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Monday, November 26, 2012

Rock and Vida 2012





One of the perks of having immersed into the Argentine culture is that I get to do things that go beyond all the regular tourist traps. The church has a mandate to spread awareness on AIDS. On this particular day, we were based in a park handing out flyers and taking surveys of people's knowledge about AIDS. In addition to that,  free condoms would be given out to encourage people to be safe and take care in all activities that they participate in.

In first world nations and more conservative countries, walking up to someone asking of they want to do a survey is considered highly intrusive and that kind of behavior is frowned upon immensely. But here in Argentina it was surprising how open people were to talk to us and take time out to do the survey and get informed on AIDS.  90% of the people that we stopped to see if they would talk to us welcomed our efforts to spread awareness and information on AIDS.

The thing I love most about watching Centro Cristiano Nueva Vida  is that their fight against AIDS doesn't just happen once a year. They have projects all year round and can regularly be seen on the streets of Buenos Aires distributing pamphlets and engaging the public in discussions about AIDS and spreading the mission of Rock & Vida.

 

If you happen to be in Buenos Aires don't forget to stop by the Plaza de Congreso 7pm this Saturday, Dec 1st. See u there :)





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Monday, November 19, 2012

Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chicken Recipe





I'm a big fan of trying new things that you've never done before. For the most part, I've done alot of story telling because that is my forté.  Although I'm not a food blogger and never will be, it doesn't mean that I can't put a fresh spin on things and share a recipe or cooking experience. Today's blog will be a combination of story telling and recipe sharing.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) is a wonderful ingredient that has received quite alot of press over the last few years.for its health benefits. So I sought a way to incorporate EVOO into my diet and stumbled on this wonderful recipe for Extra Virgin Olive Oil Chicken

The reason why I found it appropriate to share it here today is because we are at that time of the year again where we crave rich luxurious food. However, things like stuffing, cranberry, mashed potatoes, and butternut squash stew ain't cheap. But the nice thing about this recipe is that it did end up tasting really luxurious with only a few basic ingredients. I'm an amateur cook living in a country with limited resources and even then the dish beat all my expectations and I ended up with something that tasted luxurious with very little time and cost.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Vitamin E & Me......

Olive!
Olive! (Photo credit: Bibi)



There have never been any fantasies in my mind about the challenges of living abroad can bring. But one advantage to life in Argentina is that the amount of natural resources this country has. Being one of the greatest wine exporters in the world results in the fact that I can walk into a grocery store and buy an exceptional quality bottle of wine for $8 USD.

As it turns out, I find myself needing to make every possible resource available to me to keep my health in tip top shape. In my hunt for ways to stay on top of things, I found out that not only is Argentina one of the largest wine producers in the world it is also one of the largest producers of olives in the world as well. Olives are important because it is a great source of vitamin E.


As frustrating and scarce it may be feeling like one is scrambling for good ingredients, more and more I began to realize that there are little things I can do and incorporate into my daily routine that will make all the difference. I decided to take advantage of the fact that olives are one of this country's natural resources and began using Extra Virgin Olive Oil in even the little things like cooking chopped onions. Every little chance I got I used it to squeeze Vitamin E rich olives or olive oil into my diet.

When you are living abroad in a country where health products can be scarce, if you wish to survive you have to make every moment count.  It can be challenging especially in BA where around every corner there are snack shops and empanada stands.  It is all too tempting to make it daily habit to fuel up at those places because they are quick, convenient, and plentiful.

Often you here when you travel to try and experience the local culture and do what the locals do. This is the one time I definitely recommend that you DO NOT do as the locals do if you want to live long in another culture with a different language. Instead, raise the bar and find creative ways to eat cheap and healthy. And once you do, you can teach your Argentine friends to do the same. They will love you for it ;)


Today's episode has been brought to you by the letter "E" as in Expat or as in Eat. Or "E" as in  vitamin E.  Expats Eating vitamin E......








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Monday, November 05, 2012

Señoras y Criadoras





"Señoras y Criadoras", that would be the name of what we know in english to be the book and movie called "The Help". Here in Argentina having a once a week housekeeper isn't uncommon but having a live in-maid is becoming more and more a thing of the past. There was once a time which many houses had one and the evidence of that is the setup you'll find in many homes where it is a two bedroom home each with its own bathroom but the 2nd smaller room was originally for the housekeeper.

In this setup, everything is literally all inclusive....you enter into the bedroom and then attached to it is a bathroom. Inside the tiny bathroom, there is the toilet, sink and also a shower head all in one place. So when it comes time to take your shower, the whole bathroom gets wet. But seeing as I have a video to show you what it's like, you don't have to stretch your imagination wondering what I'm talking about.....





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Amorous Alpacas

Amorous Alpacas