Living in a big city it is incredible to think how many people live around you each day, yet it is just as incredible to think about how many of these people you actually know or have seen. In my case this number is very low. In fact walking on the streets it is very likely I've come across my neighbor which shares a window looking towards my kitchen in the supermarket, butcher shop, or the subway. Yet, I really have no idea who this mysterious people are, this is at least until I decide every now and then to escape the cooking routine and head across the street to buy a delicious Pizza Rica.
Pizza Rica is really an incredible concept. It is pizza bought down to its most basic form. In fact most Pizza Rica, or also known as La Fabrica de la Pizza simple contains a little bit of cheese, sauce, and bread. This basic pizza is the 7 peso trademark that brings the whole neighborhood out to its front door ordering pizza on Friday and Saturday nights. 7 pesos! Just to give a general idea on what this really means is that one can order a large muzzarella with very little cheese, for less than 2 dollars. Its an amazing deal, almost too good to be true. It makes you wonder which ingredients allow the franchise to remain in business.
The pizza itself isn't too terrible, I've have worse that has cost the double in price, and it basically does the trick of keeping you satisfied for the evening. Although, I've tried reheating Pizza Rica the next day as leftovers and found it a less than enjoyable experience.
In any case, on the way to the street side whole in the wall Pizza Rica, I came across two of my neighbors as they approached the entrance of their apartment entrance with their hands full of what else...Pizza Rica! We didn't manage to speak a single word, yet it gave me relief to know that we at least had one culinary thing in common.
Eli and I placed an order for a muzzarella pizza with extra cheese which cost a whopping 10 pesos, or $2.50. It would be just another night in Boedo.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Monday, May 16, 2011
Jewish Music to Dance To
The lights fell down on the stage at Niceto Club as an enthused and raucous crowd donned an array of festive masks. Similarly, up on stage the four band group initiated the festivities in their performance outfit complete with hat, sunglasses, and long, thick beards. The electronic drums kicked in the sound system, and at the first sound of the Jewish traditional melody, the crowd erupted into a jumping frenzy.
Eight months ago Niceto Club’s electro Jewish rave band, the Barmitzmidis had its conception when three synthesizer keyboardists and an electric drummer met rehearsing as part of a synthesizer orchestra for the group Michael Mike.
The dead time from practice with Michael Mike allowed the group which is composed of Jean Deon on electric drums, and Pin Deon, Pablo (Peta) Berardi, and Darío (Turco) Cataife all on synthesizers to let loose the creativity which Darío refers to as “some crazy moments of improvisation.”
“The musical direction came a little bit naturally. The melodies that were heard when we jammed in the practices had a little bit of everything that there is in Barmitzmidis. A little bit of Cumbia, a little bit of festive Jewish music, the rhythms had to do with this as well,” says Darío.
The idea of forming together as a band with four plugged in instruments wasn’t too conventional, and as a result the group figured their sound should also take on a unique characteristic. Jean says that it was the cultural link to Jewish heritage that drew the group members towards the culture’s traditional music.
“I think it is infrequent that you go to a party that plays electronic Jewish music, and so we liked this idea, says Jean. “Some of us have the tradition, and so it seemed fun to make a modern version of Jewish music, to bring something traditional to 2011.”
The group uses a heavy electronic rhythm to evoke a powerful pulsating dance beat, while the synthesizers mix in and out combining different melodies that contain a suggestive Jewish style. The musical result more often than not generates a fanatical fever of collective jumping.
Dario mentions that he loves to perform the traditional songs from popular Jewish culture because they come just as naturally as their own written songs, and admits that these songs are what usually bring the audience into a full blown ‘Hora’ dance.
“Almost everyone or at least every Jewish person has had a good time in a Jewish wedding when they are passed around in a chair, or the Barmitzvah which has all the spirit of the party,” says Jean. “This is the spirit we try to bring to the concerts in places like Niceto Club or other night clubs.”
The electronic Jewish and Klezmer rhythms and melodies make up the bulk of the groups song list, yet their creative influence also extend to their Latin roots.
Read the rest of the article on Club stompin´Jewish beats at http://www.argentinaindependent.com/culture/music/jewish-music-to-dance-to-/
Eight months ago Niceto Club’s electro Jewish rave band, the Barmitzmidis had its conception when three synthesizer keyboardists and an electric drummer met rehearsing as part of a synthesizer orchestra for the group Michael Mike.
