GoodAirs: More than a bad translation of "Buenos Aires"

7 years missing D. Rodman Scott

2012-03-21T11:47:00.004-03:00

Today marks the 7th year anniversary of the death of my brother, David Rodman Scott. Our parents are in town (that is, in Buenos Aires) to welcome Luca Rodman Mount to the world, so we are far from the gravesite today. But, of course, Roddy is being remembered in many ways.

Here is an ongoing Roddy tribute:

The Roddy Scott Fund

Photos of other Rod remembrances:

Photo collage and more

Of course, Luca's middle name is to honor my brother. He, in turn, was named after Roddy (Rodman) Lucas. Here's a photo from 1984 of 4 Roddys (my brother on left):

Import Rules...For Films?

2011-12-11T22:51:00.001-03:00

An interesting Variety article by GoodAirs pal Charles Newberry examines a curious new front in the K government move to increase exports by (micro)managing imports: a plan to require those Hollywood studios that want to show their films in Argentina to export a corresponding number of Argentine films or TV series. Such a plan opens up that great can of worms known as "unintended consequences." Sure, it seems like studios would want access to the Argentine market, but what if they decided it wasn't worth it economically if they had to take a bath on exporting films that didn't sell? Would Argentine suddenly not get films from, say, Sony? Or would the studios follow the time-honored tradition of providing the government with exorbitant (and fake) invoices showing exports that they never really made? A few choice bits from the story below:

Argentina hopes to extend trade tariffs to persuade U.S. majors who bring films into the country for exhibition to export Argentinean content abroad, including films and TV series. ... Liliana Mazure, prexy of the Incaa national film board, suggested each major would have to export four to five Argentine features a year and a number of TV series. A price for films and series would be set for each territory, with payments made upfront and not based on results.

New "Shopping" in Palermo?

2011-11-30T22:46:00.002-03:00

It's hard to tell if this is hard fact or speculation, but it appears that the railroad yard between Godoy Crus and Juan B. Justo and Santa Fe and Paraguay -- where Casa FOA held its 2007 home design show -- is slated to be a shopping mall. The bar/club there now (Godoy) would shut, and the developers would dump $50 million (US) into construction. According to a post in Noticias Inmobiliarias:

En cuanto a la construcción, hay al menos tres ideas. Una de ellas es hacer un shopping tradicional, con locales de las marcas que están en todos los centros comerciales, y agregarle los diseñadores que surgieron del crecimiento de Palermo.

Otra es llamar al centro Alto Gourmet, e instalar allí restoranes de alto nivel como eje de la propuesta. La tercera es hacer un "paseo premium de outlets", para competir con los locales instalados en la avenida Córdoba y la calle Aguirre.

Post-Dictadura Literature

2011-11-25T13:23:00.003-03:00

The Economist has a very nice literature roundup of Argentine fiction about the last dictatorship and the desaparecidos, including works by Tomás Eloy Martínez, Carlos Gamerro, Iosi Havilio, and Matías Néspolo. A chilling but arguably true end to the review stuck out:

One of the characters in “An Open Secret” claims bitterly that in Argentina, “the winners make history and the losers write it.” To judge from these novels that scour the past and mourn the future, it seems nobody won.

The Big Mac Indek

2011-11-25T13:12:00.003-03:00

In an interesting Thanksgiving blog post at the New York Times, Daniel Politi takes on a curious phenomenon: the surprisingly low price of Big Macs in Buenos Aires, at least compared to other McDonalds food, and their relative invisibility (they are barely advertised at all). At one McDonalds, he finds the Big Mac value meal for 21.90 pesos, compared to about double that for the Angus Bacon.

But why? Well, one interpretation is that in the land of statistics fakery, there is no data point too meaningless to tweak. To whit:

There is widespread speculation that the government is trying to influence The Economist’s famous Big Mac Index, a “lighthearted” guide that compares burger prices across the globe to determine whether a currency is under- or over-valued.

