with a lack of co-ordination.

The graying historian said, "their mission was not to draw-up plans and give facts and figures and percentages ...that´s for politicians to do!"

He said that their mission was to say slavery was wrong ...and to say it over and over and over again ...until enough people were convinced of that truth.

I say that until enough of us are convinced of that truth, OWS will fail. However, if we stand together ...even without specific policy proposals ...we can convince each other that the current outcome of a winner-take-all mentality will destroy everyone of every economic strata.

With that, I invite you to stand with every other interested person in Buenos Aires, across the 8 lanes of Avenida Libertador, in the park, in front of the US Embassy Residence, in a peaceful show of support of every other like-minded person who lives and breathes 24 hours a day in NYC's Zuccotti Park and beyond.

Contact Patricia Reynolds, founder of Occupy Buenos Aires

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Occupy-Buenos-Aires/267710469929888?ref=ts

...or myself

letters@yanquimike.com.ar

...to offer your support, if by nothing else than to stand in support on 11/11/11 at 11am.

The Flask

2011-10-31T21:19:00.001-03:00

The Flask

It was a cold, cold morning. I stepped outside and I could quickly feel the winter in my bones. It was then that I decided to step back into the house and get that little something that would warm me up while on route to work. I didn’t want to wake-up my wife and kids sleeping snuggly in their beds so I quietly unlocked the metal garage door and headed towards a tiny wooden cabinet where I kept everyday stuff such as keys, money, ids, pens, notepads, and most importantly, the object of my desire; my flask. I quietly crept out just as quietly as I crept in. I became accustomed to that warm sensation of bourbon on cold winter mornings back in Philly back during the late eighties, while working at the navy yard. I used to stop at the Stadium Bar before boarding the subway on Snyder Avenue. My buddy Craig would order two shots of bourbon and a cup of coffee. He did one shot before the coffee, and the other shot after the coffee. I just did two shots and skipped the coffee. These thoughts went through my mind in the early morning silence of winter. I reached for the flask and stuck it in my jacket pocket, but not before shaking it to see if it contained an adequate amount, and then untwisting the cap for a quick shot. I walked out the door, ready to brave the frigid wind blowing in from the River Plate. I got to school and shortly after boarded bus, on route to the theater to rehearse for the annual concert. There were around forty kids, most of which were either shouting at each other or out the window at someone walking down the street. Sometimes I would catch some of them giving pedestrians the finger; something quite common I’ve come to learn. I walked down the aisle making sure they all had their seatbelts properly fastened before taking off. My mood tended to be jovial on the school bus and I normally joked or tried to be funny. I would say things like: “Ladies and gentlemen, your on-board entertainment will begin shortly, but first your stewardess will come round with complimentary snacks and drinks. We hope you enjoy your ride on the magic bus.” Some of the kids laughed, others had no idea what I was talking about. We arrived to our destination and I helped to escort the children off the bus and into the theater as rehearsal quickly got underway. I hung my jacket on the back of a seat and got on the stage to lend a hand, but not before securing my flask snuggly inside one of the side pockets of my blue Adidas jacket with the three representative white stripes running down each sleeve. Rehearsal lasted about three hours and by that time, I was quite tired and distracted. When it was time to go, I gathered the fourth graders and led them back onto the bus. Twenty minutes later, we reached the school and disembarked. I entered the school and suddenly realized that I had left my jacket hanging on the theater seats. “My flask, “I said to myself as I quickly left and hurried home. I got my car keys and sped back to the theater, all the while hoping my jacket was still there; I loved that flask and could really give two shits about the jacket, which I had found on the bus three weeks before. But the flask was a gift from an old friend that had been to Germany and brought it back especially for me to fill with bourbon. I reached the theater and hurried to the stage where some stage hands were putting up some props and arranging some cables. “Hola,” I shouted up to the stage, as the workers gave no response but just a glance.
“Did anyone find a jacket by any chance?” I asked in Spanish.
“Yes, blue with white stripes?” the worker replied.
“Yes, yes!” I replied enthusiastically.
“The principle took it,” he replied as the thought of the principle finding my flask sent my heart plummeting into the hollows of my stomach.
“Ok, gracias,” I replied as I quickly got back into my van and sped back to the school; all the while thinking of what I would tell the principle, my boss, about having a flask full of bourbon in my jacket pocket, and why I had brought it to school. The obvious excuse came to mind; it had been left in my pocket and unknowingly taken to school. The perfect excuse, I thought, plus it was no crime to carry a flask, especially during the frigid winter. I reached the school and parked my van at the door. I rang the bell and the school secretary opened the door. “Paul, the principle found your jacket and she says you can have it back, but not the flask,” she said with a grim on her face. A sense of disturbed relief came over me, noticing the comical gestures which the secretary displayed in her words. I stepped into the school as the she told me to wait for the principle in her office. I walked into the principal’s office and stood waiting, thinking about what I would say to justify the need to carry a flask of bourbon in my pocket. Suddenly, I heard heavy footsteps approaching down the ceramic corridor. Meanwhile, I got flashbacks of my high school days, and thought, “I can’t believe I’m 42 years old and waiting for the principle to scold me, just like in high school.” Just then, the principle walked in. “Perry,” she said, “Don’t bring this to school anymore,” as she reached inside her purse. She handed me the flask as she looked into my eyes. “It’s quite good, what is it?” she asked, as relief swept through my soul. “Bourbon, Jim Beam,” I replied, while taking hold of my dear flask. She smiled and then I smiled, as I proceeded to exit her office. I put my jacket on and placed my flask securely back into my jacket, but not before realizing that it was not as full as it had been before I forgot it in the theater. A little bourbon never hurt noone. The End.

Trick or treat...Shankees on a winning streak

2011-10-31T18:04:00.001-03:00

Saturday 2:30 PM - Parque Roca - Windy and weird -The Shankees took on the always dangerous 6-3 Tiburones of Velez this Saturday at Shankee Stadium. Unfortunately for the Tiburones, Jimmy 'K' Jr. was back on the mound; as well as most of the players from last week's romping of first place Jupiter. Though some of the Shankees looked a little ghoulish from the previous nights Halloween festivities, it didn't stop them from crossing the plate 24 times in nine full innings of play. The Shanks went to work immediately, scoring five runs in the first inning and five in the second inning and two in the third. Adam Canadian Wonder Webb was back in action at second base and did great batting at the top of the order. Jorge 'Jungle Fever' Gutierrez was at the hot corner and rocked two doubles on the day. As for his Venezuelan counterparts, Ruben "Rio" Bravo, Gabo "Yo Gabba Gabba" Perdomo, Julio "The Bison" Briceño, and Luis "Captain Crutch" Mijares all saw plenty of action. Bravo hit a two run blast, whereas, Captain Crutch took a blast in the ribs to start a 3 run rally in the sixth. The Argie - German left-field combo of Pablo Valdez - David Raudonat, proved effective for the Shankee Skipper, as both were productive at the plate. Though there is one less menacing bird squawking about or nestling in the outfield grass, as a baseball to the head sent it to birdie heaven. Gringo expats, Sam "Wingman" Brinkley, also had a huge day. Apart from catching 6 innings of Jimmy K's heat, he caught two innings for Julio Briceño. The Wingman hit a double, went 2-5 with 3 runs scored, 1 rb, and then pitched the tow final innings, in which gave up no hits and struck out five. Unfortunately, Sam made two costly errors on the same play which led to a huge rally by the Tiburones as the Shanks then drew blanks offensively and the resilient Tiburones battled back despite being down 15- 2. Jonathan "2 times" Cantrell had another Mr. October day and seemed to always be on base. He sent a rocket into the soccer fields and threw out a runner at home. Tyson "Build me a mound" Boulais had two key singles. Jimmy K had a huge day offensively and was a double away from the cycle. Defensively, he once again led the way for the Shankees. By the time he left the mound in the seventh inning, there were 13 K signs hanging on the fence by the Shankee dugout. However, the winds of change blew-in hard from the West and the Tiburones scored six unanswered runs in the bottom seventh. A string of costly errors and a couple hits had the Shankee Skipper suddenly looking concerned. "Dude, get that dead bird out of here, it's gonna haunt us for Halloween," Skipper Perry told the baseball bird slayer. Luckily for the Shankees, it would prove to be all superstition and too little too late for Velez as their bullpen faltered and the Shanks showed their poise at the plate. Nine runs in the top of the ninth put the game out of reach and led to the Shankees straight dominating performance. This season is far from over, so opposing teams better watch out, better not cry, when the Shankees come to town. Chau 4 now, Jack Green for the Shankee Press. Buttermaker gameball: Jimmy K Jr. for his 13 K, 3 hit day. Shot of bourbon: The baseball bird slayer - may he slay no more. Final Score: Shankees 24 - Tiburones 10.

The quiet giant that rules the food business

2011-10-28T02:09:00.002-03:00

FORTUNE - "You don't have to love Egg McMuffins (McDonald's (MCD, Fortune 500) buys many of its eggs in liquid form from Cargill) or hamburgers (Cargill's facilities can slaughter more cattle than anyone else's in the U.S.) or sub sandwiches (No. 8 in pork, No. 3 in turkey) to ingest Cargill products on a regular basis. Whatever you ate or drank today -- a candy bar, pretzels, soup from a can, ice cream, yogurt, chewing gum, beer -- chances are it included a little something from Cargill's menu of food additives. Its $50 billion "ingredients" business touches pretty much anything salted, sweetened, preserved, fortified, emulsified, or texturized, or anything whose raw taste or smell had to be masked in order to make it palatable."