The dead time from practice with Michael Mike allowed the group which is composed of Jean Deon on electric drums, and Pin Deon, Pablo (Peta) Berardi, and Darío (Turco) Cataife all on synthesizers to let loose the creativity which Darío refers to as “some crazy moments of improvisation.”
“The musical direction came a little bit naturally. The melodies that were heard when we jammed in the practices had a little bit of everything that there is in Barmitzmidis. A little bit of Cumbia, a little bit of festive Jewish music, the rhythms had to do with this as well,” says Darío.
The idea of forming together as a band with four plugged in instruments wasn’t too conventional, and as a result the group figured their sound should also take on a unique characteristic. Jean says that it was the cultural link to Jewish heritage that drew the group members towards the culture’s traditional music.
“I think it is infrequent that you go to a party that plays electronic Jewish music, and so we liked this idea, says Jean. “Some of us have the tradition, and so it seemed fun to make a modern version of Jewish music, to bring something traditional to 2011.”
The group uses a heavy electronic rhythm to evoke a powerful pulsating dance beat, while the synthesizers mix in and out combining different melodies that contain a suggestive Jewish style. The musical result more often than not generates a fanatical fever of collective jumping.
Dario mentions that he loves to perform the traditional songs from popular Jewish culture because they come just as naturally as their own written songs, and admits that these songs are what usually bring the audience into a full blown ‘Hora’ dance.
“Almost everyone or at least every Jewish person has had a good time in a Jewish wedding when they are passed around in a chair, or the Barmitzvah which has all the spirit of the party,” says Jean. “This is the spirit we try to bring to the concerts in places like Niceto Club or other night clubs.”
The electronic Jewish and Klezmer rhythms and melodies make up the bulk of the groups song list, yet their creative influence also extend to their Latin roots.
Read the rest of the article on Club stompin´Jewish beats at http://www.argentinaindependent.com/culture/music/jewish-music-to-dance-to-/
Monday, May 9, 2011
BA Basquétbol Diaries
Dear Diary,
Today I completed my basketball dream............I balled with Jesus. Another sunny Saturday came around and that meant one thing, time to play basketball. I took about a three week hiatus from the street ball court after I absent mindedly forgot to take my b-ball shoes home with me and left them up for grabs for people passing by near the railroad tracks. I realized that in Argentina it is not very likely that when you leave something behind you'll be able to come back to retrieve it. In any case, no shoes, no problem. It gave me a chance to showcase my casual addidas on the hard courts of STREETBALL CABALLITO (translation streetball little horse).
I rolled on up to the court around 4 p.m. with a bike that I found in my house. It took me a bit of time because the bike had pedal brakes. I found that when I wanted to cross the street before ongoing traffic I tried to wheel the pedal around back for optimum foot acceleration power, but instead of blazing across "sin problema" I spun the pedal which braked the movement and made me stop right in the middle of the street like a deer in the headlights for oncoming traffic. I survived but it was an interesting return to 1st grade and pedal brakes.
When I arrived on the scene, I was immediately recruited to play with one of the teams. I was surprised considering I hadn't even locked up my bike, but there weren't too many people and I guess they thought "yeah, this guy plays bueno, he shoots less bricks than everyone else."
In any case, I accepted the invitation. However, the hot day with the burning sun, and little warm up time made the game with the other team look like a less publicized version of the NCAA championship game. My team was decent, but we couldn't match up with the "Gringo" (a pale white Argentine dude), the "Cordobés" (a guy who was from the Argentine province of Cordoba) and Jesus (a hippie, skinny Argentinian with long black hair and beard, or in other words he had a direct resemblance to Jesus). The other team had no problem yelling out Gringo, or Jesus in English when calling the attention of their teammates, and in the end the few shots I put in the hoop couldn't match the spiritual court calm of Jesus and Co.
After the game ended, I headed to the drinking fountain to get some water and I saw my good buddy Edgar. He was back for some more street ball. I asked him if he wanted to join together but he had already formed a team with a couple of other players. As we briefly sat and chatted in between games, the Haitian Jo-Jo arrived with his buddy Jay. Jay had on his b-basketball shoes and apparel, but Jo-Jo was dressed in his gansta gear equipped with sunglasses, chain necklace, and a blingin' belt buckle with a Marijuana leaf which you could spin.