In other words, the government is supposedly leaning on McDonalds to keep the price of the Big Mac down so that Argentina's international Big Mac Index will look better. And in reaction, McDonalds tries not to advertise the Big Mac, as it doesn't want to lose money (or earn very little). Ah, the law of unintended consequences.

Time for a Big Mac!

Photo: NYTimes.com

Argentina's Own Alan Greenspan of Love

2011-11-18T12:31:00.003-03:00

Luciana Salazar telling Susana how she and the ex-bank prez joined the 30,000 foot club

On Susana Giménez's talk show last night, actress/model/singer (and plastic surgery victim) Luciana Salazar told the host how she and former Argentina central bank (BCRA) head Martín Redrado re-kindled their romance with a birthday (hers) trip to Paris.

The juicy bits? She and Martín sat in first class, alone, while Presidential sister in law (and minister) Alicia Kirchner only sat in business. Oh, and she and the former bank prez got it on at 30,000 feet. She agreed with Susana that it was, indeed, "glorioso".

I think of Alan Greenspan or Ben Bernanke knocking boots aloft with the U.S. equivalent--say, Lindsay Lohan?--and I shudder with clammy-palmed horror.

Photo: La Nación

ArgenLeaks

2011-11-18T12:09:00.004-03:00

Yesterday, I took a moment to page through "Argenleaks," the new book by pan-publication (La Nación, Pagina/12) journo Santiago O'Donnell, which basically excerpts all the parts of Wikileaks that refer to Argentina. Think of it as an extended political "Como Nos Ven." Anyway, I spent a few minutes on the juicy chapters (Clarín, Antonini Wilson, Boudou pledging his unspeakable love of the U.S., etc.) when I came across one about the slightly unpopular economist, convertibilidad guy and former minister Domingo Cavallo ("...quien quizás sea el hombre más odiado de la Argentina," according to Perfil). Sensing weakness in the Kirchner camp, in 2007 he returned to Argentina from a self-imposed "exile" at Harvard University (tough life). Here, he did the rounds of the newspapers, selling his view of what was to come for Argentina. And he also made a stop at the U.S. Embassy, where he laid out his vision for Argentina's political future. It essentially was as follows: as the economy tanked as social unrest grew, Néstor Kirchner would push his wife to resign, leading VP Julio Cobos and Coalición Cívica head (and crucifix wearing ex-beauty queen) Elisa Carrió to form a government headed by dissident Peronist and race-car driver Carlos Reutemann as a national unity candidate.

Now, I've made wrong predictions myself many times. I admit it. But, damn, I don't think I've even been that off the mark!

The Book!

2011-11-14T17:23:00.003-03:00

In about eight weeks, after much research, interviewing, writing, pain, joy, and wine, my book on the history of Argentina wine, The Vineyard at the End of the World, will be published by the very fine publisher (and I compliment them not only because they published me) W.W. Norton. It's still early days and reviews won't come in for a few more weeks, but I've posted two recently--one from Time Out and one from Kirkus Reviews--at the book's website. Please check in regularly for updates, either here or via my Twitter handle, @IanMount. And if for some odd reason you want to hear me babble on about politics, economics and life in Buenos Aires, listen to the fine podcast audio stylings of Dan and Fernando at BACast.

Pizza Attacks Steak, May Win

2011-11-14T15:43:00.003-03:00

Mmmmmm, beef pizza.

As you may have noted (if you're still checking), we've been absent from the blogosphere for quite some time. But we're coming back. It may take a while to get into the swing, but we're entrando en calor.

In today's version of "Economic Trend or Meaningless Statistic", La Nación reports that the number of Buenos Aires pizzarías has been climbing and may, within the next two years, surpass the number of parrilla steakhouses. Right now, according to the Observatorio Turístico of the city's Ente de Turismo, there are 650 pizza joints, compared to 780 steakhouses. But what oh what does this mean? Is it a sign of K goverment failure--i.e. of inflation, as porteños flee their traditional beef for cheaper menus, or of shrinking cattle herds caused by poor government policy? Or is it rejection of the Atkins diet? Or just...nothing.