Please donate to the Shankees' Bat Ball & Glove Fund

2011-10-25T16:33:00.001-03:00

(Click to Donate $5 here)

Let me say it again: of all of the fine teams on the Buenos Aires Metro League ...the US expat team is the least funded.

You read that right. The Cubans, The Japanese, The Koreans, The Dominicans are all well-equiped while our Buenos Aires Shankees are running out of everything.

Part of the explanation is that US citizens here are more transient than other groups. We simply have fewer permanent immigrants than other nationalities.

The rest of the explanation is that everyone simply assumes that the team flying the stars and stripes has money. That assumption causes people to forget that our boys of summer need support too.

The Shankee Skipper, Paul Perry, writes that the team is down to its last 3 bats and their spikes and gloves are unraveling.

In addition to giving us great outdoor entertainment and a reason to cheer our fellow Americans, The Shankees work with local kids on little league and come out to volunteer for other charitable activities.

Baseball equipment is expensive here Argentina ...and can be hard to find. Please dig deep and give what you can. The Shankees have made it easy for you with their safe and secure PayPal Button ...you don´t need to have a PayPal account to give, you can use that button to donate with any Visa, MC, Amex, Discover, or checking account.

Please give what you can ...and if you are coming to Buenos Aires ...please consider looking around your garage and basement for baseball equipment that deserves to see the summer sun again ...this time in Argentina!

Stars over Jupiter

2011-10-24T09:50:00.001-03:00

Stars over Jupiter-Saturday-Jupiter Field-Cloudy and cold-

Out with a vengeance and in full force, the Shankees hit the suburbs to battle the 7-1 Jupiter squad of Ciudad Evita. “You never know what you’re gonna get on a Saturday of Shankees baseball, but sometimes the stars come out,” stated Skipper Paul Perry after his team’s 12-1 offensive and defensive romping of one of the league’s top teams. The Shankees set the tone off the get-go. Sam Brinkley was back in action for the Shankees and led off with a cool walk. He quickly scored off a double by the always dangerous two-hitter Ruben Bravo; still on the lookout for any Krazy Koreans lurking. Zack Karson also drew a walk and quickly jogged home after a monster ground rule double by Jonathan "2x" Cantrell, the first of many for the Shanks who dropped bombs all day, with 7 ground rule doubles soaring into the steady flow of traffic just beyond the left field fence. In fact, one by Jorge Gutierrez almost hit a bus, another by Jimmy Ray Jr. almost landed in the Parilla on the other side of the road. Even German Giant David Raudonat rocked a double and drove in a run. In all, the Shankees amassed a total of 12 runs off a bunch of hits. (Official stats not yet available)- Defensively, the Shankees were led by Williams College pitcher Jimmy Ray Jr., who set a new all-time Shankee pitching record by striking out 15 batters in only 6 innings. He breaks lefty Ace Andrew Terry’s 13 Ks in 11 innings and Eddie “The Ace” Nadel’s previous record of 12 Ks in 8. By way of his dominating speed and control, Jimmy carried a no hitter throughout six, and only gave up one run all day. He also hit three straight doubles and had two stolen bases. Sam Brinkley, who caught for Jimmy Ray Jr. after starting catcher Jeff Greenhouse cut his finger and had to leave the game in the second inning, took the mound in the 7th. Brinkley showed good command and was backed by two spectacular defensive plays by Zack Karson at short, who chased down a pair of dead quails in shallow left and center to end the game. With this solid victory, the Shankees sent a clear message to the rest of the A2 teams; “When the stars are out, the Shanks will shine”.- Buttermaker gameball: Jimmy Ray Jr. for his sensational pitching performance and record breaking day. Shot of bourbon: To Fred of SilverStar Transport, official Shankee sponsor, who got the boys to the game.- Adios Amigos. Jack Green reporting for the Shankee Press.

Drinking Liberally supports OWS BsAs

2011-10-23T19:59:00.004-03:00

This month on Facebook saw the first grouping of people in Buenos Aires and Argentina toward extending the Occupy Wall Street movement to our fair burg and shores. You can find first steps toward OWS in BsAs here and the Argentine efforts here.

Drinking Liberally, both internationally and in Buenos Aires supports their efforts and we hope to find out tomorrow how to help.

El Tejano on BBQ!

2011-10-20T21:30:00.007-03:00

(I´d like to welcome our barbeque correspondent, El Tejano, to the mix here! Although best known for his salsas ...and his NEW hotsauce ...Tex is Buenos Aires' resident expert on beef bbq. We´re proud to have him here. Keep an eye on this space for more barbecue news and opinion!)

"BBQ", three little letters makes one big strong word. The controversy it can bring among good friends, not to mention brothers, and how it can draw enemies from afar deserves at least a column or two.

Pulled pork, brisket sandwiches, baby-back ribs, beef ribs, and smoked turkey plates smothered in great sauce have not even one enemy, only a group of hungry faces; willing to share a seat at the table.

The line can stretch around the corner in order to get first dibs on fresh, right out-of-the smoker goodness. Amoungst the chatter between tables, one thing holds true, nobody's BBQ is better than "this guy I know's BBQ" or "there's a place down the street from..." Even the word BBQ and it´s origens is up for debate. The only thing not up for discussion is the fact that Bar-B-Q has been around a long time.

If one looks close enough, the credit goes to the early Spanish settlers and native American Indians. As European settlers found their way to the Southern states, in particularly South Carolina and specifically a small town called Santa Elena, they learned slow cooking methods from the native Indian. Over time processes, procedures, rules, and myths made what we fight over to be a house hold name today.

From The Carolinas, Texas, Kansas, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama or what have you, Bar-B-Q can be prepared many ways, but in my opinion, it’s the sauce that counts. BBQ sauces in each state are just as important, if not more important than the meat and cooking method. BBQ is down and dirty, almost a fightin word and a good sauce can stirup a lot of trouble. In addition to the "PIT…(the restaurant) and ¨GOODNESS…(sauce)¨ the ¨FIXINS…(i.e. cornbread, coleslaw dressing, the banana pudding, potatoes) are all a big competition wrapped up in one reinforced cardboard plate awaiting criticism with every sip of sweet tea (or is that non-sweet tea?).

Just the word Barbecue makes you think of a tasty plate of meat but it´s really a method and apparatus for cooking meat, poultry and occasionally fish with the heat and hot smoke of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal. The word revolutionized into something of it´s own. We use this word, especially in Texas for just throwing hot dogs onto the grill.

A quick google will show you that the term can refer to the meat, the cooking apparatus itself ("barbecue grill" or simply "Barbecue") or as an adjective can refer to any foods cooked by this method. It´s also a verb for the act of cooking food in this manner.

In Texas, barbecue sounds like a party, first and foremost!

This is my first crack at a short column. In the coming weeks, I´ll be sharing some of my tips and opinions. Now that the weather is getting fine, I´m ready for barbecue and I think Buenos Aires is too. Send me your thoughts, questions, and opinions and I´ll send you invitations to good Texas style barbecue.

Fair enough? I thought so!

Raw Milk in Argentina with Meghan Lewis

2011-10-19T02:37:00.002-03:00

I first became aware of different types of milk when I was 11 or 12. I'm sure there was some financial component to her decision, but it felt like out of the blue my mom announced that we would be drinking milk from one of my grandfather's cows. I remember the milk tasting like cows smell, and there were little yellow curds in it. To my great pleasure, the experiment only lasted a few months. Just after I graduated from college my best friend went to work on an educational farm and tried to pass on to me her new-found appreciation for raw milk. She also disliked using soap to clean her water bottle or shampoo to wash her hair. I found her dedication to `all that was natural' too ambiguous to counteract my fears about what the milk might be harboring. Then about 5 years ago my sister-in law's mother started drinking raw milk because she was suffering a lot from asthma and allergies. Her health improved and my brother, who also suffers from intense seasonal allergies, and his wife started drinking raw milk. They have become so convinced of the health giving properties of raw milk that they recently started their own small dairy.

I recently spent a week with my grandparents in Colorado and engaged my grandmother in a conversation about the benefits of raw milk and was surprised to discover that while I thought we'd been drinking raw milk when I was a child, my grandfather had actually home-pasteurized it. My grandparents believe that raw milk is dangerous, and are not at all interested in research that points to it's superiority over processed milk. To them this debate falls within the realm of other hippie arguments for over-priced organic or artisanal foods. I have often been surprised by the distrust my grandparents exhibit towards the Real Food Movement, when in fact they have always grown the bulk of their own produce, and used to raise and process their own meat and dairy products. One of the more disturbing trends in our ever-changing relationship to food is a tendency to create an image of unprocessed foods as being only for the wealthy or for those who disdain mainstream culture.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurization is a process in which a food is heated to a specific temperature and then cooled as quickly as possible to slow microbial growth. Sterilization of food is not common because it adversely affects the taste and quality, but dairy products are often nearly sterilized to ensure the destruction of microbes. If cows are unhealthy or if milking takes place in unsanitary conditions and milk from many cows is mixed, pasteurization is necessary to ensure that the milk will not harbor harmful bacteria, yeasts, or molds.

