29 May 2011

Ñoquis del 29

Good luck ñoquis
On our way home after running this morning, we came across Mónica (our neighbor two floors up), who announced she was headed out to get ñoquis for Sunday dinner, since today is the 29th of the month. Kurt was immediately energized to also head over to Mas Pastas for 300 grams of newly made ñoquis and a small container of "turco" (meat sauce) for our own dinner on this cool and cloudy autumn day.

Ñoquis - the flavorful pasta version of potato dumplings - was brought to Argentina by Italian immigrants and the original name - gnocchi - transformed into something more castellano. And over time the 29th somehow became ñoqui day.

There are several explanations as to why. In one version, farmers in a poor area of Italy experienced a bumper harvest because of the intercessions of San Pantaleon, whose feast day is the 29th of some undefined month. Another version says the custom arose from the gathering of Italians to celebrate the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, on June 29th. Yet another, more common explanation, is that the end of the month is a time of short supplies, and cooks made due with whatever was available.

In any event, the custom is to place a peso coin or other money under each plate for good luck and prosperity. We, of course, think it is good luck to have a bowl of freshly made ñoquis regardless of what's under it.

25 May 2011

Revolutionary Changes

Along with the rest of Argentina today, we celebrated the anniversary of the "May Revolution" of 1810 that led to the country's independence from Spain. Last year's bicentennial celebration was extravagent and lengthy. This year, commemorations were low-key and traditional, centering on food and family.

Los Pinos, home of the world's best locro 
We hung our Argentine flag from the living room balcony last night, despite the steady rain that has signalled the beginning of fall. The rain continued overnight and throughout the morning. But at noon, the skies cleared and the sun came out, just in time for our four-block walk to Los Pinos, one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants. We went there expressly for locro, a stew that is the traditional dish on May 25, much like hot dogs in the U.S. on the 4th of July. Los Pinos serves the best locro we've ever had. You have to get there early, or you'll be disappointed.

Locro for two
We have special reason to celebrate this May 25.

After three years of living in Argentina, we've gained permanent residency status, meaning we no longer have to do the annual paperwork shuffle to extend our temporary residency nor the monthly money transfer from the U.S. to demonstrate financial stability (in itself another paperwork shuffle). We also now are eligible to apply for Argentine passports, a goal we intend to achieve in the next few months.

At the same time, we've decided to sell our beautiful apartment here and move to Panama. Why? Many reasons. We love Argentina and have enjoyed living here, making new friends and learning more about a different culture and ways of doing things. Yet at the same time, we are both itching for a new adventure - before we get too old to enjoy one - and realize we need to be a bit closer to our little nuclear family.

Here's to the future!
Panama seems like an excellent choice. Kurt went to high school in the old Canal Zone and his parents were restationed there while we lived in Mexico City, so Linda also became familiar with the area during the mid 1970s. And earlier this month, she got the chance to stay in Panama City for a few days with daughter Belén following a three-week trip through Colombia (more on that later!). Now we're looking at apartments in Casco Viejo, the old colonial part of town. Like San Miguel de Allende in Guanajuato, Mexico, where we had a house several years ago, the casco has been designated by UNESCO as a "World Heritage Site." Obviously these old colonial towns appeal to us! Developments as they happen.