The stats:
* 650 pizza joints
* 39,000 pizzas served per day
* The average pizza joint sells 60 pizzas per day
* Napoli native Nicola Vaccarezza put together the first local fainá in an horno de barro in La Boca in the late 1800's
* Fugazza con queso was invented by Agustín Banchero

Photo: HowStuffWorks.com

Summer siesta

2011-01-10T09:44:00.000-03:00

Argentalia

2010-08-01T12:32:00.002-03:00

So I was reading this article in today's New York Times titled "Is Italy Too Italian?" about how Italy's ossified labor rules and lack of economic dynamism is pushing it into stagnation but not into crisis, and all I could think was how you could replace the words "Italy" and "Italian" with "Argentina" and "Argentine" and the story would be equally true, and then I came across this paragraph:

“Before World War II, Argentina was rich,” [Professor Giavazzi] says. “Even in 1960, the country was twice as rich as Italy.” Today, he says, you can compare the per capita income of Argentina to that of Romania. “Because it didn’t grow. A country could get rich in 1900 just by producing corn and meat, but that is not true today. But it took them 100 years to realize they were becoming poor. And that is what worries me about Italy. We’re not going to starve next week. We are just going to decline, slowly, slowly, and I’m not sure what will turn that around.”

Ouch! Because it's so true...

Chauadona

2010-07-29T00:20:00.003-03:00

As everyone knows by now, Maradona is gone, gone, gone, either fired or pushed or not renewed, whatever floats your boat. Me, I'm torn about the prospect of a Maradona-free team. You'd have to be a lobster-brained booster or a hook-line-and-sinker sucker to say he was a great coach. But he was an inspiring sideline presence with his multiple watches and rosary and passion. And no one can deny he was a great player. With a strategic-minded assistant behind him, a real x's-and-o's man taking charge of the gritty planning, Maradona could be a great leader. That said, I should applaud AFA Prez Julio Grondona for demanding that El 10 dump his assistants and take a more titular role. But whenever I see, hear or discuss anything to do with Grondona, all I'm left with is the intangible inkling that he's a mafioso figure with vaguely nefarious motives, thus leading me to wonder what's really behind Maradona's departure. Though it should be noted that such conspiratorial imaginings on my part may just mean that I've been in Argentina too long.

On a happer note, I do like Olé's imagining of the perfect Argentine DT.

Tasting With Anuva Wines

2010-07-17T15:31:00.003-03:00

As I've been wrapped up in writing my book about the history and boom of Argentine wine, I've been (happily) spending large amounts of time in Mendoza, Salta and their wineries. The only downside, if there has been one besides liver damage, is that I've been spending almost all my time at the larger wineries because they tend to have longer histories in the Argentine wine scene. Not much of a downside, but a minor complaint. And so, when GoodAirs friend Daniel Karlin asked if I'd check out one of his Anuva Wines tastings and give my read on it, I took him up on the opportunity. Anuva specializes in promoting, exporting and selling boutique Argentine wines, which are often incredibly hard to find otherwise (oddly, because of the efforts of people like Daniel, they're often easier to find in the U.S. than down here).

The tasting took me to the Rendez Vous Hotel in Palermo Hollywood, a sleek sort of post-Philippe Starck hotel whose only superficial downside was its reliance on the safety-cone orange color. Besides Daniel and his assistant there were six of us tasters and we went through six wines, ranging from a Hom sparkling wine to a Mairena Bonarda and a Cavagnaro Malbec Reserve. Each was paired with a complementary hors d'oeuvre and explanations from Daniel. It was an enjoyable experience, not only because it exposed us to relatively unknown wines, but also because it got things right that wine tastings often miss. Daniel himself proved to be an able guide, explaining the peculiarities of Argentina's Andean wine zone--its aridity, altitude, etc--in ways that made sense both to the neophytes and the knowledgeable (we were a mixed group), and mixing pre-planned commentary with free form Q&A. This was pleasant, as I find a lot of wine tastings a bit too rigid, either newbee "How They Make Wine 101" workshops or pretentious master classes of trivia one-upsmanship. Also, the food was varied and excellent (from empanadas to chocolate); considering none of us were professional tasters and matching wine with food is important, this was a vast improvement on water crackers. And of course you have to mention the wine--the Hom sparkling was fabulous, all apple tingles and fine bubbles, and the raspberry and chocolate Don Juan Reserva from Las Perdices was supple and rich. Really a lovely tasting.

