This week's reading was my favorite so far. We read about some of the great foundations of Argentinian society and culture - the folklore. Not surprisingly, one portion of this reading was about gauchos. I consider them to be the equivalent of American cowboys in the wild, wild Western days. Gauchos still exist today, as do several items that are well known in Argentinian folklore, such as the facón and boleadoras. The facón is a knife that gauchos keep on them at all times and boleadoras are a weapon consisting of two or three balls tied to a rope. I'll be looking for these items while in Argentina but I doubt I can bring home any real ones on the plane!
I really enjoyed reading about truco, which is an Argentinian card game. I love playing cards, and this game seems like it would be a lot of fun. To play, teams of two players each play with Argentinian cards, consisting of 40 cards instead of 52. Each player can give gestures to try and tip off their teammate as to what cards they're holding. The author explained that a great deal of skill is involved and Argentinians are true pros. I'm going to study up on it and see if I can challenge some locals while I'm there!
Mate is something else I'm excited to try while in Argentina. It's a green infusion, sort of like green tea, and it has a very social element to it. In everyday life, Argentinians will share a mate between a group of people, all drinking through the same bombilla, which is like a straw but oftentimes made out of metal. That will be something different for us Americans who do not usually share our utensils! We'll also be visiting a mate plantation while there, so it will be really neat to see the production behind this cultural phenomenon.
On Friday, we'll be talking more about the social side of Argentinian culture - especially the "dos" and "don'ts" of interacting with Argentinians. It promises to be a very helpful lesson!
I really enjoyed reading about truco, which is an Argentinian card game. I love playing cards, and this game seems like it would be a lot of fun. To play, teams of two players each play with Argentinian cards, consisting of 40 cards instead of 52. Each player can give gestures to try and tip off their teammate as to what cards they're holding. The author explained that a great deal of skill is involved and Argentinians are true pros. I'm going to study up on it and see if I can challenge some locals while I'm there!
Mate is something else I'm excited to try while in Argentina. It's a green infusion, sort of like green tea, and it has a very social element to it. In everyday life, Argentinians will share a mate between a group of people, all drinking through the same bombilla, which is like a straw but oftentimes made out of metal. That will be something different for us Americans who do not usually share our utensils! We'll also be visiting a mate plantation while there, so it will be really neat to see the production behind this cultural phenomenon.
On Friday, we'll be talking more about the social side of Argentinian culture - especially the "dos" and "don'ts" of interacting with Argentinians. It promises to be a very helpful lesson!
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