Raw milk does indeed contain living microbes but it's important to understand that microbes are only called `germs' when they are harmful to our health. Our bodies function in cooperation with lots of `friendly' microbes that help us digest food, eliminate toxins, and kill unfriendly microbes (germs). In fact, though famously dangerous, there are many strains of the Escherichia coli bacteria that live in the human intestinal system and among other functions help us produce Vitamin K. If milk comes from healthy animals the microbes it contains are not only beneficial to our health they also inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria that the milk may contact through the air or containers. Raw milk contains an enzyme that functions to help us digest lactose, thus many people who are lactose intolerant have no problems consuming raw milk products. Raw milk has been found to help us absorb calcium, lubricate our joints, and maintain proper stiffness or our arteries and veins. One of the more interesting benefits of raw milk consumption is that it can reduce symptoms of or even eliminate allergies. My guess is that this effect is the same as the homeopathic effects obtained from consuming raw, local honey. By consuming raw dairy products from animals that digest the allergy producing plants, one is introducing his or her body to small amounts of the irritating substances in a gradual process that can teach the body to process them.

We are used to being assured by federal regulations whether our food is safe or not. Argentina is definitely less paranoid about germs that the United States. When I first arrived I had to struggle to mask my shock nearing panic when I would see people touching raw meat, then money, then everything else without any apparent worry about germ transference. I've seen inside of enough water tanks in the city that I'm surprised I still drink tap water. But in 3 years I've never had any food-bourne illness and I have increasing faith in the body's ability to handle more microbes than I had previously believed. Yet Argentine law also prohibits the sale of unpasteurized milk. I learned this from a milk seller at El Galpon Organico, and then I went to a goat dairy outside of town to see if I would be able to obtain raw milk closer to it's source.

I had been advised by my brother and his wife to inspect the goats and the milking area to see that they appeared clean, and to ask the owners whether they used hygienic practices and chilled their milk immediately. The animals and milking area did look and smell clean, and the woman who sold me the milk assured me that the animals are healthy. Yet she told me I should boil the milk to 75 Celsius (167 F) before drinking it `just in case' and told me that she and her husband never consume the milk raw. And guess what? I didn't try the milk raw. Even though I believe the research that says it's more likely I'll consume harmful bacteria from spinach or cooked meat than from raw milk, I was afraid to be my own guinea pig. I often eat a few strawberries on my way home from the verduleria before I wash them. I trust my saliva and the rest of my digestive system to render harmless anything that might be resting on the skin. The truth is I usually only drink milk with my coffee or use it in cooking, so I reasoned tht I was not being so cowardly, I was just using milk the way I normally do. But really I chickened out. My idea had been to try drinking raw milk to see if I start feeling any of the myriad benefits that enthusiasts profess it to have. Instead I was confronted with my own conditioning and my adherence to mainstream dictums. If I learn of a small dairy from which other people drink raw milk I think I would be inspired to take the risk. If anyone knows of such a dairy, I'd be glad to learn about it.

Supermercados Chinos ...Argenchinos!

2011-10-11T01:19:00.001-03:00

Big cities always seem to have certain services which are dominated by specific ethnic groups. Japanese gardeners are stereotypical to clichéd on the west coast of the US. Polish tuckpointers in Chicago. Irish bartenders or policemen in NYC or Boston. In Buenos Aires, small supermarkets are so dominated by Chinese immigrants that even is the owner is not Chinese ...chances are that the place will be referred to as "un Chino." Buenos Aires wouldn´t be the same without them.

Today´s La Nacion has a great article on the phenomenon. It turns out that 80% of the mainland Chinese who operate these urban lifesavers are all from one Chinese province, Fujian. In recent years, they have opened these stores at a rate of 20 per month, although, in recent years the numbers have slowed along with China's economic success. On average, according to La Nacion, there is a Chinese supermarket every four blocks (my own barrio has at least two within 1½ blocks.)

It´s a great read in castellano ...or in English via google.

It's Buenos Aires Food Week!

2011-10-11T00:21:00.001-03:00

Have you checked out La Semana de la Gastronomía Porteña? We spend a lot of time at yanquimike.com.ar talking about foods that are not widely available here in our City of the Fair Winds ...but here´s a great opportunity to celebrate all the good foods and authentic Buenos Aires places in which to eat them.

And WHAT A WEBSITE. Buenos Aires is famous for great design and BsAs food week is well presented in their web presence. This city does better web stuff than any other place I know. Even if you are not from here, click through their site and get an education.

Time to get out and show all our favorite boliches how much we love them and would miss them if they were to disappear! Have fun!

El Tejano has a hot sauce ...not a salsa!

2011-10-10T02:28:00.002-03:00

I got an advance bottle of the new El Tejano Hotsauce at Drinking Liberally last Monday ...and I´m crazy about it. That night we only sampled it on tortilla chips but I´ve had a week to try it on my favorite grub ...and it´s a winner! I have a lot of hot sauces from both the US and Mexico in my home arsenal and I´m ready to say that El Tejano is my favorite of them all.

This is no mild sauce and it´s not a dipping sauce either. It´s hot enough to rock your world.

Like all the other El Tejano salsas, it´s complex and dense with flavors. You can really tell that this is not a mishmash of hot stuff but a blend that is trying to get to a particular destination, trying to make a point. And it succeeds.

I´m not privy to the ingredients but it´s obvious to me that the the locoto pepper is well represented. That´s a good move, in my opinion. The locoto (or rocoto) is one of my favorites. It´s really hot but revs-up slower than most. That´ll give you a couple two three seconds to mull over the rest of the ingredients. There´s a wide jalapeño flavor and, who knows, maybe even another pepper to round out that great burn.

Although the sauce tastes like it could have 50 ingredients, the flavors are so balanced and harmonious that it´s really hard to pick out any one that dominates. The texture is hearty rather than tabasco-thin. The color is a beautiful vibrant speckled red. The acidity is high and sparkly without the pronounced vinegar flavor of a tabasco-type. There´s nothing salty or garlicy or herbal about it ...although, I´m sure all those components are part of the secret blend. This sauce is all about the peppas! The rest is just the Cadillac they rode in on!

It´s addictive, too ...and shelf stable so you can leave it right on your kitchen table if you want. No preservatives and no artificial ingredients.

I´ll let you know when it goes into production. Sheesh. Argentina now makes one of the best hot sauces I´ve ever tasted!

Hot Baseball! Saturday, October 8th!

2011-10-02T00:00:00.001-03:00

The Buenos Aires Shankees vs. the dreaded Cubans at Shankee Stadium in beautiful Parque Roca. Round-Trip transportation on the famed Shankee Clipper at high noon from Plaza Italia only 20 pesos! Beer, sodas, food at the concession stand. Blue skies and beeyoutiful weather guaranteed!

Check in with the facebook invitation to reserve your transportation! See ya there!

Argentine Water Exports: Blue Gold for a Few

2011-09-30T21:57:00.005-03:00

Water more precious than gold ...literally.

Don´t just think plastic bottles filled from tropical islands or pristine glaciers, water gets exported with every bushel of grain, side of beef, barrel of oil ...and bar of gold.

Drinking Water

Water is fast becoming a globalized food commodity available for profit-taking. Fresh drinking water is already transported by tankerships and even in 5 million gallon polyurethane bags towed by ocean barges. Although the sight of ocean-going water-balloons is an obvious example of water exports, agriculture is a less obvious example.

Food

Agriculture effectively exports water with every food shipment from countries who have water supplies sufficient for growing food to those who do not. Bottled water may have recently lost some of its fashionable qualities among the environmentally conscious but grain, beef, and even wine are huge one-way tickets for Argentine water.

Still not convinced: 1 inch of rain or pumped groundwater, falling on 100 acres, equals over ten million liters. Don´t forget that it takes a lot more than 1 inch of rain to raise those food commodities ...and a lot more than 100 acres. Argentina alone has over 325 million acres of agricultural land.

What about gold?

Hollywood has left almost everyone with the mental image of the hottest, driest work on earth: mining and drilling. Although gold has always required huge amounts of water, drilling for oil and gas now uses hydraulic fracturing or "fracking" to obtain ever more difficult supplies of fuel. That process involves injecting more than 20 million gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to pry out gas that's locked away in tight spaces ...per each well.

Argentina is one of the truly blessed nations when it comes to fresh water but it´s far from the top 10 ...and that fresh water is not distributed evenly over its vast area. Making matters worse, mining and drilling in Argentina is concentrated in areas where water of any kind is in short supply.

The Associated Press reports today that to extract the shale oil and gas deposit from JUST ONE recently discovered field ...could take 144 BILLION liters of water, an amount they say is equal to the total daily amount of water supplied by all public water systems to the entire United States.

The AP report goes on to describe the world´s highest gold mine, Argentina´s Pascua Lama mine. Under an an agreement with the provincial government, the Canadian mine operator will extract 14 BILLION gallons of water for mining purposes ...while the neighboring residents of downstream towns and villages suffer under water-use restrictions and pay 99 times more for their water than the mine.

"If Barrick Gold had to pay for this water, it wouldn't invest in the mine — it wouldn't be profitable," said local lawmaker Miguel Bonasso.

