Chicken tenders
Oct 29th, 2007, 01:19 am
Instead of writing this entry as an essay, I’ve decided to walk on the wild side and turn it into an easy-to-read list.
Happenings around the country:
- Yesterday, Argentines went out to the polls to elect the next president of the nation. As an ignorant American, I hardly followed the presidential race, so I’m not the right person to ask about its possible outcomes. I truly feel dumb for not pay attention to something this important. I promised myself on many occasions I would read the local and national news everyday, but you can tell how that turned out. However, I do know that voting is obligatory for those that are eligible and below the age of sixty. There’s a fine if you don’t vote, but I heard that law is weakly enforced.
- A Spanish company opened the first gay hotel in Latin America on Friday in the artsy Buenos Aires neighborhood of San Telmo. At US$200 a night, it’s pretty expensive, especially for this country. It’s geared towards foreign tourists. No, I haven’t been there, nor do I plan on going.
- The weather is heating up. Highs have reached the late 70s and low 80s while lows have been in the 50s and 60s. All temperatures in Fahrenheit, not that crazy Celsius stuff they use everywhere except the US.
What’s going on in Hasan’s life:
- I turned twenty-two on October 1. Man, I’m so old. Although I didn’t have a party, my host mom still baked a cake. She, my host brother, my host brother’s son, and I celebrated the twenty-second year of my almost-mythical presence on the planet. Instead of inviting my friends for a party that time, I decided to postpone it until after Ramadan. After delaying it for so long, I threw it two Fridays ago. My host mom, who’s seventy, prepared food all day for it. She made empanadas (a stuffed pastry), pasta, and a delicious cake. What an awesome host mom! My friends and I had a great time, although I wish we could’ve had more time to ourselves and not with my host family and their relatives.
- Although my host mom takes care of me as if I was her own son, she pisses me off at times. She has a tendency to force people to eat, even after they repeatedly tell her no thanks. It may sound cute, but it really, really, really, really gets to me. A few days ago, we were in the kitchen eating dinner, and while I was chewing away, my host mom got up and put more milanesa, or breaded beef, on the stove. While she was doing that, she told me there’s more milanesa. I told her I didn’t want anymore. And then she said “vas a comer” (“you’re going to eat”). And then she sat down and said she put the milanesa for me. I said “no quiero” (“I don’t want any”). And then she started mocking me by saying “¡no quiero, no quiero, no quiero!” like a little kid. I was extremely, extremely pissed. I don’t get why she can’t take no for an answer. Ugh. I didn’t even smile or say anything. I just looked at her and went back to finishing my food. I tried to keep my cool. When she put the milanesa on my plate. I didn’t say thank you or anything, but I did tell her I only wanted half of one piece. Her food is really good, but sometimes I just friggin’ don’t want to eat anymore! It’s called being full! Besides her annoying inclination to essentially force food down your throat, we generally get along well.
- My research over Muslim identity in Buenos Aires has progressed rapidly. Very little information exists about the old but growing Argentine Muslim community, so I’m one of the few to seriously studying it. I have to write twenty-five to thirty pages, but I’m nearly done. I’ve never written a paper that long, much less in another language, so it’s quite a bit of work. On the bright side, since it’s entirely in Spanish, my writing skills in that language have improved, and my vocabulary has increased considerably.
- Besides my independent research project, I have two other classes. They’re… okay. They’re not badly taught or unorganized; they’re just a bit dry for me. Or maybe it’s because I have difficulty following the lectures. Even though I understand Spanish very well, I still can’t get much meaning out of class lectures. Plus, I really miss participating in class discussions. I’ve only raised my hand to participate once this semester because I get really nervous speaking Spanish in front of twenty-something people. Well, I usually don’t understand what the professor is talking about, so I can’t participate anyway.
- I’ve conducted several interviews with members of the Muslim community as a part of my research. To ensure that I can quote with accuracy, I record these chats with my iPod (I bought the microphone ten days ago at a small electronics store for a hefty 290 pesos, or US$91.52; it cost $44 on Amazon.com when I got it, but I had no choice but to buy it at a ridiculously jacked up price here). After listening to the interviews, I’ve realized I sound weird in Spanish. I had barely heard myself conversing in this language in any recordings, so this was news. I seem to have fairly good pronunciation and grammar, but my intonation is so not Argentine. I think I have a fairly neutral accent, which is far better than having a horrendous American one. I guess that’s fine, but I’d really like to speak with the Buenos Aires accent, which has much in common with the Italian accent. Now that I know how I sound, I try harder to change my cadence and intonation when I speak Spanish. Some people say I sound expressionless, so I don’t know how far I’ll get with that…
- My two closest American friends in Buenos Aires took me out for dinner Saturday night at T.G.I. Friday’s in Alto Palermo Shopping, a mall where the city’s rich and beautiful buy their expensive Timberland boots, to celebrate my birthday. As I’ve mentioned, I turned twenty-two on October 1. Since we’re all Muslim, we decided to wait until after Ramadan ends to eat out. We chose T.G.I. Friday’s because we spent much of the holy month reminiscing about American food, such as chicken tenders and chicken wings. I spent many a night talking about my love for chicken tenders, so I was quite excited for our outing. Sadly, they turned out to be so-so. They lacked the flavor and spiciness of American chicken tenders, but that hardly surprised me because, after all, this is Argentina, a country better known for its succulent beef and delicious pastries rather than food with zing. One thing I didn’t understand was how the menu said the sodas included refills. However, when we were given the check, the waitress explained that the price includes just one refill. Uh, I don’t get it. It cost as much as two sodas in any restaurant in this city, so how does paying for two glasses for the price of two count as including a refill?
Nevertheless, we really enjoyed ourselves. We marveled at the Americaness of the joint. Although American movies, music, fashion, and fast-food restaurants pretty much dominate this country, they’re so common that they don’t invoke feelings of nostalgia. Restaurants like T.G.I. Friday’s, however, are rare. The little things about it, like booth seating, which I haven’t seen anywhere else in Argentina, really made me feel like I was back home. Last night, I finally realized how my parents must feel when they’re in a Bangladeshi or Indian store in the US.
- Today marks my thirty-sixth week in South America. My time here is almost up. Insha’Allah, I’ll leave for the motherland on the night of December 24 and arrive home the following day, just in time to open the presents from Santa. Although I miss my family and friends, I wish I could stay in Buenos Aires longer. I finally speak the language well, know the city’s hotspots, and have a group of great friends. It took me nine months to get to this level, and I’ll soon have to leave it all behind.
Bueno, ya está. Tengo que levantarme relativamente temprano porque tengo una reunión a las 11:00 de la mañana, así que tengo que acostarme. ¡Buenas noches!
