super yummy translated recipes, pt. 1

Following on Andrea's coattails (check out her delicious-looking . I wish I had a barbecue and that it wasn't winter), I'm posting one of my favourite recipes that we've discovered down here, translated from one of the local papers' Thursday recipe section by Christine. The sweetness of the figs, the saltiness of the bacon, and the pungentness of the blue cheese all play off each other, making each mouthful a sinful delight. I didn't want to finish the first time we made it and was glad to have it again two days later to finish off the blue cheese. Mmmm.

movies and spanish - an interesting mix

Titles of all kinds - movie titles, subtitles, even book titles at time - often change when they head to this side of the equator. Movie titles often become quite a bit more explicit, subtitles sometimes get it wrong or translate a term literally. One thing we've noticed is that translators seem to have a lot of problems with complex negative sentences in English, usually translating them completely wrong. (Of course, I can't think of one right now.)

Some examples:

• Grease - translated as Vaselina (yup, that means Vaseline)
• Over the Hedge - Vecinos Invasores (Invading Neighbours)
• Rat Race - El mundo está loco, loco (The world is crazy, crazy)
• Naked Gun 2½ - ¿Y dónde está el policia 2½? (And where are the police?)
• Mulholland Drive - El camino de sueños (The street of dreams)
• The Jacket - Regresiones de un hombre muerto (Regressions of a dead man)
• Snakes on a Plane - Teror a bordo (Terror on board)
• The Ghost and the Darkness - Garras (Claws)
• Wild Hogs (the most recent Tim Allen and very macho NOT GAY film) - Rebeldes con una causa (Rebels with a cause)
• The Manchurian Candidate - El embajador del miedo (The ambassador of fear

And some interesting translations from a few movies:

• From Grease: "Well that's just peachy!" was translated as "He sounds like he is a peach." "The chicks will cream" - "Las chicas van a deritir" (The girls will melt/burn with love).
• "Let's go, baby. Let's go somewhere else" translated as "Vámonos Vámonos Vámonos Vámonos" (Let's go let's go let's go let's go)
• "Use the rod, beat the child" in Matilda when Harry Wormwood is talking to Miss Trunchbull was translated as "Beat the child first, ask later" in Spanish. Heh heh.

And so on. Makes for added entertainment.

maybe it's the illness

Such a weird dream last night that I believe it deserves to be recorded for posterity. I typed it out still half-asleep this morning.

Had a concert in a church with a choir. During the concert, I sang an unexpected trio with two other people. After, I found a close male friend at my parents' place with some guy, they had been watching TV and playing video games. The friend and I then started kissing and wrestling. Then I had to go to a rehearsal of something at a friend from university's (let's call her H) place.

I took the bus (ostencibly with Christine, though I don't remember specifically seeing her in the dream) and got off and met another friend from university (D) on the corner. He had someone with him that looked exactly like him, but would only admit to a passing resemblance. I got H's address from him, then went over. I went there, and I think it turned into another friend's place (childhood friend, L), as her dad and brother were there.

I got a new fishing video game that included a rod and an aquarium and they started playing it, going right outside the front door, where suddenly there was water. I was also suddenly inside an episode of Malcolm in the Middle where Dewey had a hamster and the father put a digital camera in front of the aquarium where they were keeping the hamster and the motor in the aquarium (?!?) started talking to him and the camera, glowing blue when it did, making the father very afraid.

Then I was back in the house, starting to cook. Giant potatoes split in half, buttered, and put directly on the gas stove (someone commented on this in the dream, they had a specific term for this method) and big pieces of meat. H's English cousins showed up and started talking about having to leave, and I realized I was cooking naked and should change before all the parents came home (apparently, nudity with other peoples' cousins is just fine). Just as I did, a fuse blew and everything went out. I turned off the stoves (as there were two all of a sudden) and stood around talking to the others.

Finally, I went to go upstairs to see what the problem was, and the lights came back on. Now there were more people, and I was either outside or the inside had lots and lots of grass and trees, like a park. It sounds like it's obvious, but it wasn't. I saw a guy coming towards me, so I dropped my shoulder and football-ploughed into him. He was ready and kept fighting back playfully. I think I took him down, but suddenly I was on my back. When we finished, he smiled and laughed and said, "Welcome to the Cameron family. I think you'll fit right in."

it's snowing five days after my birthday

That is definitely a first. The snow, in fact, is a first in the lives of almost everyone in the city. The last time snow fell in Buenos Aires was nigh on a century ago - June 1918, almost 90 years. There were predictions of polar winds and temperatures for this weekend, but since I first saw the light rain turning into flakes this afternoon, whiteness has been descending from the sky almost unstopped (it was switching back and forth to rain at the beginning).

As today is 9 de Julio (the 9th of July - Argentina's Independence Day), it was a day off, giving children free time to run around and enjoy this novelty. Normally, the only way to see snow in almost all of this country is to head to the mountains. Many people see snow for the first time when they head to Bariloche, a mountain resort, for their senior trip in high school (when I first heard how excited they were, I was full of wonder, but I guess if you haven't seen it before, it's a pretty neat thing). I headed out in the afternoon to grab a few pictures of flurries and the Casa Rosada, but by evening was less than enthralled with the idea of leaving a warm room. Snow isn't that unique to me. Neat time to be here, that's for sure.