Even at all-time record prices, the "yellow metal" wouldn´t be worth mining without free water (an average paperclip would be worth $85USD if made of gold.)

Such is the value of water. Sharing it is noble, causing suffering through converting it into a profitable and easily traded commodity robs the present and the future.

1st Animal Welfare Approved Restaurant to Open in NY

2011-09-30T16:19:00.001-03:00

HUDSON, NY (meatpoultry.com) – On Oct. 1, the first Animal Welfare Approved Restaurant, Grazin', in Hudson, NY, is set to open for business. As a result, Grazin' will become the first restaurant in the US using only Animal Welfare Approved meat, eggs and dairy products. Restaurants can only earn the distinction of being an "Animal Welfare Approved Restaurant" if all meat, dairy and egg products are from Animal Welfare Approved farms.

The owners and operators of both Grazin' Angus Acres farm in Ghent, NY, and the new Grazin' restaurant are Dan Gibson and his family. When Grazin' opens its doors, customers will consume locally sourced and sustainably produced meals. Signature menu items at the classic 1950s-style stainless steel diner on Warren Street will include eight different burgers; all made using local Grazin' Angus Acres' 100 percent grass fed and finished Black Angus beef served with hand-cut organic fries, plus a range of homemade organic ice creams and house-made organic sodas from an old fashioned fountain. (read more...)

Deere to open tractor factory in Argentina

2011-09-29T18:10:00.002-03:00

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/deere-to-open-tractor-factory-in-argentina-2011-09-26

Argentina: Latin America's Highest Growth

2011-09-27T19:35:00.002-03:00

http://www.latinbusinesschronicle.com/app/article.aspx?id=5143

US Lag in Animal ID will be Costly

2011-09-27T19:30:00.002-03:00

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/09/going-without-animal-id-will-be-costly-economic-study-says/

US & India Only Big Exporters w/o Traceability

2011-09-27T19:25:00.001-03:00

http://www.dairyherd.com/bovine-vet/industry-news/Livestock-IDtraceability-economic-assessment-report-130572678.html?ref=678

Dr. Grandin on Cows Chasing RC Car

2011-09-27T19:03:00.007-03:00

If you´ve seen the below video showing a bunch of cows chasing ...and being chased ...by a radio-controlled car, you might wonder what´s going on with these heifers. I sure did!

Well, who better to ask than the Einstein of cow behavior, Dr. Temple Grandin?

Since my missus corresponds occasionally with Dr. Grandin, I asked her to run the video by the good doctor and get her opinion. We got the reponse today and she wasn´t surprised:

"Dear Alicia,

...I once saw a herd of heifers standing in a circle around a woodchuck, which is a furry animal the size of a large cat. They were very curious and they sometimes moved towards it.

Sincerely,
Temple"

Animal Planet confirms that happy young cows in their element (lovely pasture) are very playful. Herds of heifers have also been known to gang-up against coyotes, taking good advantage of their numbers to ward-off small predators.

Mystery solved!

Bull Semen Shopping Video!

2011-09-24T18:44:00.003-03:00

Great visit to Las Lilas! Not the restaurant ...but the stud farm that houses the rockstar bulls from one of the great cattle countries on earth.

We settled on artificial insemination from Arafat, Fidel, and Etiqueta Negra (sadly, our 1st choice, Arafat did not make the video cut!

I hope you enjoy the music of Chango Spasiuk's Tierra Colorada!

Shopping for Bull Spooey

2011-09-22T23:41:00.003-03:00

Pouring over bull semen catalogs (you´ll pardon the allusion) with all the unrestrained glee of a little boy anticipating Christmas is one of those things that ...well ...my 20th century self could never have predicted.

But here I am and I am diggin' it! This is the kinda shopping that real men can get behind! (sorry, sorry.) Shopping for jeeps, trucks, big iron of any kind, cigars, finely tooled boots ...absolutely pales before the proud selection of the genetic material of champions that will move my mini-empire of willing maidens into the glorious future. Sheesh. Vicarious, thy name is Bull Semen Catalog!

But why use a catalog? Of course, you can't tell a player without a program ...but this ain't the US where everything is decentralized and distances between great cattle centers are immense. This is Argentina, one of the greatest cattle nations ...and one where everything centers on my hometown of Buenos Aires.

To wit, I´m off with my lovely missus to Cabaña Las Lilas (not their restaurant!), a legendary font of the greatness that is Argentine beef! Just imagine my restrained cattleman swagger among the champions! Picture yer faithful blogger, doing his best to impersonate a member of the hard-bit, scions of some of the greatest cow punchers the world has known. Hee hee! I´ll probably embarass myself but I'll try to keep it to a minimum.

But I can read a bull semen catalog! Take a look at this. They´re all champs, click on any one of them that you like.

Longtime readers will remember my 2007 choice of Max. This year, I´m looking at one of the sons of the sons of Max ...Arafat (pictured above.) He´s got great PN, PF, CE, and AOB! Whazzat?

Well, it´s great to have a champion sire ...but if he causes enormous babies to be born by my darling young heifers, I could have some trouble during birthing time. I want 'em to grow up to be big ...but I want them born as small as possible. Arafat´s PN (birth weight) rating make me feel like I won´t have any trouble with "my girls."

PF (Peso Final) is how big I can anticipate his progeny will eventually be. Arafat gets 'em born 0.8 smaller than average ...but they grow to be 20.5 more than average.

How 'bout that CE! That's balls ...literally. If I decide to keep some of his male descendants as bulls, they will likely be well-endowed in that department. Good to know.

AOB ...that´s for you guys! Area de Ojo de Bife, that is how big I can expect the Eye of Round cut of meat to be in the steers he sires. Good genetics make for good steaks. You can thank me later!

Another thing about the good genetics that I´m likely to get with Arafat... here in Argentina, cattlemen have selected for centuries for cattle that do well on grass. The US had a lot of trouble returning to grass ...one big reason was that cattle had not been selected for anything other than corn and confinement operations (feedlots.)

I´ll post some pictures of our visit to Cabaña Las Lilas for you this weekend. Wish us luck!

The Argentine National Flower Festival

2011-09-21T18:08:00.001-03:00

This Friday in Escobar! See you there!

Record Food Prices: Bubble or Here to Stay? Part 1

2011-09-19T18:53:00.002-03:00

Maybe you noticed it... maybe you didn´t ...but food prices worldwide are at all time highs and seem to be staying there. By some measures, prices are at their highest point in more than 150 years. You can cut-back and economize on a lot of things but food is usually the last on your list. For the next few weeks, I´d like to look into this issue, as much to explain it to myself as anything else. If this kind of thing interests you, send some loving comments my way and encourage me to share what I find out. I´ll bring my perspective as a rancher and farmer ...you bring your appetite.

Are Wall Street Speculators Driving-up the Price of Food?

This is a hot topic ...that's only getting hotter. Food prices worldwide are holding at record levels and the subject of outside speculators will be getting your attention in the media. I follow this closely ...but I don´t have the answer yet. So let´s explore the subject together:

First, what´s the difference between an investor and a speculator?

Answer: Not much ...but generally speaking investors have a longer-term outlook for the businesses they sink their money into. For example, if you are a brewer, you like to buy or contract your barley purchases as much in advance as possible. That way, your brewery knows how much it will be paying for your crucial ingredient and can plan your pricing and production. Same for any other food commodity that is crucial to business: corn flakes/corn, wonder bread/wheat, etc. That´s just business as usual and it also gives farmers an idea as to how much to produce ...and buyers an idea as to what to what prices to expect. Investors buy their commodities in advance by signing a futures contract (more on that later.)

A speculator (sometimes called an "outside speculator"), on the other hand, doesn´t produce food commodities and doesn´t consume them in his business. For example, the speculator might notice that prices for those commodities seem to have a good possiblility of going up ...so he buys a futures contract ...and hopes that he can later sell that contract for more than what he paid for it.

So, is there anything wrong with being a speculator?

It´s hard to say. It´s certainly not illegal and there are very few restrictions against it. In fact, there have been many years in which speculators have been universally praised. Conventional economics sees speculators as bringing buyers and sellers together, bidding-up prices when they are too low for the producer, and causing high consumer prices to fall when they sell their contracts. Speculators also can boost production in some cases because the futures contracts they buy provide "an insurance policy" for farmers who might otherwise not plant for fear of too low a price come harvest time.

Opponents of speculation in food commodities, on the other hand, point out that there is no need for speculators to bring barley farmers and beer brewers together. They say that there is no shortage of futures contracts between food producers and their industrial customers. Opponents go on to say that, instead of keeping a balance between high and low prices, speculators deliberately cause prices to swing wildly so that they can profit from the rise and fall. As to boosting production, critics of food commodity speculators point out that driving up prices to record levels puts pressure to slash and burn environmentally sensitive lands so that they can be planted or grazed.

They also point out that perhaps most alarming of all is Wall Street´s development of new financial instruments that have unforseen consequences in food commidity markets with no benefit to producers or consumers.

Full disclosure: as a rancher and farmer, if speculators are driving prices up ...they are putting money in my pocket.

However, I didn´t get into the food production business in order to see people go hungry. If speculators are causing prices to hurt my industrial consumers or my end-consumers, these high prices will eventually hurt me and make it even more difficult for me to plan what to produce from year to year.

