The Gonzalez's

Last Friday, I finally got the opportunity to meet up with the family of a good college friend of mine who lives in Greater Buenos Aires. Mr. and Mrs. Gonzalez live in Martinez, a close suburb of the city, set not far from the Rio de la Plata. I was invited to one of the family's regular weekend asados, but my friend could not attend because he's still working in the States. To get to Martinez, I took the subway to the main downtown train and bus station, Retiro, and took a commuter train to Martinez. The ride took a total of 45 minutes and cost me the equivalent of $0.50 US.

When the train reached my stop, I was in an urban, but residential, area. Many of the buildings were free standing, and what looked like I a small-town main street was surrounded by wooded neighborhoods of private, individual homes. It was a great difference from downtown Buenos Aires, where tens of thousands of people live in crowded highrises above window-shop businesses and traffic-choked streets.

The Gonzalez home was not unlike many of the beautiful homes that I walked past, except that it was among the biggest. The home was divided into 3 buildings, with gardens in between, and was a mix of Mediterranean architecture with the comforting feel of wood and brick. The dining area included an enormous grill in the kitchen, a table that could easily accommodate 10 or more people, and a rustic decorations all around.

The Gonzalez's had invited many other people to dinner as well, an Argentinean-American couple from Conneticut, Mrs. Gonzalez's sister with her Uruguayan husband, and her Peruvian niece who is studying in Buenos Aires to be a pilot. The food was delicious, including Choripan (chorizo sausage and french bread), cuts of Lomo steak (tender beef), and cerdo (pork). The conversation was also easy, flowing seamlessly between English and Spanish. The Gonsalez's are originally Peruvian, and spent many years living in the States, so there was a lot to talk about.

After dinner, I caught a ride back into the city with her niece, Natalia, and her friend Juan. I joined them in going to a great bar in Palermo called "Por H o Por B" (a saying in Argentina that I still don't understand), and it was filled with tons of other young, boisterous Argentines. As an added plus, the background music was hip hop, a very rare find in Argentina.

In the Gonzalez family home after dinner, with Mr. Gonzalez on the far right, and Mrs. Gonzalez in white, to my immediate left.