So English Village....

There are a lot of people who came here from the UK many years ago and have been here ever since. And, of course, when they came they brought their cultural values with them. For many Anglo-Argentines this means courteous behaviour, polite language and (unfortunately) a middle class snobbery. On the whole they are nice people but somewhat out of touch with the UK as it is today. Equally I have found similar groups wherever I have lived abroad (ok, not in Poland) but especially in Egypt. The separation between the Anglos and the rest of the population seems to depend on how long ago it was that the British/Europeans were the dominant class, thus in Egypt (British kicked out after the second world war, I think) the Anglos are more or less completely out of touch. Here in Argentina they are the 'elite', continually refering back to the days of one-to-one (when one peso was worth one US dollar and everyone was wealthy). One of their constant worries is crime. They see Buenos Aires as a crime ridden and dangerous place to be feared and hidden away from behind locked bars. However, don't let me deceive you, as I said before they are nice people who mean well (but can be slightly patronising) and are doing their best to maintain a decent standard of living.

Part of that standard of living is The Country Club. Every Anglo-Argentine seems to be a member of a country club, somewhere to go at the weekend to escape the city. One of these clubs is the Hurlingham Club (in the suburb of Hurlingham!) and this weekend they held a fete - to which L and I went.

How can I describe the experience? The thoughts that came to mind were 'Very Miss Marple', 'Very 50's', 'Very old country'. Everything was the same, bric-a-brac stalls; second-hand books; clothes (but not second hand); jams, marmalades & chutneys; arts & crafts; bouncy castle; etc. The only thing that was different was the lack of a tea tent (although there was a tea room), and the addition of a parilla (open air grill/barbecue) and alcoholic drinks. Here's a photo... (go to flickr for the other six).