Because: The gym I frequented when I lived in the Palermo Soho neighborhood was a hoot. It was such a scene in this warehouse-like space, and I wrote about over on Tara and Karina Go Out. It also had a lot, a lot of attractive members. When my roommates and I first started going when we moved to Buenos Aires and knew no one save for a few souls, we would brainstorm aloud about how to meet people. Back then in 2010 we decided our gym needed to throw a party. Despite being a seemingly social place with crowd of people looping through machines which if weren’t already broken always seemed on the brink of collapse, and packed classes that turned into rave-like workouts, there really was no organic or non-creepy way (no, I do not need help stretching) for people to meet at the gym. As far as we know that Always Club party never happened, but something similar it seems did. I’m now in a new hood and no longer belong to that other gym, but I would not be averse to attending a shindig it sponsored.

Because: Cool Hunting, a term in English I have never heard used in English save in web site names, but Spanglish permeates here.

Isn’t learning about something like this, like taking a course on it, or even reporting on something like this, a little odd? It’s like metaphorically tripping all over oneself.

En los últimos años se multiplicó la cantidad de familias argentinas que hospedan a estudiantes del exterior; es ideal para aquellos matrimonios cuyos hijos ya se independizaron

Because: This is an interesting article (obviously in Spanish) about the increasing number of porteña families who choose to host foreign students. The article looks at the numbers of the trend, from financial payoffs to how many students are staying in Buenos Aires homes. The headline of the article is an tip-off to that angle; the story looks at the hosting foreign students as a “business,” which when it comes down to it, it is.

I have a number of friends who lodged in home stays during study abroad, in Buenos Aires especially, and was intrigued to read about it from the local perspective.

“…The demonstration resulted in Clarín’s failure to be distributed on Sunday, the day of largest newspaper circulation, for the first time in 65 years.”

Because: It’s the freedom of assembly (which Argentines exercise so well) versus the freedom of the press. I realize those are US amendments, but it’s fair to say they are shared democratic values internationally.

That this happened is disturbing. It should not happen.

Note: I almost wrote “American amendments” above. The US might be the United States of America, but it is not “America.” “America” includes North, Central and South America. Latin America is “America,” too, and you run the chance of offending a number of Argentines if you refer to the US as “America.”

Because: Ninety grill masters, more than 13,000 kilos of meat (or +28,600 pounds), 24,000 portions served up to attendees and the Guinness World Record for largest asado in the world; Argentina, you did it. I don’t know how I haven’t blogged about this yet, and I sadly missed out on the greatest carnivorous feast that ever was, but it’s things like this I can point to as reminders and reasons as to why I love this crazy country so.

La Nacion article (in Spanish) linked in title. The official “El Asado Mas Grande del Mundo” site because you know you want to see more pictures. Photo courtesy of Pick Up the Fork.

Because: “New low”? How low is low? Is it very American of me to have not realized our relationship was “delicate”? I suppose it’s because when I think about strained international foreign relations, my mind goes to Iran, Venezuela, South Korea, the majority of the Middle East, etc. I wonder where this falls on the scale of Switzerland to all the aforementioned areas. Looks like you should have scheduled Argentina into your Latin American travel itinerary, Mr. President. 

This was front-page news in today’s issue of La Nacion. I would love to know how much coverage it received in the U.S.

Also: “Twitterman,” ja ja ja. Love that.