[Tango-L] Pity the poor Milonguru/Niño Bien

[Shahrukh Merchant]

Jack Dylan <jackdylan007 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> I was sitting in Nino Bien the other night, opposite my partner as we 
> sipped our Chandon, probaby looking like a couple of newbie tourists.

Hey, next time stop by and say hello :-) (I was there too, after several 
months). But skip the overpriced Chandon--Nieto Senetiner is much better.

A word on Niño Bien: It has changed a lot in its "aura," as has most of 
the other milongas that now have a high tourist attendance (I would 
estimate over 50% last Thursday). However, within the set of milongas 
popular with tourists, it's still a personal favourite since:

- Their prices have not risen unreasonably. And with the apparently 
still little-known and not advertised policy that the admission ticket 
is valid for a free water or soft drink (or a glass of house wine or 
champagne too, I believe), it's almost a bargain.

- They still help you find a seat and seat you (though this breaks down 
when it is really full--they'll still admit you without saying there is 
no space and then ...???).

- Shows are rare. (This is a good thing as far as I'm concerned--90% of 
such shows I find boring and emotionless, though the vast majority of 
the crowd, including the Argentines, seem to love them.)

- I usually run into people I know even though I've ceased to be an habitué.

> an old guy walked 
> behind my partner, put his hand on one of her bare shoulders and stroked 
> her neck as his hand passed to her other shoulder.  ...
> She had no idea who he was. Is this 'normal' behaviour in Buenos Aires? 
> I've been in places where it's likely to result in trouble, to put it mildly.

No, it's not normal, nor considered appropriate, but also not likely to 
result in "trouble to put it mildly" for the perpetrator. Between Latin 
machismo, generally more comfort with physical contact, the fact that it 
was at a milonga and could be passed off as a perhaps-too-affectionate 
invitation to dance, etc., a frown and/or "That was weird," perhaps a 
dirty look at the old guy in question, is about the level of objection 
one is likely to see to that. However, I don't really see this happening 
all that often off the dance floor (from reports I hear, the dirty old 
men seem to wait until they have their victims firmly in their clutches 
ON the dance floor...).

Shahrukh