China town and around...

Today I visited China town - or barrio china in spanish.  However, I will not post about that tonight.  Rather, I am going to compile a list of things I did not expect to see in Argentina.

1.  Neck Tattoos (and tattoos in general) - While tattoos became a worldwide trend in the 90s, only rappers, gang members, and people generally of ill-repute put tattoos on very visible places.  Now, I've seen tattoos on a congressional chief-of-staff, a well-regarded lawyer with both "sleeves" tattooed (many tattoos covering the entire arm as to look like 'sleeves' from a distance), even lips tattooed to look like lip gloss.  However, what I'm talking about in the States is either not-noticeable, covered up or otherwise hidden.  Here, tattoos are open and non-cover-up-able.  WOMEN, who would in every other regard appear "normal" to me, with gigantic rose tattoos on their necks.  I don't think this is a particular trend that will catch my eye any time soon.

2.  Public Nudity - Newsstands in the States sell Playboys, Penthouses, and all those types of magazines.  However, they are generally covered in plastic so they can't be perused by adolescent boys while their mothers aren't looking.  And most certainly, their covers are, while risque, nothing more than you can see on basic cable at midnight.  Here, they are open, nude-on-covers and not hidden.  In fact, I see men and boys of all backgrounds scanning that particular section with no guilt or hesitation.  I think I'll stick with the US version on this category.  People are very confident in their bodies down here, but in my opinion, some things need to stay mysterious - and this is one of them.

2a.  Breast-feeding in public - I will include this in a sub-section about public nudity, although I think we should adopt this practice.  While unsettling at first, this is a good thing for people in general.  Every medical opinion ever generated on this topic says breast-feeding is best for a child's development, immunity, overall health later in life.  However, in the States, we shuttle young mothers off to storage closets in the backs of stores and generally make it difficult for mothers to feed their babies.  Some cities and states have even made it illegal to breast-feed in public.  Argentina - keep the porn private, but I applaud your attitude toward young mothers. THIS is something we should adopt in the US.

3.  Freckles/Red & blonde hair/Blue & green eyes - While I knew this country was home to many recent(ish) immigrants, and I was told there were many Anglo-Argentines here, its still a little shocking to see.  I understand that my perception (as well as most Americans) of Spanish-speakers is filled with pictures of Latino/Hispanic Mexicans.  I told myself that I would fit in down here as an Anglo-European descendant.  However, when I see people I would generally think of as Americans (Anglo-Europeans, Black people, etc. - America's ethnic mix*) speak with a perfect porteño accent, it throws me for a bit.  I have seen many faces in this city, many of whom could be my relatives, and I now understand that that a country can be both Latino and heterogeneous - Argentina is one.  

3a.  Chispañol - This is my imaginary word for a phenomenon I witnessed in barrio china today.  We all know 'Spanglish' - a very informal, conversational mix of English and Spanish.  I am very familiar with it because I speak a good bit of it to my hosts.  I speak Spanish until I don't know a word, and I say it in English (with copious hand-gestures).  However, when I entered a restaurant in China town, I heard a curious mix of Chinese and Spanish - chispañol.  Strangely enough, I felt very at home in a Chinese restaurant.  The menu was very familiar, with the traditional westernized Chinese favorites, The Players Championship golf tournament was on a flat-screen television behind the bar, and I received a lot of food for a small price.  There was even the new guy who stood near the back who cleaned tables and gathered dishes that only spoke Chinese.*  It really felt like home!

*If any of you reading know me personally, you know that "political correctness" drives me nuts.  I don't care if my descriptions of a Chinese restaurant may be 'unseemly' or 'uncouth.'  I don't care if you don't like it when I wrote "black people."  The world would be a better place if people worried less about stepping on others' toes and just said what they meant.  If you think what you just read was rude, I'm talking about you.  Have a great day!

4.  Dog poo - People love their dogs here.  Since it is a city of millions of people, there are hundreds of thousands (probably millions) of dogs.  However, there is no rule/law (spoken or unspoken) that engourages people to clean up after their dogs.  On one hand, the tree-lined avenues and boulevards don't need outside fertilizer.  On the other hand, you often play an adult version of hop-scotch against your will.  

5.  Smokers - There are a LOT of smokers down here.  Curiously, a lot of seemingly athletic people smoke.  I've seen many people carrying tennis rackets and soccer cleats also dragging on a cigarette.  Smoking is demonized in the States now, and only smokers from generations past remain (except a few idiots from my generation), but I didn't think this many people smoked.  Oddly enough, its mostly recognizable American brands like Camel, Marlboro and the blast-from-the-past Lucky Strikes.  Americans export cancer (cigs) and Argies export heart disease (red meat) - this might not be the healthiest relationship.  

This is by far not everything I've noticed.  However in the interest of your time and mine, I will save the rest for later.