Tranqui Buenos Aires

For decades, the US presence in Latin America has been a controversial one, as Latin Americans - sometimes rightly, sometimes wrongly - have often blamed the “Colossus of the North” for their problems. Famously, the phrase “Yankee go home” was a warning that US citizens, or at least their government, were unwelcome south of the border. Even when they went to Mexico and beyond, they often preferred to keep a low profile.

While Anti-Americanism has not gone away - though it was probably never so widespread as the cliché suggested - it ran deep among some sectors in Argentina, Chile, and elsewhere. Ever since the 1980s, when the South American dictatorships gave way to stable democracies and the region’s tourism industry began to flourish, it’s been barely a blip on the screen. more >>

Communicating in Globish

There are countless variations on the aphorism that “An Argentine is an Italian who speaks Spanish, wishes he were English, and behaves as if he were French.” The Italian influence, of course, shows itself in the population - by some accounts more Argentines have Italian than Spanish surnames - and in the diet. Despite Argentines’ notorious affinity for beef, the abundance of pasta and pizza means the daily diet is often Italo-Argentine. The British presence shows itself in the railway heritage (despite their nationalization by Juan Domingo Perón), the popularity of polo, many place names (such as Banfield, Hurlingham and Temperley), and the venerable daily Buenos Aires Herald, while the cliché calls the Argentine capital the “Paris of the South.” more >>