A Home From Home: Argentina
Originally from Buenos Aires, Diego Laje is a journalist and broadcaster who has lived in Hong Kong twice—most recently, since 2008.
Do the Tango
“If you ask me what do I do when I’m homesick, I go to Tango Argentinian Steakhouse. They have some really Argentine comfort food. Which obviously includes meat, so I throw all my vegetarianism to the wind, and I have a good Milanesa con papas fritas: the very thin deep-fried breaded steak and french fries. Empanadas, asado [barbecue] and Milanesa con papas fritas. I’m vegetarian, but I’m not stupid. One little secret about Tango: they sell dulce de leche, from Argentina.”
1 Wyndham St, Central, 2525-5808.
So Milonga, it’s Right
“There’s milongas [informal tango nights] every night in Hong Kong. There’s a whole tango scene here. The Asian champions are from Hong Kong. As an Argentine, I’m a little shy. Some guys really know how to dance. It’s a little bit imposing. The problem here is that you have double pressure. First because they dance so well, so you have to dance well—and then there’s increased expectation because you’re Argentine! I don’t think there’s one special milonga; they just appear and disappear. The good thing about Hongkongers is that they’re very classic about the tango, and we really like that. That’s really nice. In a way it has its own flavor, the tango scene here. And a very Argentine flavor.”
The Argentinean Community
“We’re a couple of hundred. We tend to meet in La Pampa (9-11 Staunton St., Central 2868-6959). Tango Steakhouse organizes events for the community and so on, but La Pampa is better at it, I would say. We go on National Day, or close to it. But it’s not an official event.”
Drinking Customs
“Malbec is everywhere. Everybody has Malbec, It’s more famous than Maradona now. The problem is that Quilmes [the Argentinean national beer] is not anywhere. There’s no way to find it! The other big issue is that Yerba Mate is also very hard to come by. Yerba is the green tea we drink out of the weird cup with the straw. Most Argentines here have a little bit of a stash, hidden away somewhere. And we share it, on very friendly terms. We have to import it ourselves. We go to Argentina, and come back with a few kilos, and that’s how we get by. Fortunately Hong Kong customs, or its dogs, do not confuse it for other… things… it pretty much resembles.”
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