Expo Prado

I went to Expo Prado with a teacher from one of my conversation classes and her friend. It was a great time.


Expo Prado is basically a large farm show or agriculatural exhibition in the Prado neighborhood of Montevideo. This year is the 104th Expo hosted by the Rural Association of Uruguay "where all sectors of the national economy are represented." And 530,000 visitors are expected to attend.


Besides all of the livestock displays (cows, pigs, goats, sheep, bunnies, hens, horses, etc.), there were also many businesses represented, from industrial tractor companies to cellphone service providers. A lot of corporations hired pretty girls in matching outfits to hand out advertising pamphlets to passerbys.


There were also public awarness booths (like for the transportation ministry or national army among many others) and artisinal stalls where I picked up a few presents and another silver ring for myself (I might have a slight ring-buying addiction. Somebody stop me!).


There were also lots of tasty food options. You could buy a hamburger from a little cart on the street or sit down for a full asado dinner. I personaly had a taco from the Mexican embassy's tent. Finally--some spiciness! The first time I've had anything with actual hot sauce since arriving in Uruguay.


I think my favorite part about Expo Prado was people watching. There were people from all classes and walks of life at the expo (and they were all drinking mate). There were gauchos from the interior, children in school uniforms, rich women in leather coats, farmhands in knee-high rubber boots, teenagers in skinny jeans, and grandpas in sweater vests. Everybody came out to take part in Uruguay's commercial and industrial success.

Yerba Mate

I would be remiss if I did not tell you about yerba mate (pronounced like mah-tay) while in Uruguay. Yerba mate is the favorite drink of all of Uruguay. You can't walk down the street without seeing tons of people clutching their mate gear and sipping this warm drink all day long.


Yerba is a kind of plant with caffeine like properties that is ground up and scooped into a gourd. Then hot water is poured into the gourd, and the mixture produces a bitter tea-like drink. (You best like your mate "amargo" or bitter, because adding sugar is cheating, and you will be made fun of by any real Uruguayan). This potent beverage is then drunk using a metal straw that has little holes in the bottom (called a bombilla) to filter the yerba.

Mate is often passed around in social circles to be shared with the whole group. It is the central bonding element between friends and family. It connects people together. Drinking mate is as much about loving the taste as it is about loving the tradition.

Mate is more than a drink; it's an obsession. It is a beautiful cultural symbol of the Uruguayan people.

Noche de la Nostalgia

August 24th is apparently one of the biggest days in Uruguay's calendar. Deemed the "Nostalgia Night," both old and young, leave their houses to go dancing to oldies music, yes that's right hits from the 60s, 70s, 80s and more. And it is said to be the party of year. Originally, I think the party was intended to be on August 25th, Uruguay's Independence Day, but somehow nostalgia night has come to overshadow that official holiday.

A lot of places charge big covers (anywhere from 200 to 1000 pesos) to get in and get your groove on. We are going to wander around Ciudad Vieja until we find an appropriate place to dance to U2, the Beatles, Bon Jovi and The Police among many others. Hmmm, this all seems strange to me.

Fortunately, I have been informed that people do not dress the part. And I was going to wear tie dye...guess I dodged a bullet there.

Theater Show

Last night I went to a play at the Teatro Larrañaga in Salto which is beautiful. The name of the show was La Amante Inglesa which featured one actress discussing the psychological journey and crime of another actress.


I've decided that if I go to anymore live performances I am going to research the plot beforehand so I focus on the language without getting lost. Once you lose your place, it's pretty much hopeless for the rest of the show. Halfway through, I started thinking about how the actresses feet didn't get cold without wearing socks or about how I need to buy a watch.

You can't let your mind wander like that when attempting to enjoy a foreign language production. I tell myself if there had been more movement, more props, more actors, more gesturing it may have been easier to stay focused, but mostly it's just shame on me and my whirring mind.

Asado

I went to my first asado this weekend with new friends. Yay!


I've been hearing soooo much about Uruguay's amazing asados and now I've finally had a chance to partake. An asado is something like what American's would term a "BBQ". In a nutshell, it implies large groups of people assembled to grill up a bunch of meat. The word "asado" can also refer to the actual grilled meat itself--from beef steaks to chorizos.


Yes, I like these asado things. Good company and good grilled meat. What more could one want?

DC Chinese Cultural Festival

I forgot to post about a Chinese festival that I went to with some friends from my cohort last Sunday. We took the metro to Chinatown for a parade and little performance on the streets of DC. It was fun and festive. I was enthralled by the pretty fabrics of the dragons dancing down the streets. The Chinese know how to do celebrations in rich color.


The show was a display of kung fu (or maybe some other form of fighting since I really don't know my kicking and chopping so well) and drumming with ribbon dancing. Yay. I love living in a multi-cultural city. Homogeneity is so boring when so many different cultures have amazing contributions to our diverse world.

Who wants to go on a little field trip to China now? I know I do.