Surprised by his outfit I asked him if he was playing, but he seemed to have other plans in mind. Meanwhile, Edgar got together with his team of decent players including the Ecuadorian with whom I had played in the last episode, and their 4 foot 8 inch secret weapon "Max Steel."
Max wasn't his real name but it was the unfortunate nickname Claudio the pizza man gave him while they were playing. I had played with Max before and I knew he could ball fairly well despite his height disadvantage. The only problem was that he could be double teamed easily which in many cases caused forced turnovers. Surprised by the small baller, Edgar asked me if he was any good and I ignorantly said "no," I would soon regret such statements.
I patiently waited court side as Edgar, the Ecuadorian Johnny, and Max took on the Gringo, the Cordobés, and last but not least Jesus. It sounded like some pay-per-view WWF battle royal match made in heaven. All eyes were on the court. Edgar surprised me with a couple of great baskets, but the most surprising player of all was Mighty Max Steel. He dribbled this way, and that way, split the double team of the Gringo and Jesus and then nailed a couple of gravity defying bank would be three pointers if there was a three point line.
Everyone watched in awe as the heavenly dynasty was vanquished by the unlikely cast of characters. I joined together with my previous team and we took to the court to see what this wonder team was all about. I was laid back as we jokingly took some warm up shots, but the atmosphere would change once the game began.
We played the typical zone defense because a lot of the time everyone got too tired playing man to man. I was playing up top, squaring off in most cases with Señor Max Steel. As soon as he dribbled the ball up, I could see the sheer determination in his eyes. As the smallest one on the court he played with a chip on his shoulder, and a quickness unmatched by anyone else. Trying to the steal the ball was impossible, as he weaved in and out bouncing the ball between everyone on our defense. Also, dribbling was difficult as he remained eye level with ball.
The game was close, when suddenly Max brought up the ball, I could see an intense fire in his eyes, as he ran past me. I recovered well, and as he jumped up,somewhat fading away, I reached out with my left hand to try and swipe away the long distance jumper. However the ball quickly left his hand, flew over mine, floated in the air for several seconds and everyone watched in silent court disbelief as the ball banked hard off the backboard and straight in the basket. Cheers erupted, and even I couldn´t help but acknowledge the incredible and lucky Michael Jordan fadeaway jumper.
Yet, despite all of Max Steel´s incredible heroics, our team somehow pulled out the victory, and moved on to the next team. As the game began, several players on the bench said "bye" to Jesus as he road his bike out the gates of the plaza and left us alone to decide humanity´s destiny on the basketball court. The so called destiny for my team´s next game happened to be defeat. It was a hard fought struggle but the other team recruited some big guys and we couldn´t maintain the winning streak.
Disappointed I walked off the court to the sounds of Claudio screaming, "Jesus, se resucitó!" or "Jesus has resurrected, Jesus has resurrected!" Approaching on bicycle with a water bottle in hand, Jesus returned to the hard fought courts of Caballito to join his fallen comrades from the previous games. They needed one more player and I was invited by Jesus (I might add) to join together as we aimed to win back the concrete cage.
Today I completed my basketball dream............I balled with Jesus. Another sunny Saturday came around and that meant one thing, time to play basketball. I took about a three week hiatus from the street ball court after I absent mindedly forgot to take my b-ball shoes home with me and left them up for grabs for people passing by near the railroad tracks. I realized that in Argentina it is not very likely that when you leave something behind you'll be able to come back to retrieve it. In any case, no shoes, no problem. It gave me a chance to showcase my casual addidas on the hard courts of STREETBALL CABALLITO (translation streetball little horse).
I rolled on up to the court around 4 p.m. with a bike that I found in my house. It took me a bit of time because the bike had pedal brakes. I found that when I wanted to cross the street before ongoing traffic I tried to wheel the pedal around back for optimum foot acceleration power, but instead of blazing across "sin problema" I spun the pedal which braked the movement and made me stop right in the middle of the street like a deer in the headlights for oncoming traffic. I survived but it was an interesting return to 1st grade and pedal brakes.
 |
| From basquet |
When I arrived on the scene, I was immediately recruited to play with one of the teams. I was surprised considering I hadn't even locked up my bike, but there weren't too many people and I guess they thought "yeah, this guy plays bueno, he shoots less bricks than everyone else."