Coming-up... Part 2: The Goldman Sachs Commodity Index

Meghan Elizabeth Lewis: New Columnist

2011-09-16T22:12:00.007-03:00

(I´m proud to introduce you to a new columnist, Meghan Lewis, an expat foodie who'll be writing on food issues in these pages. Welcome, Meghan!)

There are few things that we do as frequently as we eat – hopefully we have the opportunity to do it several times every day. An awareness of where our food comes from and how it was cultivated can provide an increasingly missing connection to the land around us; to our families, cultures, and traditions; or to new cultures and traditions.

I grew up in Monument, a small town in the foothills of Colorado. I have a BA in holistic health from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA. After graduation I spent 6 years teaching first grade at The Living Wisdom School in Palo Alto, CA. In March 2008, three months before my 30th birthday, I broke off an engagement for a wedding that was to have taken place in Lima, Peru. For years I’ve wanted to speak Spanish and was tango lessons at the time so I switched my ticket to Buenos Aires and enrolled in a month long language course.

I never expected to fall in love with any big city. As a teenager I was the only one of my friends who was not anxiously biding my time until I could escape Monument. But each time I was faced with decisions about education or work the better choice seemed to be away from Colorado. Almost immediately after arriving in Buenos Aires I was overcome by a desire to do something important here. That’s actually the word that floated in my mind as I marveled at the architecture and warmth of the people. I wanted to walk those crumbling sidewalks purposefully. I returned to CA briefly to sell my car and furniture and I told my family I would be teaching English for a year. September 17 will be my official 3 year anniversary as a resident of San Telmo.

From the point of view of dedicated students I know that teaching English is ‘important’. Even so, by November I was tired of putting in the effort it takes to do it well. Fortunately one evening I met my future business partner, Katrina Petney, while waiting for a bus in Belgrano. We soon discovered we were neighbors way across town on the border of San Telmo and La Boca, and also that we had each just finished teaching school in California and we were both certified to teach yoga. I lamented the fact that I had yet to utilize this skill and she said, “Don’t worry, when the time is right you’ll do something.” I asked her, “Is the time now?” and we immediately began creating what would become BuenaOnda YOGA.

Starting a business with very shaky language skills, in a city lax on the enforcement of rules and laws was exciting and disconcerting. Everything seems more possible than I felt it to be in the USA- one has only to choose a name and make a website and voilá, one is a business owner. At the same time operating under the radar has it’s challenges. A few months after we started classes a producer from TeleNoche contacted us to be part of an episode about foreigners running businesses here. We were convinced that it was actually a plot to discover illegal aliens working without visas and we spent lots of time learning how to explain in Spanish that we were ‘in the process of applying for residency’. The subject never came up, and our Spanish was atrocious, but I do know of one student and dear friend who found us because her boyfriend saw the episode.

Eventually BuenaOnda became stable enough that Katrina and I each started complimentary side business. She with outdoor group fitness training in Boot Camp Buenos Aires, and I with Jueves a la Mesa, a closed door restaurant serving spicy vegetarian food. A friendship with a barista in my favorite café led to another wonderful work relationship/friendship. I’m now also cooking for home-delivery with a Costa-Rican friend, Sofia Madriz. Since moving here I had let go of or ignored my preoccupations about food quality and it’s relationship to wellbeing and politics. All of this time in markets and kitchens prompts me to recreate foods and flavors I miss from home, and more importantly it puts me back in touch with what I consider the Real Food Movement that is taking place all over the world in various forms.

Food production has become something largely invisible to those not directly working in that field, even though it directly affects our individual health, the health of our communities and societies, and the health of the planet. A simple way to contribute to the health of all beings on the planet is to stop taking food for granted! The privilege of eating must not be undervalued.

If I’m going to stay here I want to learn about agricultural practices, find out where my food comes from and how it’s been processed. Whether we know it or not we are always acting politically when we buy food. It’s not at all a cliché to talk about voting with our pesos. Writing this column is my way of giving myself assignments to pursue and hopefully encourage you readers to investigate your food and perhaps cultivate a willingness to seek food that is grown, harvested, and processed in ways that benefit all involved.

So, I’ll be writing about why it’s good to eat plants, raw milk, why animal fat is not bad, which fats to cook with, reducing trash production through eating unprocessed foods, the political benefits of buying real food, the pleasure of the sobremesa. I’ll leave you with a quote from the website for El Galpon Organico.

Entender lo que estamos haciendo y qué recibimos a cambio,
debería ser una consideración de primer órden en nuestra vida.
Si cada uno de nosotros supiera el costo real de las cosas que consume, o que hace, seguro lo pensaríamos dos veces. Aprender a través de nuestro alimento puede enriquecer cualquier experiencia educativa. La comida es el hilo conductor que une biología, salud, historia, ciencias sociales y matemáticas con nuestro entorno social y con nuestro medio ambiente.
No podemos obviar esta relación básica.

Big Fears on Big Food Prices

2011-09-16T18:28:00.007-03:00

Welcome back to 2008.

The above chart is real; it´s from the UN´s Food and Agriculture Organization and it tracks food commodity prices. Food commodities are the raw materials of the food chain like corn, wheat, soybeans, meat, etc. before all the "value added" by food processing.

The big peak is in the middle of the chart is 2008 ...and the big peak on the right is today.

You might remember 2008 ...there were 60 food riots worldwide and some long-time governments fell as a result. The worldwide financial crisis then caused commodity prices to fall and that gave hungry humans about a 3 year break on their food bills.

Well, welcome back to high prices for food and other commodities ...and if you are hungry human in the developing world, you can be forgiven for praying for another meltdown among the world´s richest countries. But that´s not as likely now as it was in 2008.

This time around, food prices are affecting more than just the developing world. Wealthy countries are showing sluggish growth in their economies and many are struggling with high unemployment and lower wages. Food´s a funny thing, though: it´s the last thing that people cut back on. Food prices are way up in the US, for example, at a time of poverty rising to record levels. US consumers have cut back so much on gasoline that supplies are up and prices are down ...but even if they cut back on food, it won´t help supply or prices.

Supply and Demand

Although farmers and ranchers are producing all that they can, population is rising and the developing world is demanding the high protein din-dins that come from diverting grains to animals for meat and dairy. It´s a push-me, pull-you situation. If one nation eats more, another eats less ...and prices go up for both.

The 21st century is also seeing more and more cropland change to corn and soy.

Rice

Rice is a big loser in this new equation. The demand for corn and soy to make not only food but bio-fuels is causing farmers in the rice-exporting countries to switch to those two high-profit crops. Rice-eating countries export virtually nothing of their production. They rely on non-rice-eating countries to fill their annual shortages. Sadly, cropland in those rice-exporting countries is moving to other crops ...especially in the US, the world´s 3rd biggest exporter of rice.

Meat

The great meat-eating nations are feeling the pinch. High prices for corn and soy have diverted pastureland to those crops ...and are bedeviling the feedlot and dairy confinement operations with big bills for animal feed. Prices for beef, pork, and chicken are up everywhere.

Reserves

Another factor contributing to high prices, and wide swings in prices, is low reserves. As recently as the early 1990´s, large amounts of excess food commodities were stored, held in reserve, in case of shortage and as a hedge against swings in prices. Those reserves have been hovering at all-time lows for years. There´s not much cushion left in world food supplies.

China has committed itself to a national pork reserve and Brazil is doing it´s damndest to supply it. The environmental cost of which we might not know for years.

Climate Change

The weather experienced in this new century has wreaked havoc with farmers and ranchers used to more predictable patterns. The world´s biggest exporter of corn, the US, was tortured with hot weather this year and will have very little corn to store. The world´s second largest exporter of corn, Argentina, is struggling with government restrictions on exports that have caused dizzying disparities in price between Rosario and Chicago.

Export Restrictions

Argentina is not the only country to restrict exports on food commodities. In 2008, governments in 28 other countries restricted food exports to protect their populations ...and their elected positions. When countries restrict their exports in a panic over local supply, the amount of that particular food on the open market become scarce ...and price begin to swing wildly and panic buying sets in.

That brings us to most controversial aspect of big food prices: speculation.

Speculators

The traditional school of thought says that speculators in agricultural futures do not and cannot affect the end price of those commodities ...unless they actually take physical delivery of those tons of grains and meats. Another school of thought holds that, in markets that are normally boring and sleepy like rice and most agricultural commodities, speculators can cause panic that results in big hikes for the people that actually eat those commodities and depend on them to live.

The slowing of growth among the richest economies, according to that second school of thought, has lured speculators away from more traditional commodities (copper, coal, steel) into the agricultural sector which has heated-up and looks to stay hot. Since food prices look to stay high, if not become unaffordable for millions, traditional economists might have to re-write their textbooks as regards speculators.

You will be reading more on world food prices in the near future (if I´d have written this post last week, as I intended, I would have scooped several big publications) ...and you will be paying more for everything that you eat no matter where you live.

Keep an eye on yanquimike.com.ar ...food will be a major focus here for the foreseeable future.

THE OFFICE ...get ready for the Grand Re-Opening

2011-09-12T16:08:00.003-03:00

Here's hopin' it's only temporary. Today, Alan Epstein had the sad duty to announce that his great eatery will be shuttered until some "habilitación" problems can be sorted-out. Looks like his success has drawn the attention of more than the hordes of fans in Las Cañitas and all around Buenos Aires.

