Dulce de Leche

    Dulce de Leche (Sweet Milk) is the most popular candy in the Rio de la Plata. As with many other things, there is a dispute between Uruguay and Argentina regarding its invention. The important thing is not "who" invented it, but the fact that it was invented and it is here with us to make our lives a lot sweeter.

    Legend has it that an important politician many years ago (I will not give names to avoid nationalities) asked his cook to warm some milk with sugar to accompany the Mate. The cook got distracted (for political reasons that we won´t go into) and the milk started to boil. When she remembered and went back to the kitchen the milk had become something brown and thick. When her boss tasted it he liked it and it became a new sweet to be enjoyed at all times. That's how Dulce de Leche was "invented".

    It is, of course, not exclusive of the Rio de la Plata. With different names it exists throughout Latin America. Manjar in Chile and Ecuador, Manjar Blanco in Perú, Bolivia, Ecuador and Panama, Arequipe in Colombia and Venezuela, Cajeta in Mexico, Fanguito in Cuba, and Dulce de Leche in Argentina, Uruguay, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Republica Dominicana and Costa Rica.

    It is simply a preparation of milk, sugar and vanilla, boiled for a long time until it becomes thick and creamy.

    If you want to try it the hard way:

         Milk: 3 liters

         Sugar: 1 Kilogram

         Sodium bicarbonate: 1/2 spoon

         Vanilla: 1 pod or a small quantity of essence.

    Cook all the ingredients together over low heat, stirring all the time until the milk starts to boil. Lower the heat to the minimum and keep stirring, preferably with a wooden spoon doing an 8 movement, until the mixture begins to thicken and darken. Raise the heat until it starts to boil again. Remove from the heat and let it cool. It is ready to be tasted.

    If you want to do it the easy way just go to the supermarket and buy a jar of Dulce de Leche Lapataia or Conaprole. If this is too easy then do the following:

    Get a can of condensed milk. Put it inside a large pan and cover it with water. Boil for 2 hours. Take it out of the water (very carefully) and let it cool. Open it and you have a can of Dulce de Leche.

    The Dulce de Leche can be used in many different ways. It can be eaten out of the jar, one of the great pleasures in life, or mixed with other things. Some of the great things to eat with Dulce de Leche are bananas, pancakes, flan (creme caramel) or cakes. The Alfajor is a round pastry filled with Dulce de Leche, extremely popular in Uruguay and Argentina. There is a cake called Milhojas (Thousand Leaves) that is made of many thin layers of pastry, each one separated by a thick layer of Dulce de Leche, and covered with meringue. Try it, you won`t regret it.

    If you have a sweet tooth then any or all of this things are highly recommended.

Working in Uruguay

    I think the biggest problem to find a job in Uruguay, for foreigners, is your knowledge of Spanish. Unless you are fluent in Spanish your alternatives are limited. The second big problem, and I don´t want this to be a put down but it is a reality, is that salaries in Uruguay are generally low.

    This being said, here are some alternatives:

    Working as teacher of English or another language:

    Berlitz (http://www.berlitz.com.uy/) is a good place. The pay is not great but previous teaching experience is not required, they train you, so it might be a good place to start.

Langland Institute (http://www.langlandinstitute.com/). The pay is better, but previous experience is a plus.

    Most of the other English teaching institutes require some type of English teacher certificate. Some of them are the Anglo (www.anglo.edu.uy/), the Alianza (www.alianza.edu.uy/), London Institute (http://www.londoninstitute.edu.uy/), Instituto Dickens (www.dickens.edu.uy/), or the Alliance Francaise (www.alliancefrancaise.edu.uy/) for French speakers.

    Other international companies that hire non Spanish speakers are the Indian company Tata Consultancy Services (http://www.tcs.com/worldwide/s_america/locations/uruguay/Pages/default.aspx) and the American company Sabre Holdings (http://www.sabre.com.uy/). That´s where I work, so if you want more information just contact me at aledelpino101@yahoo.com.ar.

    Of course, there´s always El Gallito, the classified ads of the El Pais newspaper. Look for the section called TRABAJOS. Some of the ads published are in English.

Instrucciones del año XIII

    Patrick, who lives near Colonia, was interested in reading the Instrucciones. Here is my translation. But first a little history.

