There is No Stopping in Tango!

I enjoy tango nuevo music, like Gotan Project, and I regret that when I spent time in Guatemala I didn’t dedicate any time to learning salsa.  Given those things, and the challenge of learning something new, I thought about studying tango while in Buenos Aires.  On the other hand, my knowledge of all things dance was zero.  I was a nerd in high school and college who spent minimal time on the dance floor and, generally, I do not consider myself a graceful person.  A chance conversation one day with my eating partner Tanguera about how much she loved studying tango at DNI Studios inspired me to give it a go.

The beginning was brutal.  In an attempt to practice my Spanish, I gave the ok for the instructors to give my entire first group class in Spanish vs. switching back and forth with English.  That was a mistake.  I was completely lost right from the start.  I had little idea as to what was being taught and even if it were in English I probably wouldn’t have understood the concepts.  I began to learn what was meant by having two left feet (Who knew that you are meant to continually shift your weight?).  After my second class I was drained.  Tanguera encouraged me to continue.  I did.

After a few weeks of taking the occasional group class I asked to incorporate some private lessons into my schedule.  That is when I met Pedro.  Pedro is one of the senior dancers at DNI.  He has the intense eyes that are commonly found amongst artists, almost as if there is a raging fire inside them and the pressure is only released through artistic expression.  Pedro let me know that he was now in charge of my training, “From now on you speak only to me about your schedule.”  

Private lessons can be hard.  You can’t blame your partner and there is nowhere to hide.  The instructors at DNI, and this may be true of all dancers, also seem to have an almost supernatural ability to read your body language.  They can see how I am standing or how I am moving and know almost exactly what is going on in my head.  During my first class with Pedro he tore me apart.  He let me know in detail everything I was doing wrong.  Well, not everything.  That would have taken all day.  But many things.  Pedro then decided to teach me a dance structure.

“Tell me something you like?”

“What?”

“Something you like.  What is the name of your favorite book or movie?”

“Um, The Hustler?”

“What?”

“The Hustler.  It is an old movie with Paul Newman.”

“Ok, The Hustler.  From now on when I say, ‘The Hustler,’ you do an outside forward step with your right and then side, back, back, side, forward, collect and continue.  Got it?”

“I don’t know…”

“The Hustler!”

This continued for the remainder of our hour.  Near the end of class I was nearly broken mentally.  Then Dana walked in.

Dana and her partner Pablo run DNI and are a well known couple in tango circles.  I had been fortunate enough to see them perform the night before at a milonga (a tango dance hall).  Both yoga and dance are taught at DNI and they are incorporated into a tango nuevo style which is revealed in the way Pablo and Dana dance.  I would describe Dana’s style of tango as graceful, yet unapologetically athletic.  It is not for those unwilling to put in the time.  Dana’s core is so strong and she is so flexible that she can contort her body and kick her legs at seemingly any angle and speed.  It is impressive to watch.

“Who is this?”

“This is Roberto.  He has been training with the chicos, Jonny and Johanna.”

“How long have you been dancing?”

“I’ve been taking the beginners class for about a month.”

“How wonderful.  Dance a tango with me.”

This was completely unexpected.  One of the things that you quickly learn in tango is that, like with many things, when you are a beginner more advanced people have no interest in you because it is almost painful for them.  Your balance and posture are usually a mess.  You lead poorly.  You don’t know any fun things to do and you can’t follow the music.  Other than that, it is a great time for them.  

I was probably trembling when I put my hands on Dana.  She is so light and responsive that I felt as if the tiniest of movements would lead her into an intricate set of responses.  I clumsily led her through a tango at which point she thanked me and told me how great I was doing.  It was a fib, but it was appreciated.  As good teachers typically understand, at DNI they know when to tear you down and when you need to be built back up.

Tango is an intense dance and, maybe for that reason, it seems to attract the heavily self critical.  You beat yourself up for not understanding some technique.  You often feel like you don’t know enough.  There is always something else to learn.  You practice hard and finally feel like you know something and then go to a milonga and realize you know almost nothing.  You sometimes forget that you are supposed to be having fun.  It can be devastating.

The flip side is the euphoria that comes when you have those “Eureka!” moments.  You are on top of the world.  To paraphrase Jonny, when you first start tango the emotional ups and downs come with extreme speed.  Jonny goes on to say the waves never goes away, they just become bigger and longer.  I'm not sure if that is good or bad.