Opening a bar & grill is tough sledding anywhere ...but expat owners in Buenos Aires can tell you stories particular to our fair burg.

In no time at all, The Office has earned fame for it's burgers, fries, and salads. The joint is practically a neighborhood center for expats in the barrio and a BOMB-ass burger mecca for everybody else in town. All due in no small part to Alan´s generous personality and just plain buena onda.

Keep your calendar open for a grand re-opening party as soon as the bureaucracy permits ...and let´s all sling some extra revenue his way and show our support.

The Shankee Pennant is Flying!

2011-09-07T19:52:00.004-03:00

Hot on the heels of last week's victory over Ferro, Our Boys of Summer are taking on the dreaded Japanese this Saturday! So grab yer main squeeze and/or best drinking buddies and let´s go to the ballgame!

Catch the famous Shankee Clipper and ride in style to beautiful Parque Roca for only $15ARS r/t. The big ship leaves at High Noon from Plaza Italia (on Sarmiento, almost at the zoo entrance.) Check out this handy map.

Saturday´s gonna be a beautiful day for a baseball game so come on out to the friendly confines of Shankee Stadium!

Drinking Liberally Buenos Aires!

2011-09-03T01:32:00.005-03:00

Please to LIKE our new Facebook/Community Organization page! Due to Facebook rules, we can´t just "move you over" from the group site ...and the new page really gives us some great new flexibilities.

So if you you love Drinking Liberally and would like to know all of our happenings ...please give us a LIKE and help us migrate from "group" to Community Organization. All it takes is a click!

Sausage that Dare not Speak its Name

2011-09-03T01:00:00.006-03:00

Why is there no name for the mildly-seasoned sausage that we Mid-westerners and Southerners crave for breakfast?

Whether in links or in patties, this pure-pork sausage is almost as essential to breakfast as bacon for a huge swath of yanquis. Eggs or grits or fried potatoes or even an EggMcmuffin just don't cut it for a proper yanqui breakfast without this sage-infused concoction of fresh ground pork, black pepper, and not much more.

Here deep in the Province of Buenos Aires Argentina, we´ve been making this sausage for years, now. Why, in this country that adores mild flavors, is there nothing similar, no one knows.

We´ve been making this sausage for years on the Yanqui Mike Open Bar Ranch ...and even the gauchos approve!

Redolent of sage and summer savory and black pepper, patties of this sausage truly satisfy with farm-fresh eggs.

My Missus and I have always considered producing delectible little links of it ...but it is just so delicious in its bulk form that we´ve never thought it worth the bother.

If you´d like some, just leave a comment. We make it in big batches and we love to share.

Shameless Self-Referential Mention

2011-08-28T18:53:00.003-03:00

Every couple of years or so I spiff-up the ol' blog. This time is a bit more complicated ...but a little closer to what I've been trying to do from the beginning.

If I could impose upon you... could you click through the new layout a little and let me know if everything functions for you. I´m especially interested in you Internet Explorer users ...because I've optimized the site for Firefox 6.0.

And, as always, gimme yer opinions and criticisms ...I love you madly. Thanks!

Things to do with Argentine Beef

2011-08-23T18:45:00.009-03:00

Back in the good ol' days of grass-fed, La Carne Argentina was so good that it was a sin to do anything but roast it over hardwood coals, salt it, and eat it.

Now that 80% of Argentine Beef comes from feedlots, what little flavor that remains could use a little help!

Since we yanquis have been giving feedlot beef a helping hand for about 60 years, it´s time to dust-off some time-honored recipes and put them to guilt-free use here in Buenos Aires.

Here´s something I´ve been working on this winter:

beef barley soup

One of the magical things you can easily add to your cooking in Argentina is the flavor of the omni-present hardwood coals glowing away in every neighborhood parilla and sacred back-yard Sunday asados.

So next time you find yourself someplace where beef is being broiled, grab some asado de tira or vacio to go.

Tell them you want it "bien, bien asado." You´re looking for the asador to really dry-out the meat, drip-off the fat, and get as much of that smokiness as possible.

If you´re not ready to cook, throw it in the freezer ...the smokiness will be just fine for a few days.

When you wake up one morning in the mood to cook, grab a good-sized pot and whip-up a mirepoix of that holy trinity of carrots, celery, and onions in equal amounts. Whack them into pieces small enough to help them release their flavors. Throw them in the pot with a pinch of salt and as much garlic as you like. Fill the pot to the brim with water (you want a lot of broth.) Proportions: about 1/3 vegetable matter, 2/3 water. Bring to a boil then simmer for a little more than an hour.

When a taste of the veggies reveals that they have surrendered all or most of their flavors, strain your vegetable stock and discard them.

Now grab your well-roasted beef and trim-off the excess fat. Feedlot beef is crazy stupid fatty ...you´ll need a little of that but get rid of any big, easily trimmed fat and you should be fine. You can skim the congealed fat off the top of the soup later when it´s cooled if there is still too much. However, that skimmed fat will contain a lot of the other flavors. So it´s better to reduce the beef fat before you put it in the pot. Use as much beef as you like and dice it fine or coarse...it will eventually disolve to a great degree.

Now that you have a pot of steaming stock and roasted beef... start thinking about what herbs you would like. I´ve found that a judicious amount of thyme is great for this soup. Rosemary is a nice touch as well. I´d stay away from oregano for this soup but a touch of basil works. Season it well as you will be diluting it a little later.

This soup cries out for black pepper. Use a little more than you might normally. I don´t know about you but I´ve found regular supermarket black pepper in Buenos Aires to be way better than in the US. Black pepper and the charcoal flavor are perfect together and, as the fat renders, their harshness really mellows.

Mushrooms or mushroom powder really works well with this but are optional and I´d suggest that you not over-do it. Next time out, I think I´ll braise some mushrooms in butter and red wine and throw them into the pot. My next batch will definitely have a good splash of plonk!

Most likely, your pot will now be quite a bit less full after discarding the original veggies. Fill it back up to the brim with water and let the whole shebang simmer for about an hour and a half. Check on it every ½ hour or so and adjust your seasonings.

During this simmer, I suggest you add one of my secret Argentine ingredients: Safra® extracto de carne. It´s really strong and quite salty ...so for your 3 liter pot, I´d start out with a ½ teaspoon then come back later and taste. I really love this stuff but I respect it! Use a spoon sterilized in the simmering broth and it will keep in your fridge forever.

After an hour and a half of simmering, you should be presented with a very brothy soup, redolent of all your seasonings and rich with the flavor of charred beef and black pepper, and mellowed with some beef fat. You may well decide to eat it as-is! A crunchy bâton from L'epi might do the trick.

For me, however, this soup is the perfect foil for pearled barley. Keep in mind that the barley will expand to about 4x its uncooked size ...and take a lot of the broth with it. For this reason, keep your concoction as brothy as possible and well seasoned in case you need to dilute it once the barley swells. For a 3 liter pot, I´d only add two tablespoons of barley ...unless you are looking for a porridge rather than a soup. Barley will need about an hour of good simmering. When it´s tender, it´s done. It will swell more and be more tender the next day.

Give it a try and let me know if this wonderfully hearty soup chases away the winter chill.

¡provecho!
Mike

The Bird - Cow Alliance

2011-08-13T19:41:00.000-03:00

Wish you could avoid nasty feedlot beef at your favorite restaurant and supermarket? Me too!

Help may be on the way from an unlikely source, La Alianza del Pastizal, a consorsium of wildlife groups that is concerned that the disappeance of grass-fed beef is harming bio-diversity in the Southern Cone.

The Aliance is afraid that as grass-fed cattle disappear from the pampas, the land is often converted to uses that are not so conducive to all the smaller creatures that have always co-existed with cattle grazing.

Their idea is to keep cows on the grasslands (and out of the feedlots) by making grass-fed beef an ecological issue.

Toward that end, the wildlife preservationists are suceeding where ranchers have failed; they are spearheading an effort to reward stockmen who maintain their herds on pasture with a certification program that will allow food-conscious consumers a way to identify grass-fed beef in the market.

The Alliance is already having success in Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay.

Buying Farmland Reaps 16% / yr.

2011-08-11T22:06:00.000-03:00

(from Bloomberg) "Perry Vieth baled hay on a neighbor’s farm in Wisconsin for two summers during high school in 1972 and 1973. The grueling labor left him with no doubt about getting a college degree so that he’d never have to work as hard again for a paycheck. Thirty-eight years later, and after a career as a securities lawyer and fixed-income trader, Vieth is back on the farm"

Argentine Central Bank sells 80 million greenbacks ...but the dollar still goes up to $4.33

2011-08-10T14:54:00.005-03:00

(from Clarín.com) "The global turmoil and the sharp fall of the Buenos Aires Stock Exchange on Monday continued to impact on the exchange market yesterday. Global financial instability fueled jitters small savers and investors, who sought shelter in the U.S. currency. After selling a record $ 230 million on Monday, the Central Bank yesterday returned to part with $ 80 million to meet demand that does not stop...

...The rise was not reflected in the official price of the dollar, which remained at $ 4.185.

...Demand for dollars sold on the parallel market caused the price to rise from $4.30 to $4.33."

