Roots

 I don’t talk about the Argentine side of my family, but my paternal grandparents are from Buenos Aires, Argentina. Can you really consider yourself “Argentine?” (I like to). I’m talking about blood. It’s like America; the people there are from everywhere. But generally if you’re from there that’s what you are. My grandmother comes from an Italian family of ten children (seven girls! and three boys). My grandfathers parents were Danish from Denmark. Argentina has a unique culture. They love the tango, they eat milanessa, and they drink mate. Do you like Messi? He’s from there! Of course you knew that. And they speak Spanish, if you didn’t know. That’s why when i was a little kid I thought my grandparents were from Spain because they spoke Spanish, silly me. But there is a lot of Spanish influence in Argentina, and more generally a European influence. My grandmother has  always told me she speaks Castallano Spanish, which is a more pure, refined form of the language, as distinguished from Mexican Spanish. I’ve always wished I could speak it fluently (but it doesn’t stop me from trying! Practice makes perfect, says my Nana). Argentinians love a flavorful sauce called chimichurri. It’s delicious. If you like garlic. Milanessa is breaded meat fried in oil. You can eat that for breakfast. Mate is a tea. My grandparents have brewed it in a coffee maker, but typically it’s drank out of a little cup with a straw. And it’s caffeinated, yay. And yes my grandparents danced the tango; it is the dance of passionate love. My grandfather loved the tango music, he would play it in the car.

I hope you learned a little about my family and my heritage. Thank you for reading!