In any case, I accepted the invitation. However, the hot day with the burning sun, and little warm up time made the game with the other team look like a less publicized version of the NCAA championship game. My team was decent, but we couldn't match up with the "Gringo" (a pale white Argentine dude), the "Cordobés" (a guy who was from the Argentine province of Cordoba) and Jesus (a hippie, skinny Argentinian with long black hair and beard, or in other words he had a direct resemblance to Jesus). The other team had no problem yelling out Gringo, or Jesus in English when calling the attention of their teammates, and in the end the few shots I put in the hoop couldn't match the spiritual court calm of Jesus and Co.
After the game ended, I headed to the drinking fountain to get some water and I saw my good buddy Edgar. He was back for some more street ball. I asked him if he wanted to join together but he had already formed a team with a couple of other players. As we briefly sat and chatted in between games, the Haitian Jo-Jo arrived with his buddy Jay. Jay had on his b-basketball shoes and apparel, but Jo-Jo was dressed in his gansta gear equipped with sunglasses, chain necklace, and a blingin' belt buckle with a Marijuana leaf which you could spin.
Surprised by his outfit I asked him if he was playing, but he seemed to have other plans in mind. Meanwhile, Edgar got together with his team of decent players including the Ecuadorian with whom I had played in the last episode, and their 4 foot 8 inch secret weapon "Max Steel."
 |
| From basquet |
Max wasn't his real name but it was the unfortunate nickname Claudio the pizza man gave him while they were playing. I had played with Max before and I knew he could ball fairly well despite his height disadvantage. The only problem was that he could be double teamed easily which in many cases caused forced turnovers. Surprised by the small baller, Edgar asked me if he was any good and I ignorantly said "no," I would soon regret such statements.
I patiently waited court side as Edgar, the Ecuadorian Johnny, and Max took on the Gringo, the Cordobés, and last but not least Jesus. It sounded like some pay-per-view WWF battle royal match made in heaven. All eyes were on the court. Edgar surprised me with a couple of great baskets, but the most surprising player of all was Mighty Max Steel. He dribbled this way, and that way, split the double team of the Gringo and Jesus and then nailed a couple of gravity defying bank would be three pointers if there was a three point line.
Everyone watched in awe as the heavenly dynasty was vanquished by the unlikely cast of characters. I joined together with my previous team and we took to the court to see what this wonder team was all about. I was laid back as we jokingly took some warm up shots, but the atmosphere would change once the game began.
We played the typical zone defense because a lot of the time everyone got too tired playing man to man. I was playing up top, squaring off in most cases with Señor Max Steel. As soon as he dribbled the ball up, I could see the sheer determination in his eyes. As the smallest one on the court he played with a chip on his shoulder, and a quickness unmatched by anyone else. Trying to the steal the ball was impossible, as he weaved in and out bouncing the ball between everyone on our defense. Also, dribbling was difficult as he remained eye level with ball.
 |
| From basquet |
The game was close, when suddenly Max brought up the ball, I could see an intense fire in his eyes, as he ran past me. I recovered well, and as he jumped up,somewhat fading away, I reached out with my left hand to try and swipe away the long distance jumper. However the ball quickly left his hand, flew over mine, floated in the air for several seconds and everyone watched in silent court disbelief as the ball banked hard off the backboard and straight in the basket. Cheers erupted, and even I couldn´t help but acknowledge the incredible and lucky Michael Jordan fadeaway jumper.
Yet, despite all of Max Steel´s incredible heroics, our team somehow pulled out the victory, and moved on to the next team. As the game began, several players on the bench said "bye" to Jesus as he road his bike out the gates of the plaza and left us alone to decide humanity´s destiny on the basketball court. The so called destiny for my team´s next game happened to be defeat. It was a hard fought struggle but the other team recruited some big guys and we couldn´t maintain the winning streak.
Disappointed I walked off the court to the sounds of Claudio screaming, "Jesus, se resucitó!" or "Jesus has resurrected, Jesus has resurrected!" Approaching on bicycle with a water bottle in hand, Jesus returned to the hard fought courts of Caballito to join his fallen comrades from the previous games. They needed one more player and I was invited by Jesus (I might add) to join together as we aimed to win back the concrete cage.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Chori Pan????
 |
| From lareserva |
The best chori pan and sandwhich de bondiola in all of Argentina in Puerto Madero, Buenos Aires.
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