I am told that there is a surprisingly large tango community in San Francisco.  Even so, there is a good chance that life will interfere and my time with it will come to an end in conjunction with my time in Buenos Aires.  Still, there is something emotionally powerful about tango that has burrowed its way into my head and which has instilled in me a desire to continue exploring its beauty.  Time will tell which way things go.




Pablo and Dana doing what they do.




Pedro and Julieta showing the people in San Telmo how it is done.  

Julieta is the source of some of my favorite quotes, including, "Your giro to the left is perfect.  If you don't like the person you are dancing with, do the giro to your right," and, "Roberto, what is with that posture?  If Dana sees you she will kill you.  Then she will kill me and I am too young to die."

The Cafes of Palermo Soho

One of the true joys of living in Buenos Aires, and Palermo Soho in particular, has been the access to great cafes. I love the cafes of Palermo Soho. There is no shortage of places, many with free WiFi, where one can pull out one’s laptop, Spanish homework or iLibro (my Kindle - a source of amazement in many locations) and settle in for hours working or reading away. Even on busy days you can spend hours without disturbance, in honor of that great Buenos Aires tradition of taking as long as you want with your meal or coffee seemingly without a care in the world.

Here are a few of my favorites (in no particular order):

Mark’s Deli, El Salvador 4701: Mark’s is the see and be seen coffee shop. It is packed on weekends and during weekday evenings with locals, expats and weary shoppers. Its weakness is that I don’t think the food is that great.

Mama Racha, Costa Rica 4602: Sometimes it seems like Mama Racha is the unloved Soho café. For some reason, it doesn’t get shout outs in Time Out and the other major publications. I don’t understand why. I think the food there is good and the location is perfect, with the option of sidewalk seating or a small roof deck with a great view of Plaza Armenia on warm days.

La Salamandra, El Salvador 4761: They bill themselves as a Dulce de Leche and Mozzarella Bar. As you would imagine, the dulce de leche is great. Salads, just in case you thought you were ordering something healthy, come with a spoonful of dulce de leche on the side to ensure you get your sugar quota for the day. The other desserts, including the best alfajores I have had in BA, come in mini-portions (reminding me of my old favorite, Michele Coulon). They also serve mozzarella di buffalo which, to me, is the only kind of mozzarella that should be served.

La Pasteleria, Gurruchaga 1744: This is a little hole in the wall that I hesitate to call a café. It is in a nondescript location next door to Freud & Fahler. It is mostly a takeout place for their tasty breads and baked goods, but they also have a table where you can sit and order some absolutely delicious sandwiches and salads. It is not really a place to settle in and work for hours, but it is a great place to grab lunch, sip on some coffee and people watch.

Baraka, Gurruchaga 1450: It is like a little slice of San Francisco in BA. They serve organic coffee and the staff all seems to have dreadlocks. The food here is good and, for warm days, the have the double option of sidewalk and roof deck seating. I also give them the prize for the best coffee of the bunch. The coffee in this town is surprisingly erratic given that every place has a fancy coffee machine, but Baraka usually delivers.

Helena , Nicaragua 4816: I love the food here. It is usually not that crowded and there is a little area with a sofa for those that are looking for something more comfortable. You can order an “Americano” breakfast here that includes scrambled eggs and the only thing I would classify as bacon in BA. Lunch here is also very good.

Nigel Says

I spent last night wine tasting at 0800 Vino, a wine sales, storage and consulting company run by Nigel Tollerman, a British sommelier. Nigel is both serious and knowledgeable about his wine. Before tasting some good local wines (I recommend that people see if they can find a nice Torrontés from the Salta area or a Bonarda from the Mendoza area if they would like to mix up their varietal life), I picked Nigel's brain about places to visit in Mendoza. Below are his recommendations. I will provide first hand information after I make it out to Mendoza. In the meantime, anyone making their way to Mendoza should follow the Nigel Trail and report back.

Valle de Uco

O. Fournier

Monteviejo

Salentein

Luján de Cuyo

Carmelo Patti

Achaval Ferrer

Club Tapiz (for food)

La Bourgogne (for food - inside Bodega Carlo Pulenta)

Maipú

La Rural

Viña El Cerno

Familia Zuccardi

Mendoza

Vines of Mendoza Tasting Room

Escorihuela (for food)

Lodging

Cavas Wine Lodge (best place to stay $$$$)

The Suckling Pig of the Sea

Some of my readers have expressed concern that all of this Argentine meat eating might result in a case of the gout. To prevent any foot swelling that could potentially interfer with tango, I reconvened the eating consortium to introduce some fish to my diet.

