[Tango-A] SA: Do-It-Yourself Culture Tour in Buenos Aires -- an agenda that costs nothing or very little

[Janis Kenyon]

There's more to Buenos Aires than tango classes and milongas.  Here is my
list of recommendations to learn about the culture.

1.  Drink mate
This is the custom that defines Argentines.  Herba is produced in the
northern province of Missiones.  Everyone has their own set of rituals.  Ask
someone to teach you how they prepare it and share it with them.  When you
are invited to drink mate, you are like family.

2.  Investigate Carlos Gardel
He's considered one of the most important icons of tango.  His house has
been made into a museum run by the city government.  Take a guided tour for
3 pesos and learn how much he is revered by portenos who love tango.  His
recordings aren't played in the milongas for dancing, so listen to the radio
at 92.7FM.

3.  Attend a pena de tango y folclore
The porteno version of open-mic sessions for amateur singers with live
accompaniment.  La Casa del Tango has penas de tango every Wednesday and
Saturday at 21hs.  Entrada 5 pesos.  Check the listings in B.A. Tango
magazine.

4.  Go to a tango concert
La Orquesta de Tango de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires gives free concerts at
Teatro Alvear on Corrientes on Thursdays at 1pm.  This is where portenos who
don't dance go to enjoy tango.  The city also sponsors concerts at the Bares
Notables.

5.  Eat an Asado
You have to taste Argentine beef, even if you are vegetarian.  Portenos
don't eat fast--they live to eat. They dine for hours.  Enjoy an asado with
Argentines to get the full flavor of the experience.  Cost depends on the
restaurant and neighborhood.  Ask a porteno friend for their recommendation.

6.  Go to a neighborhood festival
Enjoy a Sunday afternoon where the artisans sell their handmade articles (at
local rather than tourist prices), gauchos ride horses, folclore groups
entertain on stage while everyone dances Chacarera and Zamba.  The feria de
Mataderos is free, outdoors, and far from the path of tourists.

7.  Try the wine
You don't have to travel to the vineyards of Mendoza in western Argentina.
Go to a grocery store or wine shop and select a bottle of Malbec, the most
famous of Argentine wines.  No asado is complete without red wine.

8.  Walk the streets
The city offers free walking tours of the neighborhoods with
English-speaking guides--an introduction into the way portenos live.

9.  Use the language
This is the best way to get into the culture.  Take classes before you
travel.

www.buenosaires.gov.ar for maps and more information on things you can do to
immerse yourself in the local culture.