One note about my birthday. This is the first birthday that hasn't marked a year. Not that anyone feels a year passing, but.... It's hard to describe. This one feels exactly the same as the last one, minus one difference: a year's worth of experience. I guess this is what a birthday is, isn't it? A realization of year's worth of life? The collection of memories that we put together after twelve months? I guess that's about the best I can put it. It's a strange one.

We'll see how the next one goes. Looks like it'll be a fun one.

great food and a unique opportunity

One way that we've gotten our timing perfect in being here is the exploding food scene. No, not food that explodes - the fact that in the last two or three years, the fare has gone from not being able to find much past the steak-and-potatoes that makes up much of the traditional Argentine diet to new restaurants opening all the time, giving opportunities of taste hitherto unknown in this country (there's been a lot of talk over a new raw-food restaurant here, in steak central).

While these restaurants are generally quite pricier than local fare, we have journeyed to a couple of them. (As you may or may not know, I have enjoyed food of all sorts and experimenting with various cuisines as I've traveled, and Chris and I have been learning to cook wherever we go together.) One such wonderful place that we've been to twice now is a run by a man who spent quite some time doing the New York food circuit as a chef and decided that he liked it here. He does some food writing, but his main source of revenue is a little "restaurant with closed doors" named Casa Saltshaker that he runs out of his and his partner's home.

Every Friday and Saturday, he creates a menu around some theme, usually taken from some moment in history, though he has been known to do a menu 'just because'. Reservations are made beforehand and guests dine at two tables in their apartment, freely conversing about whatever may come up (this is one very large part of the fun of the night). Usually, it's a mix of locals and holidayers, but it's definitely a full range - he's had expats living here, a tour group, companies, vacationers who heard about him through friends. Whoever is included in the mix, a great meal is guaranteed.

We've been there twice now - once with my family when they visited, getting the experience of a Hungarian-themed night, based on a city in Hungary that celebrates its own holiday, and once last weekend for Bastille Day last weekend (if you're interested, he not only runs down the menu, but also tells how he prepared it, more or less. Some great dishes for those of you looking for something new and challenging!) He also offers a wine pairing with the meal, which should always be taken (if you're planning on coming down here and doing this) - the man has been pairing his whole life, it's something he takes pride in, and for good reason.

I've heard that these things are starting to pop up in cities all over North America, though they're much more secret, mainly due to health regulations (Dan says his friends who do this in New York set up as caterers) and much more expensive. However, based on my own experience, if you have the chance to participate in one of these ambrosia meals, I highly recommend taking it. It's like a dinner party with brand new friends, and you're guaranteed to come home sated in every way.

welcome to healthcare, non-canadian style

Health care is a touchy subject anywhere you go, and rightly so - everyone needs it sometime in their life, and it can get expensive, more than most can afford on their own. This is supposed to be why we have government - common good and all that. That said, I've experienced a couple of different health care systems in the last few years and would like to share with you how they differ from what you may be used to - they have certainly been a shock to me.

Taiwanese health care is rather like Canadian health care. It's provided by the government (I even got health care as a legal alien), sometimes there's a small user fee (a few dollars to see the doctor), but generally my health concerns were taken care of, a relief when I had my accident back when I first started out there. Efficient system, competent staff - being in a lot of pain, I was glad not to have to worry about these things. Staying in the hospital was a different story, as the hospitals do not feed you. That's the responsibility of friends and family, which, for foreigners, can be really terrible. How do you eat when everyone you know is at work? I knew a few people who were in for a while and they were not happy campers. Understandably.

In Argentina, there is a huge strain on an insufficient system. Public health care is available, but it is in terrible shape. Incredibly long lines, poor facilities, not enough doctors - the list goes on. If one has enough money (not an option for many living in poverty, unfortunately), private medical insurance is available, which makes many things a lot easier. As in many poorer countries, money talks loudly and quickly. This will get you better rooms in the hospital, cover most expenses (or greatly reduce the cost - generally, you pay the base rate plus a user's fee every time you visit the doctor or have a procedure or test done), and even get you cheap or free house visits from your local doctor (which seems very strange to me). One problem, though, is that everything is broken up and has to be done separately. For example:

1. A friend recently had to go to the dentist. No problems there, except she needed an x-ray (enter problems). First, she had to take her x-ray 'prescription' to the insurance company to get authorization to get an x-ray. That done, she headed off to an x-ray clinic (nothing is done is the same building as anything else), which told her she needed another authorization to get an x-ray. Not believing them, she left for a different x-ray clinic which agreed to do the x-ray. Only then could she return to the dentist for the check-up she had originally wanted.

2. I recently had to get a biopsy on a mole (don't worry, no problems, it's OK!). I went to a regular doctor who referred me to a dermatologist (nothing unusual there). The dermatologist (who, being open only two days a week, was nearly impossible to get ahold of - it took three weeks to make an appointment) wanted the biopsy, so she gave me 'prescriptions' that had to be taken to the insurance agent for authorization. When I returned for the biopsy with the notarized prescriptions, I was then sent, with the sample, to the lab - anything outside of their office is not their concern. I had to pick up the sample from the lab a week later, then return for a last appointment with the doctor. Quite the trek, eh?

As one can see, you can get a variety of treatments all over the world.

For additional, though only tangential, reading, here's an article comparing U.S.-Canadian health care systems from six months ago in Yes magazine, thanks to According Guy.