As you some of you may remember, I was originally unable to get the eating consortium to go for the suckling pig at El Trapiche. Trying a different tact, I decided to wear the consortium down with tales of pacu, the legendary suckling pig of the sea. It worked.

The pacu is a local river fish that I have read is a cousin of the piranha. Unlike their vicious distant relative, the pacu is a vegetarian who peacefully cruises the local rivers fattening up to as large as 60 lbs.

One place to give pacu a try in BA is at Jangada, Bonpland 1670. The entrée is considered a two person dish, which means that you should probably bring a crew of three to four people.

The pacu is delicious. It is sweet, meaty and juicy and one of the best items that I have eaten in Buenos Aires. Highly recommended.

A delicious serving of pacu

The author, unable to contain himself

(Photos courtesy of Tanguera)

El Monumental

The Other Way strives to be an equal opportunity site. The pleas of all you River Plate supporters have been heard. There will be no slavish devotion to Boca Juniors without giving River a chance. In order to make a fair and balanced determination as to which club The Other Way will officially support during the superclasico, I went to the River home opener to compare the atmosphere and vibe.

One of the first major points of contrast as you walk to River’s stadium, El Monumental, is that instead of walking by run down buildings and burned out cars you are walking through the border of Belgrano and Nuñez, higher end residential areas with some stately single family homes, not a common site in a city with the density of BA, and, with a slight detour, through the city’s Chinatown.

The Chinese have a little bit of work to do if they want their colony here to spread Han domination to South America. There are no dragon gates or masses of people crowding the streets in search of that perfect set of ingredients for this week’s dinner menu. There are a few buildings, some with red lanterns hanging out front, and a couple of people serving food in the street. They do have something that I dearly wish Palermo possessed: a large Asian grocery store. Ah, there is nothing quite like what I refer to as, “The Wall of Smell” when you enter a proper Asian grocery store. Once you hit the wall full on, you know that somewhere nearby is a section with the most delectable selection of fish. This store did not disappoint. Fish of all sizes and shapes are available including that perfect 3ft conger eel.

Back to the action. El Monumental itself is a 70,000 person stadium built in the 1930’s that hosted the 1978 World Cup final, which was won by Argentina. The stadium is set at the entrance to a large park. As you enter the stadium grounds you are struck immediately by the constant pounding of drums and noise, which continues all match long.

The general admission area is filled with people proudly displaying their River tattoos, smoking spliffs, waving flags and, oddest of all, some of them were sitting on the second level railing in order to cheer the crowd on, sometimes with young children in their laps. It is a good thing that earthquakes are not a problem here.

The game itself was exciting. River squandered 1-0 and 2-1 leads before falling behind and ultimately pulling it out 4-3 on a late goal by local hero, Ariel “El Burrito” Ortega, who is coming back after a long struggle with alcohol. The crowd was ecstatic.

Overall, as a 49ers man instead of a Raiders man, I think River is my team. I can eat chow fun before the game, their head coach, Nestor Gorosito, has a Peter Frampton style 70's perm and the stadium is filled with political propaganda for the election of their next President. All that and a great crowd?

A couple of concluding notes. For those of you who decide to attend matches, be warned that, for some reason, you are forced to wait 30 minutes after the match before being allowed to leave. This is at least true of the general admission sections at La Bombonera and El Monumental. I can’t say if it is true for assigned seats. The best speculative reason that I have heard for this is that it gives the visiting fans time to flee the area. It is incredibly annoying.

Lastly, this was meant to be the second in the three part football trilogy, with the final report being a live account of the Brazil-Argentina World Cup qualifier in Rosario. After much time and effort tickets were purchased through a local tour company. The night before the match my buddy, Gerrard, received a phone call saying that, due to the vagaries of Argentine contracts and politics, the company’s ticket source fell through and we would have to get a refund the next morning. Gerrard was, “gutted.” I think that is British for extremely disappointed. The atmosphere in Rosario looked incredible on television. La Seleccion were whipped by Brazil 3-1.

A street vendor in Chinatown

Support D'Onofrio for President, "Sin Proyecto, No Hay Futuro"

Inside El Monumental

Rolling a spliff pre-game. After the game started he put a 4 year old on his lap.

Go River!!!