Chau Africa

2010-07-06T12:26:00.002-03:00

The World Cup's not over, but it's over for us, and too early. After two days of pain (and a little ray of hope for neighbor Uruguay), it's time for a quick roundup of what's been said.

1) Here's a fairly concise breakdown of the tactical and strategic mistakes Argentina made against Germany. Like not playing defense. In the words of GoodAirs friend Petre (the artist behind the image above), "Sinceramente no me gustó cuando hace casi dos años lo propusieron a Diego como DT de la selección. No tanto por saber de fútbol y poder refutarle cuestiones de táctica y estrategia, sino más bien porque sentía que se lo elegía más por una cuestión emotiva, irracional y de culto a la personalidad, que por sus reales aptitudes como director. Una vez que asumió el cargo, listo, ya está, no dije más nada y le desée la mejor de las suertes. Sin embargo me sorprendió en toda la previa del mundial (a excepción de sus exabruptos luego del partido con Uruguay el año pasado), su actitud sobria y educada en contraposición con lo que me esperaba. Y mucho más me sorprendió durante los partidos en Sudáfrica, donde brilló lo mejor de su lado emotivo (estimulando y apoyando en todo a sus jugadores, con paternal y solidaria entrega) y en cierta medida sus competencias como director técnico y estratega." At the end, though, motivation and magic fell in the face of good strategy.

2) A New York bar packed with Argentine fans watching the World Cup quarterfinal between Argentina and Germany were shocked when a man walked in dressed up as former German dictator Adolf Hitler. Responding to their, well, complaints, imitation Hitler Steve Staso said, "You don't tell people in Hell's Kitchen what to do. The point is to have fun. You can't have fun anymore?" (link)

3) When the enemy's not Hitler, it's Uruguayan player Luis Suárez--i.e. the guy who batted the sure Ghanain goal out of the arc with his hands, only to see his less-than-kosher move rewarded when Ghana's Gyan missed the penalty kick. It's interesting to see how objectionable Suárez's move was to the US press and how little reprobation it seemed to get elsewhere (save, presumably, Ghana).

Marianne of Paraguay

2010-07-02T20:45:00.004-03:00

When I saw that Paraguayan patriot/superfan/poledancer Larissa Riquelme was urging her World Cup side to greatness with the promise of a nude-save-for-bodypaint streak through the streets of Asunción if the guaraní team wins the tournament, I could only think of another loyal lady patriot who led her own country to the promised land: Delacroix's Liberty, aka Marianne.

Hoops on Horseback

2010-07-01T17:25:00.004-03:00

Meant to post this before but that work thing keeps getting in the way. Anyway, here's a sort-of recent story by GoodAirs friend (and WSJ correspondent) Matt Moffett on the origins and future of "Pato", Argentina's official sport (though perhaps not for long). "Pato?" you ask. "Why is it called 'Duck'?"

Well, here's the short answer. It's...

...an equestrian competition that was designated Argentina's national sport in 1953, and remains so today, though few people play it. The sport pits four-rider teams against each other in a contest to fling a ball, rigged up with six leather handles, into a tall, butterfly-net shaped goal. The gauchos who pioneered the sport in the 17th century used a live duck, or pato in Spanish, instead of a ball.

Questions?

Still Beautiful; Still Cheap Part III

2010-06-30T11:23:00.002-03:00

As we noted in 2006 and 2007, in the annual ranking put out by the HR consulting firm Mercer, Buenos Aires regularly scores among the least expensive world cities to live in. This year is no exception: in the 2010 ranking of 214 world cities, Buenos Aires ranks 161, the third cheapest South American city behind only Bolivia's La Paz (211) and Asunción (204) in Paraguay. Brazil's cities are damn-skippy expensive (Sao Paulo, 21; Rio, 29) in large part because of the appreciation of the Real against the US Dollar. Regarding our fair city, the report notes:

As the real estate market in Buenos Aires is quite healthy, property rentals have been quite stable, even increasing slightly at the end of 2009. It is expected that in 2010 the real estate market will show more activity. There is a good choice of both furnished and unfurnished accommodation.

