Tango Contempo is a series of intimate performances begun by a group of tangueros (tango musicians) who were looking for a way to play classic pieces and their own compositions in a setting that's not as commercial or kitschy as the overblown showpieces found in tango shows. The result: small concerts every Thursday night at 9:30pm at Buenos Aires cafe venues.

Last night's show was at Café Vinilo on Gorriti (but check the "agenda" on the website to confirm details) and featured two sets: the first included piano, bass, bandoneón, and vibraphone performing original compositions. The second was [2004 Grammy nominee] Pablo Maimetti and Cesar Angeleri on bandoneón and guitar. Both were world class and lovely.


My favorite thing from the evening was the way Pablo (the bandoneón player) would use his body for percussion-- not only would he tap his feet or shake the body of the bandoneón, but in dramatic moments, he'd slide his right foot with a stamp and a long slip to the right.

UPDATE: Just to give a sense of the quality of the musicians we heard for 25pesos, here's one quotation about Pablo Mainetti:

"the most talented composer of Argentina's new Tango generation"

Paraguay has a reputation for being remote and so when I try to convey, particularly to scholars of Latin America, what Paraguay is like, I settle on two points: the use of Guaraní and the War of the Triple Alliance. Paraguay is really a bilingual country where the usage of Guaraní pervades all daily interactions--more people speak only Guaraní than only Spanish. And the majority of that indigenous language's speakers are not themselves Native Americans.

Next, the War of the Triple Alliance (1865-1870) is ever-present in Paraguayan memory. This was lost by Paraguay to the combined forces of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay-- Paraguay lost nearly half its territory, 90% of its male population, and around 50% of its entire population. This war is mentioned every day in the newspapers, any time when people discuss social ills (poverty, inequality, land issues)-- the important national holiday "Día del niño" (where you give kids easter-like baskets and toys) on Aug 16 commemorates the slaughter of pre-adolescent Paraguayan boys by Argentine troops in a battle towards the end of the war. This is Paraguay's holocaust, ever-present.

And so when Paraguay beat Argentina last week at soccer, it was seen in the context of that War. Need proof? Look at this ad for Personal, a Paraguayan cellphone company, featuring Salvador Cabañas (who we call gordinho, in all affection), the dude who set up Nelson Haedo's goal, and quite possibly the most likeable dude on the team. As he rallies his troops to victory in South Africa, the iconography is all about the War of the Triple Alliance and Mariscal Solano López who led his country into war and "murió con su patria" (died with his fatherland). All the right notes are hit--this ad should win a prize for cultural contextual excellence.

One of the benefits of living in Mos Eisley is the diversity of the cuisine. Though there are several Korean restaurants in this Paraguayan city of 300,000 (I'm more inclined to think the real population of CdE is closer to 125,000), Man House rises above them.

Not to be missed: the bulgogi is good, the pork ribs are even better, and the spicy seafood (marisco) soup (I think it's number 10 on the first page of the menu) is stellar. They serve the meat with sesame leaves for rolling (not just lettuce). Prices (which are reasonable are in dollars, but they accept guaranies, reales, and pesos--even all at once.

Open for lunch and dinner during the week. On Abay between Adriana Jara and Pai Perez.

Note: I'm trying to show the exact location via Google maps, but it has the streets either unfinished or mislabeled for this city-- in fact, they label the city Puerto Presidente Stroessner (!!!) a name not used since 1989. Wow. Bad job on this.

I give up. No Google Maps link to CdE is accurate enough.

the field at Defensores del Chaco in late afternoon (Ultima Hora)

I find myself at a loss for how to even begin processing CNN’s new article “What gets between Latinas and education.” All the tropes are hit: high dropout rates and even higher teen fertility rates, familial expectations of Latinas as “submissive underachievers and caretakers.” I suppose I should feel grateful that someone is bringing attention to this, but somehow, as a Latina with the goal of teaching at the university level, my reaction is mixed, ambivalent, mysterious to me. Yes, I am the only Cubana-Dominicana I know getting a Ph.D.*, but this is not unusual. As I grew up, I was the only Latina in my honors classes. I’m used to being the only one. But my chief problem is its assumption that the cultural definitions of latinadad—family loyalty and commitment—are causally associated with “submissive underarchievement.” Of course, no one mentions the counterexample stereotype of hardworking and over-achieving Asian-Americans who are incredibly committed to their families. And it chafes because family is exactly why I’ve achieved all I have and what spurs me on to dream bigger. It assigns blame to that part of being Latina that I find most compelling and most satisfying: relationship with family.

Satisfy your cravings for excellent seafood in Foz do Iguaçu at Trapiche. The name of the restaurant means "sugar cane mill" or "olive press," but in this border town in Brazil, it translates to "damn fine food." The shellfish fresh, the sushi quite respectable, and the caldeira of Moquequa (a stew made from coconut milk, palm oil, cilantro, onions, and seafood--a traditional dish of Bahia) was enough for at least three people (though, being a good cubinicana, I ate a share for at least two) and served with rice and pirão (yuca/mandioca/cassava farina made with the broth from the moquequa). It runs about $69 reales ($34 USD). Open for lunch Wednesday-Sunday, dinner every night of the week, and a rodizio of shellfish on weekends. Located on Deodoro across from Hotel Rafain.