The Cooper Union Address

2011-08-10T00:03:00.000-03:00

“Your purpose, then, plainly stated, is that you will destroy the Government, unless you be allowed to construe and enforce the Constitution as you please, on all points in dispute between you and us. You will rule or ruin in all events.” - Abraham Lincoln

Any Major Dude will tell you

2011-08-09T23:12:00.000-03:00

I never seen you looking so bad my funky one.
You tell me that your superfine mind has come undone.

Any major dude with half a heart surely will tell you my friend.
Any minor world that breaks apart falls together again.
When the demon is at your door,
In the morning it won't be there no more.
Any major dude will tell you .

Have you ever seen a squonk's tears?
Well, look at mine.
The people on the street have all seen better times.

I can tell you all I know, the where to go, the what to do.
You can try to run but you can't hide from what's inside of you.

Argentina: economic top dog?

2011-08-09T20:46:00.000-03:00

From the Financial Times:

"Nothing illustrates Argentina’s gloating at Standard & Poor’s historic downgrade of US debt better than a front-page map on pro-government Pagina 12 at the weekend, showing the Americas upside down with Argentina at the top and the US and Canada taking South America’s place"

Lo de Charly ...a Great Find ...Bring your Appetite to Villa Urquiza!

2011-08-07T23:34:00.001-03:00

My good buddy, Paul Perry, poet and capitan of The Buenos Aires Shankees Baseball Organization introduced me to this neighborhood institution, Lo de Charly, in Villa Urquiza. Go there. It´s GREAT.

Are there any undiscovered great Buenos Aires places? You bet... and here´s a great one!

Here is a true gem, servicing the barrio, 24 hours a day, with some of the very best asado in town.

The choripan is the best I´ve ever had with 50% more chorizo than anywhere else. The place is a temple to beef ...and if achuras are your thing (like me!) you are in the right place.

Prices? You won´t believe them. Get value for your peso, ladies and germs, and have a great time in a great place.

Bonus: the bread is absolutely the very best in town. I had the opportunity to meet the owner Friday and I'm gonna get him to tell me where those golden, crunchy, tender, tasty loaves come from. I don´t want any other for my pan cotidiano!

I´m dreaming of sopping-up olive oil and salt with them!

It´s worth the trip and you´ll eat for almost free.

The United States has been Spun-Off to its Shareholders

2011-08-07T22:21:00.000-03:00

I have a strange perch from which to watch the even stranger goings-on back in the "Old Country." As an inveterate observer of all things yanqui, these last two weeks have been the strangest in my almost 8 years away from the United States.

You didn´t ask but here´s my take on the events we are seeing in the US.

What most of the world considers the US of A is now merely a spinoff.

Along the lines of big 1980's corporations whose operations were gutted and sold-off by their boards of directors, the United States is now a shell of its former self, industrial or otherwise ...with all the value having been transferred to a new corporate entity.

The new corporate entity doesn´t have to worry about the old rules. Pesky things like "one man, one vote" won´t bother the owners anymore. They can now manage the wealth extracted from the "former" United States without any political bickering.

We shareholders (citizens) of the former United States can now feel free to argue ourselves into oblivion over procedural matters such as the debt ceiling or anything we wish ...it won´t matter. 90% of the wealth is gone and it won´t come back.

Where did that 90% of the wealth of the wealthiest nation go? It doesn´t matter. It´s just as gone down the street from your house as gone to the Swiss franc or the Japanese yen. The thing is that it will no longer be available to maintain the "village commons."

The truly vile thing is that US citizens, now devoided of 90% of their national wealth, will be required to maintain (for as long as possible) the aspects of the United States of Old ...such as the military that protects the interests of those who devoided them of that wealth.

Game Over. If you are a rich American today, you will always be rich. If you are a poor American today, you will always be poor.

You wanted it simple ...could it be any simpler?

The Story So Good ...they needed a "disclaimer headline"

2011-08-07T11:27:00.003-03:00

This is a great piece ...but you might have skipped over it because of the headline. It´s been reprinted all over the world but with much more upbeat headers.

Economies all over the world are "challenged" to say the least. In Argentina, however, there is a boom like nowhere else.

It´s a great read, take a look.

Agriculture is the driver, of course, but manufacturing is up, construction is up, employment is up, salaries are up. So is inflation, of course ...but I can´t think of an economy that wouldn´t want to trade places with Argentina right now.

Opening Day! Shankees v. Cubans

2011-08-05T07:56:00.002-03:00

Get out to Shankee Stadium in beautiful Parque Roca for the first baseball game of the 2011 season.

Get yer details at Facebook.

$30 pesos gets you in the park, round-trip transportation on the Shankee Shuttle, and a free beer and choripan for your in-flight entertainment!

Just follow this handy map to catch the magic bus tomorrow at High Noon at convenient Plaza Italia!

Argentine Beef Exports Halved Again

2011-08-03T18:19:00.000-03:00

(mla.com.au) Very tight beef supplies and high retail prices in Argentina contributed to a 51% year-on-year fall in exports during 2010-11, to 151,872 tonnes swt. Moreover, export returns jumped 63% year-on-year, to average US$6,471/tonne - easily the highest on record for the period.

With the higher Argentine beef prices, the largest falls in exports were recorded to lower priced markets. Exports to Russia fell 76% year-on-year, to 26,737 tonnes swt, accounting for only 18% of total shipments, compared with 36% of the total in 2009-10.

Israel became Argentina's main export destination in 2010-11, despite shipments slipping 9% year-on-year, to 27,530 tonnes swt. Germany was Argentina's third largest market, falling 13% year-on-year, to 25,172 tonnes swt.

Although shipments under the European 'Hilton' high quality beef quota rose 52% in 2010-11 (due to a delay in the allocation distribution in 2009-10 which hampered trade), Argentina still failed to fill its 28,000 tonne quota allocation for the past year, exporting only 25,536 tonnes swt.

Investing in Argentina?

2011-08-02T07:54:00.000-03:00

Seeking Alpha has some fine things to say about investing in Argentina in general and about two stocks in particular.

"Which country's stock market has performed the best over the past 12 months? Surprisingly it has been Argentina, with a return of 38.75%. Argentina has a dynamic economy with a strong manufacturing base, developed oil and mining sectors, and real growth that averaged 9.6% for the first quarter of 2011. Argentina also is one of the world's leading agricultural exporter, known for its beef and wine production."

Mercado Libre and YPF are tops on the list. Very interesting read.

The Great Drink Ceiling Debate

2011-07-30T01:46:00.002-03:00

A Republican walks into a bar.

He bellies up and orders drink after drink for himself and his buddies until closing time.

After last call, the bartender presents him with his bartab.

"Aw, gee," the Republican says, "I don´t have any cash."

"That´s ok," says the barkeep, "you know I always accept your credit card."

"Yeah, I know ...but my wife won´t let me use the credit card anymore."

"B-b-but you ordered all those drinks! Didn´t you know you didn´t have any cash?"

The GOPer explained in a very serious tone that, occasionally, he has to ascertain whether he has been spending too much money. "Tonight, I went WAY over my limit. There would be a definite moral hazard to myself and my friends and loved ones if I actually paid for these drinks I ordered."

The bartender's eyes began to bulge. He leaned over to grab the man, "Hey! You ordered all these drinks, you knew how much they cost, you drank all these drinks! Pay up, deadbeat!"

"Fuck you," said the Republican as he turned for the door.

"You´ll never drink here again! You´re 86'd!"

"Who cares. Without me, this joint'll be out of business in a week."

Take the expressway!

2011-07-30T00:29:00.001-03:00

Goin' to the Ball Game for the first time? Take my way, ...take the highway!

It´s a matter of personal preference, of course, but if you don´t want to zig-zag your way across town, get thee to the nearest autopista.

Any autopista is going to drop you conveniently near Shankee Stadium. Which one to take?

If you live in Palermo, Recoleta, Retiro, or any barrios near downtown, get to Avenida 9 de Julio and take Autopista 25 de Mayo to Au. Pres. H. Cámpora to Avenida Cnel. Roca.

If you´re pretty far out in Belgrano or Nuñez, grab General Paz and zoom around to Avenida Cnel. Roca.

Cámpora drops you off about 300 yards from the main gate ...and General Paz leaves you on a straight-shot down Avenida Cnel. Roca 3 km from the same gate.

Go Shankees!

Red Beans & Rice ...and more!

2011-07-13T23:00:00.000-03:00

You gotta get down to The Office Bar & Grill for New Orleans Night in Buenos Aires. That´s a fact.

NOLA chef, Liza Puglia is puttin´ out a spread of all the dishes from the City that Care Forgot that can be assembled in our fair burg.

Alan Epstein has generously transferred command of his fine kitchen to her for that night ...and I´ll betcha we are in for something! (Personally, I´m going early to get me some Red Beans & Rice!)

Do 'em a favor and let 'em know you're coming!

Git in touch thru facebook

Support US cuisine in Buenos Aires. Come out to sample unatainable fare from our visiting expat chefs!

You´ll be glad you did. See you there!

Need Pins in Buenos Aires?

2011-07-09T01:58:00.000-03:00

If you were one of the lucky ones to get one of our Chili Cookoff commemorative buttons, you know how great they looked and how professional they turned out.

If you need pins/buttons... www.artemasdisenio.com.ar was good to us!
Great prices and great delivery.

