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CUSTOMS
Criollos love
matte (a somewhat bitter tea). Carried in thermal jugs to
every social occasion, it is drunk by the group, from one cup and
one straw. As not
all houses are equipped with doorbells, it is a common custom to
clap to attract the attention of the house occupants. If you love
eggs, you’ll love the food here. Eggs are included in
many of the foods, including hamburgers and pizza. Want
to buy homegrown vegetables straight from the farmer? Not
a problem. You can even buy potatoes that have not yet been cleaned.
Pam Woods likes to point out though, that you are then paying for
the clumps of dirt on them, as the potatoes are sold by the kilo. Mail delivery
-- Yes there is mail delivery of letters but they do not pick
up letters. If you want to mail a letter you go to the post
office, have the letter stamped, and mail it from there. Thus,
there is no need to buy extra stamps and they are not available for
sale. Those blue receptacles (without words) attached to poles in
parks and in the street are trashcans. They are not for
mailing letters. Washing dishes.
Normally dishes are washed in cold water because most places there
is no hot water. You never fill a sink with water to do the
dishes. You fill a small bowl or put soap on your dishcloth and wipe
the dishes clean. In this manner, you don’t have your hands
down in filthy water, and you conserve on water. Tooth Fairy—Instead
of the tooth fairy leaving money under the children’s pillow, in
Argentina a mouse leaves the money when they loose a tooth. Birthday—
The birthday cake is first cut with a round circle near the middle.
Then the outer part is cut into pieces. This provides for more
pieces out of the one cake and the pieces are more manageable.
Instead of the birthday person getting little spanks for the number
of years he has obtained, they get SNAILS There
are huge snails here; hence huge snail shells. Some are about
the size of a man’s fist. The women and children paint the
shells and put them in their flower gardens for decorations. It is a very
common practice in the churches to have scriptures written on
the walls. This one says Give God the glory due unto his name. TRANSPORTATION: The busses
in and around the city are pretty good. They run frequently
and have quite a few routes. No matter where you are going
within the city and neighboring areas, the standard cost is 70
cents. While you are waiting
TRASH PICKUP The trash is picked
up every night except for Sunday. Yes, the garbage truck
runs at night. One person will go down the block and gather
all of the bags into a hugh pile, then later the truck comes by
and they load them in the truck. In the homes, it is a
common practice to use grocery store bags for the trash. Each
night they take them out to the trash receptacle which is usually
a small wire container on a stand as pictured. SWEEPING
THE SIDEWALK The
front of your house being clean is a big priority for Argentines.
The first order of cleaning your house each day is to sweep outside.
This can CHRISTMAS:
It’s hot at Christmas time as our seasons are opposite from the
United States. Friends have told of going to the seaside for a
picnic during Christmas, like we would do for the fourth of July. After
the sixth of December, they put up the Christmas tree and leave it
up until the 6th of January, the date they say the wise
men left gifts for Christ. The children write their letters to Santa
Clause (Papa Noel) and put them on the Christmas tree. The
24th of December tends to be more the day of their
celebration. This is when the family gets together for food and fun.
If the family has money for gifts, the gifts are Different
Hours
Because of the heat during the afternoons, most Argentines take a
siesta in the afternoon and, therefore, stay up much later than
Americans. The Jacksons recently encountered this with their
son, Sean’s kindergarten graduation program. The program
began at 9 p.m. and when the Jackson’s left at 12 p.m. the party
was just beginning to wind down. BATHING:
Instead of bathing early in the morning or before going to bed,
many Argentines will take their bath after their siesta. In this manner, they
have refreshed for the second half of their day.
Doors:
Not all of the Criollo
houses have front doors. At times, plastic strips/streamers cover
the door from top to bottom. Although this does little for
privacy, it does apparently help keep the As
reported by an Argentine neighbor: Each month on the 29th
of the month everyone is suppose to eat ñoquis (a type of pasta
something like Ravioli). Under the plate they place money.
By doing this, they are ensuring that next month more money will come
into the home. |
their ear pulled that many times. 
at the bus stop (in larger cities), a medium sized car (called a
remise) will stop and ask if you are going to a certain
neighborhood. The cost of riding in this remise is the same as
for the bus (70c) or at most $1. The driver will continue
stopping at the bus stops until he has five passengers in the car to
go to the designated neighborhood. Although at times it is a
little crowded, the remise does get you to your designation much
faster.
be very interesting if you don’t have a sidewalk or a driveway.
The Argentines sweep with a broom, the grass in front, or if there
is no grass, the dirt that is in front of the house. This goes
for businesses also. 
opened at midnight on the 24th.
