Category: Culture

Asado: the language of love

Published on by Juliet ELeave a comment

I have been lucky enough to make friends with several local Argentines these last two months. Most of them I met through a classmate, another international student who happens to be well-connected here. It can be difficult to create close friendships across the language and culture barrier, so I’m grateful to have had that opportunity. 

Anyway, one of these friends invited me to an asado last Saturday! An Asado is just the Argentine version of an American barbecue, and if you ever have the chance to go, you absolutely must. I met up at a friend’s house beforehand and played some fútbol video games before heading to the asado around 8 p.m. It was in a provincial suburb about an hour from the center of Buenos Aires, so we took my friend’s car and bumped to Taylor Swift on the way. 

When we arrived, we were greeted by our host and his father and brothers, who were sweating over the grill (la parrilla) while trying to distract their dog from the delicious smell of steak. While we waited for the meat to cook, we drank red wine and Fernet and played ping-pong. Soon enough, our friend and his dad started ferrying plates and plates of meat from the grill to the table: asado and chorizo and pork and kidney and blood sausage and ribs and chicken and more. As you can see, an asado is not quite vegan-friendly. Everything was delicious and perfectly cooked. In Argentina the meat is of such high quality that people hardly season it and rarely use condiments – although I’ll admit I do miss barbecue sauce. 

Here’s just some of the food we enjoyed

As we ate, we discussed politics (of course) and other Argentine affairs. Having local friends has been the absolute best addition to my education because they know the culture at a corporal level and I learn by listening. Plus it’s a great way to learn swear words.

I tried a bit of everything and when I thought I might finally burst, someone ordered several kilograms of ice cream. And once we really truly couldn’t eat anymore, we all laid around like you do after Thanksgiving when you’re so full and so content that you just can’t move. It was beautiful.

It was a blessing to have been welcomed into this world by such wonderful people. I felt so Argentine. I’m confident that this asado will remain one of my favorite memories of studying abroad, not because we ate so well or because we had such a fun time, but because I felt like I belonged there. I was able to fully immerse myself in an entirely new cultural tradition with new friends who were gracious enough to accept me. It didn’t matter how competent I was at Spanish or how much I understood Argentine politics because we were all of us bonding over a meal together. And that truly is a universal language.

Tangier, 100% Mamans

Published on by hallieahoffLeave a comment

This week started early Sunday morning as we departed on an excursion to Tangier. Located on the most northern coast of Morocco the city is encapsulated with a rich history of foreign invasion since 400 AD and later perseverance from the Moroccan population.

The city of Tangier has come a long way from this period, which once had the reputation of being a sketchy, undesirable place for locals and tourists alike. Racked with the chaos of drug dealings and unorganized crime. However, since Sultan Moulay Ismail came to power in the late 1600s, rooting his legacy in the revival of Tangier a metamorphose has taken place. His break-off from British territory as the city has been transformed and the hard choices taken to get there cannot be understated. These acts of diplomacy on Ismail’s part were not only ahead of their time but so strategic they avoided the need for military or violent action all together. 

This history is prominent throughout the city, conveyed throughout architecture that stands from hundreds of years ago, to an economy that relies on tourism – which was not always the case due to its older reputation. 

While my program was there we spent most of our time visiting NGOs and getting a fuller idea of their missions within the city. To see the work that was being done by these organizations was truly inspiring, and one particularity stood out to me. 

NGO, 100% Maman, is based in Tangier and has had a massive impact on the community there. Fighting for the rights of single mothers, Maman’s goal is to reach a wide audience and develop the expertise to have single mothers seen positively in a post-modern, Middle Eastern society. Their technological range developed from multiple social media accounts to a podcast that can be streamed on most platforms where women can talk about their experiences with the law, their pregnancies, and how they found the organization. 

The creation of Maman however is not quite as uplifting yet inspiring all the same. Founded in 2006, there was a great need to advocate for women who were having children out of wedlock, instances of rape or incest. The law at that time stated that perpetrators could marry their victims (even against the victims’ wishes) and as a result be excluded from criminal punishment. A need for advocacy was strong as 100% Maman rose to the occasion. Through this organization and others like it advocating for more freedom from these laws progress has been made, but there is still much work to be done. 

Working primarily with single mothers and their children, 100% Maman provides housing for mothers, daycare, and education for children, and skills classes for mothers, and runs a full-scale catering company where many of the mothers that they work with are employed. Needless to say, this organization has created a flourishing micro-economy within the larger city. 

As we sat and talked with the administration of this non-profit many of us were moved to tears, the emotion that these women felt for their organization was at the forefront of every answered question and explanation.  

I spent the rest of the day reflecting on the place of privilege I was coming from and contrasting these oppressive laws to the pro-life/pro-choice dilemma currently underway in the States. There is so much freedom given to those in America that other systems of governing are often forgotten – this was a sharp reminder of how the rest of the world may be functioning. I hope to return to Tangier in November and learn more about 100% Maman, how we as students can aid the organization, and what other work must be done to gain these women the freedom they deserve.