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"To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth"
Thomas Wolfe
I read a blog with some criticism of Uruguay's sometimes repetitious culinary fare, praising of all things, the sushi here. Wow! Sorry, but what passes for sushi here is nothing to crow about. I know there are few Japanese or authentic Asian practitioners in this small country. It's an expensive dish when most people here are quite careful about luxuries. This is true for even those with some expendable income to throw around. Uruguayans can appear quite cheap at a glance, but there's much more to it. The social ethos is vastly different from countries who have long gorged on an abundance of everything with the easy credit to get even more. People here are careful about how they spend, it's ingrained.
That said, sushi can be somewhat affordable. People do eat out, but alas the Uruguayan is not very adventurous with food, it's true. The writer of the post doesn't need to see another milenesa, but that I think says something about their willingness to be creative in the kitchen. But praising the sushi here, really?
We've found a few spots, including the new 'take out' mentioned and found the quality fine. It was the alarming lack of variety that left me unsatisfied. Tuna, Salmon, various white fish and Sweet Shrimp was all we got. Some rolls, most include Philadelphia Cream cheese, something that I thought only belonged in a Philadelphia Roll. I miss the roe, the eel, Unagi. Mackerel is my favorite, I miss it. Yellow Fin Tuna maybe? There wasn't much and for the price I'll make my visits sparse.
Both of the boys had soccer matches this weekend.
Luca's was a bit disappointing. Not that he and his classmates didn't play well, but they kinda got sandbagged- again. LatinoAmericano has a bad history of not really organizing their weekend games against other schools. It's a somewhat informal thing, not a league or anything, but they could ramp up the effort a little. This is not the first time the kids didn't know the location and time until the morning of, no transportation was discussed and it was none too close (Carrasco) and worst of all, since it was 1st and 2nd year high school participating, making sure some of the older kids went was fairly important. They were up against older, mostly larger kids on a big field, one it looks like the other team was used to. It ended up a lopsided victory. It breaks your heart to see those guys busting their asses to compete. They played with a lot of heart. Luca did well and worked hard and as he said, it's a benefit to play against better players. It helps you improve.
Vincent had a better situation. His mates organized themselves for the annual Dannon Little World Cup. Luca played in it last year. The kids had only practiced once, but did really well. They won all of their games and qualified for the finals. Yeah, we were there from 9am until about 5, but it was nice. Not too cold and very exciting. They couldn't overcome their rivals in the qualification round, but for a while it looked like they might. A great effort and much to be proud of.
Vincent was goalie and was amazing. Here he is with Mom.
Almost a month after the day proper, we had the party. A tough place to schedule apparently and now I can see why. The field was incredible. As usual the grown ups hung out and handled the asado. We made something like 60 hamburgers, buns fresh from a nearby bakery - they were fab. Janine's two cakes were incredible as always. Most of the family was there; Cecilia, Joaquin, Ama with Ximena and Jose Luis bringing extra special news. Let's just say Paulina is not going to be the littlest one for long, eh? Know what I mean?? You didn't read it here.
Enjoy the photos
Check out an even more exciting account of life in Uruguay "Daily Uruguay". Less family friendly news, the site could possibly grow into a message board with lots of opinions, all of which will be wrong.
I'll try to post each day for at least a year.
My singular approach to illuminating the mysteries of life in general all told through the prism of being a stranger in a strange land. Really, loads of complaining and contemplating. No actual answers, so set your expectations accordingly.
Until I can graduate to a web site and message board enjoy photographs and anecdotes from the southern cone.
As always my usual links, like the one for a beautiful early century townhouse restoration, click here or follow the link called 'San Salvador' on the left margin.
I will post links to my sources of information, maps, tourism tips if I think them worthy.
I had made some contact with an American couple toying with the idea of Uruguay as a retirement spot. I like to check out Expat Blogs, sometimes even throwing in a comment or two. When I heard they were coming at the end of March, I offered to show them around a bit.
We drove out east to see Casapueblo in Punta Baillena, Punta del Este glamor and the famous Playa Brava fingers sculpture (above). I was trying to get a shot of our guests, but this adorable tourist from England kept getting in the frame.
We also went to check out a gated community development marketed toward expats that they found on the internet. Spectacular views, some pretty nice homes under construction near Pan de Azucar. The developer has promised golf membership in a ritzy Pt. del Este club, a Healing Center and a Heliport to justify the hefty price tag. $250-$400,000 USD with some financing if you pony up now. The area is beautiful, quite near beautiful Piripolis beaches and just an hour and a half from Montevideo, but I'd think twice about throwing in with this guy. Our new friends want to be here for (our) winter to escape Atlanta's summer heat. This part of Uruguay will be cold, windy and almost deserted that time of year. Plus I wouldn't be so sure the developer can make good on all promised.
Where's the heliport?
I think they are enjoying the trip and are starting to appreciate Uruguay. However, like many of their countrymen with the nerve to venture out into the world, they are trying to force their square peg into this round hole and wondering why it doesn't fit. I don't think they'll be back, there's a lot of world to search for a place that really speaks to them. Good Luck on the quest and thanks for the visit.
I read a blog with some criticism of Uruguay's sometimes repetitious culinary fare, praising of all things, the sushi here. Wow! Sorry, but what passes for sushi here is nothing to crow about. I know there are few Japanese or authentic Asian practitioners in this small country. It's an expensive dish when most people here are quite careful about luxuries. This is true for even those with some expendable income to throw around. Uruguayans can appear quite cheap at a glance, but there's much more to it. The social ethos is vastly different from countries who have long gorged on an abundance of everything with the easy credit to get even more. People here are careful about how they spend, it's ingrained.
Vincent had a better situation. His mates organized themselves for the annual Dannon Little World Cup. Luca played in it last year. The kids had only practiced once, but did really well. They won all of their games and qualified for the finals. Yeah, we were there from 9am until about 5, but it was nice. Not too cold and very exciting. They couldn't overcome their rivals in the qualification round, but for a while it looked like they might. A great effort and much to be proud of.