And here's a La Nación article on the subject.

Wooden Hearses

2010-06-27T23:26:00.003-03:00

A recent odd find in an Argentine garage: Carved wooden Cadillac hearses.

[Thanks Cuz David]

World Cup Immigration

2010-06-27T22:52:00.004-03:00

Lucas Barrios: Paraguayo? Argentino?

South America is famous for exporting futbolistas to European teams, but what's less discussed is how many South Americans change nationalities for the chance to play in the World Cup. Here's a good article from Goal.com about the number of Argentina and Brasil-born players who play for other countries. Down here, the famous cases are of three "Argentine" players on the Paraguayan team who were born, to Paraguayan parents, in Argentina. It's a bit of a media cliché in Argentina that whenever Lucas Barrios (above) or one of the others score for the Paraguayan side, the Argentine press feels the need to mention that they are "really" Argentine. Paraguay's press took its revenge when Gonzalo Higuaín scored three goals for Argentina against South Korea--they mercilessly noted that he was born in France.

World Cup Headline of the Day

2010-06-16T14:59:00.003-03:00

Swiss player Fernandes celebrates his goal that beat much-favored Spain

From Clarín: Para España, el chocolate suizo del debut tuvo un gusto demasiado amargo

You've got to love Argentina's devil-may-care take on political correctness.

THAT Explains Why They Never Got a Second Goal v. Nigeria

2010-06-15T12:18:00.002-03:00

Great headline in yesterday's Telegraph (UK):

World Cup 2010: Diego Maradona denied beef supply for Argentina team

Interesting Argentine Think Piece on Mediocrity

2010-06-13T23:46:00.003-03:00

Sort of out of date here, but a little over a week ago one of the founders of Poliarquía Consultores, Eduardo Fidanza, had in La Nación one of the few nuanced articles about Argentine politics I've seen in a long time. Instead of the "I hate Kirchner" or "If you disagree with Kirchner you're a fascist" line, it examined how Argentina can seemingly muddle on forever with sort of bad/sort of passable economic politics. It's depressing of course, cogent.

The ending (so you can see what I mean by depressing):

No un futuro catastrófico, que al menos sería épico, sino la gris probabilidad de ser viables pero mediocres, acaso despierte la conciencia de las elites argentinas.

Ricky Martin Is El Che

2010-06-13T23:36:00.003-03:00

In the upcoming Broadway revival of the Tim Rice-Andrew Lloyd Webber musical "Evita", Ernesto El Che Guevara will be played by...Ricky Martin. Insert your own joke here.

Evita herself will be played by the Argentine actress Elena Roger who was, I must say, quite good as Edith Piaf when we saw her last year here in Buenos Aires. No word on who will play General Perón. Hmmmm... John Goodman? J-Lo in drag?

The revival of "Evita"--the first new Broadway production of the Tony Award-winning musical since its 1979 New York debut--is scheduled to open in spring 2012.

1:1 Back Again?

2010-06-08T14:50:00.003-03:00

What's this worth now?

For those of you with an economics background, a question: An article in yesterday's Clarin quoted several economists claiming that with inflation eating away at the peso's devaluation, in real term's life in Argentina is as costly as it was under the end of Cavallo's 1:1 scheme. Fact or fiction?

GoodAirs on the Global Small Business Blog

2010-06-08T14:16:00.004-03:00

Doing book research in Colomé (yes, life is hard)

Recently a woman I interviewed for a New York Times story on exporting--Global Small Business Blog owner Laurel Delaney--asked me if she could interview me about being a sort of expat entrepreneur. Being that it only seemed fair, I said I'd give whatever small insight I had. The interview went up today. I don't know if I said anything terribly groundbreaking (I probably didn't), but I hope you enjoy.