Chips y queso...Por Fin!!!

We found Mexican food!! Last night we ate at a restaurant called Xalapa in Palermo that was authentic Mexican food, and we were finally able to satisfy our craving! It was a great place with bright colors and Mexican tile everywhere and we sat outside where there was great weather. Our waiter even spoke spanish! (haha small joke-remember we're in Argentina?) Anyway, it was a fun break from the very Italian/beef and potato centered culture. We still haven't found Chinese or Japanese food. Now, for those of you who know my family well enough, you know that every Friday night for as long as I can remember has been Chinese-take-out-from-Fortune Cookie-night. I've now gone 2 months without Chinese food, and it's becoming a problem. We've been really surprised at how in such a big city there is so little presence of other international cultures besides Italian and American. Thus the difficulty in finding Chinese, Japanese, or Mexican food. We've even sunk to the level of searching mall food courts for an Asian buffet...it's getting bad.
Oh, and Caitlin bought skinny jeans this week! Now we're looking for her some converse tennis shoes...next step: mullet!

Now, on a more serious/exciting note: On Tuesday night, Caitlin and I were in the kitchen eating dinner, about to head out to a tango class with some girls from school, when Amalia (host mother) came in and said in her infamous spanglish, "Chicas, you need to come out here to see something that you do not see in the States." Walking into the living room we began to hear the noise, and as we stepped out on to the balcony we saw the source. All around us in our building, the one across the street and others on our block, people had stepped out with pots, pans, and whatever they could find to hit them with to make noise. Amalia had to shout over the racket to explain to us that the President, Cristina Kirchner, had just made a speech in response to the farmers' strike that was infuriating to the people of Argentina.
Let me back up here and explain what we've come to understand about the strike. There recently was passed some legislation that said that the farmers would have to pay 44% of their sales, international and within the country, to the government. In addition, there would be a 60% mark up on the price of meat within Argentina that would also go to the government. The explanation given was that the farmers are getting all of the profits from Argentina's biggest industry, and especially benefiting from the value of the dollar, the pound, and the euro when they sell their products internationally. Therefore, they feel it is their right, nay, their "obligation to the people" to take up some of these profits and redistribute them for the benefit of the country as a whole. Sounds great right? Slightly socialist, but the intentions seem good, especially for a country where the separation between the upper crust and the lower class is becoming more and more extreme all the time. It wouldn't hurt to do a little redistribution. So we've been asking everybody we talk to why this action frustrates them. The resounding response: After they take the money, we never see it again until Cristina(this is how they refer to the president) comes on tv with a new piece of jewelry, or we hear that she and the first gentleman have a new home somewhere in the world. Overall, Argentines feel forgotten and completely unrepresented by their government. That's why, once every 10 or 20 years, they've had to resort to what we witnessed the other night to get their frustrations heard.
Now, back to Tuesday night. The speech was angering because Cristina's response to the strike was to say that the government would not have any talks with the farmers until they come off of strike. Of course everyone knows that as soon as they come off of strike they will continue to be ignored and no negotiations will be made. Caitlin and I assumed that this would be maybe ten-twenty minutes of people banging pans on their balconies before returning into their houses, so after taking it in for a few minutes, we went on with our plans for the night. We were continually being surprised and a little chilled by the spectacle as we walked to the tango place and it was not only continuing but spreading all over the city. We were inside the tango studio for a little while before we decided to wait and go again another night when more girls could come. We left, and walked home by way of 9 de Julio, rumored to be the widest avenue in the world, that runs through the center of the city. Keep in mind that ever since we were in our apartment the persistent rhythm of 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2,1-2-3 on pots, pans, cowbells, and car horns had not stopped. As we were walking, we were passing a train of citizens who had walked out of their homes after the speech to head to the center of the city. The train of people never stopped for as far as we could see ahead of us, and their numbers were continually growing as they walked and were joined by people ranging in age from 8-70, all with pots in hand. We saw people in work uniforms, suits, scrubs from the hospital, and house clothes; mothers with their children and those who were old enough that they saw things like this in the days of Evita and Juan Peron. Impromptu signs had been made and Argentine flags were flying everywhere. They were escorted by the police but not stopped because it was completely peaceful.
Caitlin and I got back to our apartment and watched the rest unfold on the news. As the night went on, it continued to grow and spread. There were manifestations in every big city in Argentina, and in 4 or 5 different major locations in Buenos Aires. After midnight, the peaceful but huge statement started to get a little violent when picketers in favor of the government arrived at the scenes. It is well known by the people that this group of picketers is unofficially hired out by the government and used as both a scare tactic and also to make sure the protests don't look so one sided. They come out flying black and red flags that, since the first use of this group in 2001, have been a symbol of hate and violence. They bring clubs and do plenty of damage to people and to property in the name of the government and, mysteriously, nobody stops them and none of them has ever been arrested.
On Wednesday we half expected to wake up to either utter chaos or alternatively that the city had shut down because people were hiding out in their homes to avoid potential conflict. Instead, we found that life had gone back to normal, and while there was talk of the night before and what would happen next, everything else was the same as always. Everyone went to work, kids went to school, and so did we. This was when we started to realize that manifestations and conflicts like this are a part of the way of life, and accepted as a norm and just another way of getting things done. In the last few days, there have been more protests on smaller scales and more unproductive speeches made. The shelves in the super markets are emptied of meat products, and Caitlin and I have some chicken and milk saved up, but soon we might have to go vegan. Other than that, life has gone on and we feel that we've come to a new level of understanding and respect for the people of Argentina and their ability to go on.