I guess they liked our graphic, too! They´re using it on their own ads. Quite a complement, if you ask me!

New Season for B.A.Cast!

2011-07-08T16:01:00.001-03:00

Hilarious good fun with Dan & Fer on BACast.com ...including BA Chili Cookoff coverage that made me laugh out loud!

BACast, the buenos aires podcast, every Thursday!

Where can I get a legal copy of Windows in Buenos Aires?

2011-07-06T23:22:00.000-03:00

Does anybody know where I can confidently buy a completely legal copy of Windows XP or 7 in Buenos Aires? If you love me, please let me know.

Chili Cookoff Fotos from DanCesar.com!

2011-07-05T21:39:00.000-03:00

Great fotos of Sunday´s big chili blowout from Dan and Cesar of DanCesar.com! Thanks, guys! They´re great!

Send your stills and videos to bachilicookoff@gmail.com

The Winners! - 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-07-03T23:07:00.000-03:00

Deelicious good fun for a Fourth of July Weekend! Applause for all the cooks, all the judges, all the organizers, ALL THE VOLUNTEERS, and every chili hungry man, woman, and child who made it out today!

The Indispensable Person

2011-07-03T21:15:00.000-03:00

Roxana Svetkin

There will be many stories told of the truly amazing success of today´s 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff. There will be fotos and videos of organizers and volunteers and contestants and judges ...just like any other successful event.

However, every time hundreds of people gather to make something amazing happen, there always seems to be one person without whom all the efforts of so many people would have been sunk. Today, we stopped counting at 300 chili fans.

Today, that person was Roxanna Svetkin.

The organizers of today´s first ever chili cookoff in our fair burg never intended for Roxanna to woman the crucial post of collecting money from the public and issuing every ticket that led to cookoff's ability to give $3000 to charity today. Every organizer and volunteer assured her that she would be "spelled" for breaks and relief. As it happened no one was available for even a moment. In fact, she is and was truly irreplaceable.

As upwards of 300 people crushed and rushed to sample the fine chilis of every contestant today, Roxanna Svetkin was calm, professional, entertaining, efficient, and stayed outdoors in the historically chilly weather to make sure that everyone´s efforts were successful ...all toward ensuring that The Buenos Aires Shankees Baseball Organization would have bats, balls, gloves, and the myriad other things that a struggling baseball team needs to survive in La Liga Metro´s competitive environment.

Within the crowd of more than 300 there certainly more than a complaint or two ...but no one had a complaint about Roxanna Svetkin. She was truly a blessing to every hard-working volunteer´s and organizer´s efforts

She was both charming and strict, both and efficient and friendly, both in English and Spanish.. Anyone who has ever been placed in a similar circumstance had to admit that Roxanna was irreplacable, implacable, impecable, ...and truly indispensable.

On behalf of the Commisioner and all other members of the Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff Commission, it is my great honor to award the first Certificate of Merit to Roxanna Svetkin along with our eternal thanks for being indispensable to the success of the 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff.

Thank you, Roxanna.

Bring Small Bills - 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-07-02T20:15:00.000-03:00

Colaborá, chili fans!

Everybody coming to the 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff is encouraged to bring billetes chicos.

Don´t let big bills slow down your chili!

See ya tomorrow, doors open at 1pm.

(Cooks and Judges please show up at noon.)

GENO Beer Bar

Guatemala 5499

Palermo Hollywood

Cook mini-bios: Marc Randall, 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-07-01T17:39:00.000-03:00

Marc Randall grew up in southern New Mexico, raised on such fine foods as green chile stew and enchilada, and ample servings of huevos rancheros. A generalist by nature and never using his music education degree, he has worked in restaurants, the banking field, the airline industry, and software development. Arriving in Buenos Aires seven years ago, he started jonesing for some real American diner food and thus opened "Randall's", a classic American greasy spoon in Palermo serving just that!

Bring your cameras!

2011-07-01T00:41:00.000-03:00

We hope to incorporate your vids and stills into a documentary of The 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff ...complete with audio from Fernando Farías of Argentine National Public Radio and www.bacast.com. Document the riot, folks! Everyone gets full attribution!

The Old Texan & The Chicago Kid

2011-06-30T22:48:00.000-03:00

In 1849, a young Chicago man decided to prospect for gold.

Knowing nothing about gold or prospecting, he placed himself in the hands of a Texan who owned a general store that was famous for outfitting the most successful prospectors.

The Texan bellowed, "Pull yer wagon up front, hoss. My boys will set you up with evah-thang you need."

As the kid from Chicago stood by, the Texan hollered out to his men what supplies to load, "2 picks! 4 shovels! 100 pounds of cornmeal! 100 pounds of flour! 60 pounds of fatback!" He was impressed as his wagon slowly sagged beneath the weight of gear and supplies.

However, when the Texan began to call for ground chuck, onions, peppers, garlic, comino, tomatoes and such ...the city boy started to complain that the Texan was padding his bill.

The Texan turned to the boy and said, "Hoss, you just gonna have to trust me. I have outfitted the best and for every possible contingency."

"But what do I need expensive shit like garlic, comino, and tomatoes for?" the kid protested.

The Texan leaned in close and spoke in a serious tone of voice, "Hoss, let me tell ya, you´re gonna be up in them hills for a long time ...and alone for a long time.

"After a while, you´re gonna crave the sound of another human voice SO BAD ...that it could drive you plumb insane.

"So, when that moment comes ...and believe me it will ...I want you to grab that cast-iron pot, and throw that beef and onions and peppers and garlic and comino and tomatoes in... AND START MAKIN' SOME CHILI."

"For God´s sake, why?" the young man asked.

The Texan winked and said, "Because as soon as you start makin' chili, some sumbitch is gonna jump out from behind the nearest tree and yell, "THAT AIN'T NO WAY TO MAKE NO CHILI!!!"

Cook mini-bios: Sheri & Mari Martinez, 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-06-30T15:57:00.000-03:00

Sheri & Mari Martinez are sister in laws from both sides of the equator. They are foodies and they also love shiny and ridiculous objects.

Mari is a Porteña and Sheri is from Miami and Las Vegas. Both wish they could switch places- Mari living in the U.S. and Sheri living in Baires.

They share a love of all things coffee, sweet, savory and meaty. They hope that their chili brings tears to the eyes of all who eat it.

They will be cooking with spices that were originally intended as gifts for a certain yanqui, but since the chili cook-off popped up, those gifts have since been reappropriated towards their meat and bean concoction. This will be their first chili cook-off ever.

Cook mini-bios: Jed Rothenberg, 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-06-30T15:52:00.001-03:00

Team Bang-Bang Rothenberg

Jerry Rothenberg is a retired tax attorney living in North Carolina. He is visiting his two sons and new grandchild who live in BA. His early attempts at chili were under the tutelage of the college fraternity house chef at Franklin and Marshall college in Pennsylvania. He continued to modify his recipe in North Carolina, where Pork is dominant. Upon moving to Houston in 1980, he was surprised to discover that Texas chili ("real" chili) is made without beans!

Jed Rothenberg moved to BA in 2005 and operates the website "LandingPad BA." Jed cooked at a four-star restaurant while attending Appalachian State University in North Carolina. Jed does not accept the "no beans" fundamental rule of chili. This clash has led to 20 years of internecine chili cooking warfare within the Rothenberg clan.

Octavio Rothenberg is 4 weeks old. He drinks milk, sleeps, burps, and fills diapers. He will participate as the team face and charmer.

Beans or no beans? Come by and find out.

Cook mini-bios: Franco Emiliozzi Regueira, 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-06-29T23:36:00.000-03:00

Born on July 5 1984, since early age I been into cooking from fishing my own lunch at Mar del Plata, or collecting mushrooms on the forest, to tasting every fast food restaurant in Buenos Aires.

I made up my mind my taste is a gourmet one, I tool the chef course on UGA(Argentinean Gastronomic Union) and since then I been doing about everything except working as chef.

Great fan of traditional cooking of other countries specially Italy and Argentina, I found that the blend of spices and meat to be an art that cannot be described only delighted.

My family flavors pot preparations strange cuts of meats and spicy sauces chili feels natural when the essence is discovered, join me in a tale of taste and flavor told by a pilgrim in chili's land.

Cook mini-bios: John Brister, 1st Annual Buenos Aires Chili Cookoff

2011-06-29T20:39:00.002-03:00

I grew up in Lafayette, Louisiana, about 20 miles from where they make Tabasco Sauce.

My cooking has been greatly influenced by my parents. My father is in the restaurant business, and my mother is just a damn good cook. He cooks more traditional Southern, and she’s a Cajun from the “squirrel hunting capital of the world.”

My girlfriend is Angela (San Telmo Loft), who I went to high school with. We met again at our 20th reunion. I moved here two years ago… for love.

I’m a movie producer who has overseen the production of 62 feature films. I produce a lot of family films like “Soccer Dog”. Peluca Films, one of the top production companies in Argentina, is my producing partner here.

We have 4 cats at home because we are shooting a family film entitled “Cats vs. R.A.T.S.” We love them, but with all of the chili I've been feeding them... we’re changing litter all of the time. They don't digest the beans very well.

We are looking forward to the Chili Cook-Off, meeting some new friends… and also doing some casting for the movie (people and cats)!