    On May 25th 1810 the people of the Viceroyalty of the Rio de la Plata had declared in Buenos Aires their intention of becoming independent from the Spanish Crown. In 1813 a General Constituent Assembly was summoned and members of all the Provincias Unidas were invited to attend. The object was to decide the form of the future government, and to create a provisional Constitution. The people of each province were asked to elect representatives for the Assembly, who would carry "instructions" declaring the will of their voters.

    Artigas summoned the people of the Banda Oriental for a Provincial Assembly in which they would chose their representatives to the General Assembly in Buenos Aires. This was called the Congreso de Tres Cruces. In this Assembly the representatives of the Pueblo Oriental were chosen, and "instructions" given to them. This instructions became know as the "Instrucciones del Año XIII".

    The following is the text of these instructions:

YEAR XIII INSTRUCTIONS TO THE REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ORIENTAL BAND

    Art. 1 - First of all we will request the total independence of these Colonies, and that they be absolved of all obligation of loyalty to the Spanish Crown and the Bourbon family, and that all political connection between these Colonies and the Spanish State should and must be totally dissolved.

    Art. 2 - We will accept no other system but that of the Confederation for the reciprocal pact with the Provinces that conform our State.

    Art. 3 - We will promote civic and religious freedom throughout all its imaginable extension.

    Art. 4 - As the objective and end of the Government must be to preserve the equality, freedom and safety of the Citizens and the Peoples, each Province will form their own government based on this principle and under that of the Supreme Government of the Nation.

    Art. 5 - This, as well as that, will be divided in legislative, executive and judicial powers.

    Art. 6 - These three resorts will never be united amongst them and will be independent in their faculties.

   Art. 7 - The Supreme Government will attend only to the general business of the State. The rest is particular to the Government of each Province.

    Art. 8 - The territory occupied by these Peoples, from the oriental coast of the Uruguay to the Fortress of Santa Teresa, constitute only one Province called the Provincia Oriental.

    Art. 9 - That the seven Peoples of Misiones, Batovía, Santa Tecla, San Rafael and Tacuarembó, today unjustly occupied by the Portuguese and that in due time will have to be claimed, will at all times be part of this Province.

    Art. 10 - That by this document this Province will enter separately into a firm league of friendship with each one of the others for the mutual and general happiness, with the commitment to assist each one of the others against all violence, or attacks done on one or any one of them for reasons of religion. sovereignty, traffic or any other pretext whatsoever.

    Art. 11 - That this Province retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, all power, jurisdiction and rights that are not expressly delegated by the Confederation to the United Provinces jointly in Congress.

    Art. 12 - That the port of Maldonado be free to all vessels that concur for the introduction of goods or export of fruits, setting the corresponding Customs in that town, requesting to this effect that the Commander of the Forces of His British Majesty be informed of the opening of this port in order to protect the navigation and commerce of their Nation.

    Art. 13 - That the port of Colonia be also authorized in the terms of the previous article.

    Art. 14 - That no taxes or duties be imposed on articles exported from one province to another, and that no preference be given by any regulation of Commerce or rent to the ports of one Province over that of others, and that no vessels destined from this Province to another be forced to enter and anchor or pay duties in another.

    Art. 15 - Not to allow for Law to be made for this Province over goods of foreigners who die intestate and over fines and confiscations that used to be applied for the King, and over territories belonging to it while it does not create its regulations and determines to what funds they must be applied, as it is the only one who has the Rights to do it for economic reasons within its jurisdiction.

    Art. 16 - That this Province will have its own territorial Constitution, and that it has the Right to sanction the general one for the United Provinces that form the Constituent Assembly.

    Art. 17 - That this Province has the right to raise the Regiments that it might need, to name the Company officers, to regulate its militia for the safety of its freedom and that the rights of its Peoples to keep and carry arms will not be violated.

    Art. 18 - The military Despotism will be annihilated with constitutional barriers that ensure the Sovereignty of the Peoples.

    Art. 19 - That it be needful and indispensable outside of Buenos Aires where the Government of the Provincias Unidas resides.

    Art. 20 - The Constitution guarantees to the Provincias Unidas a republican form of government, and guards each one of them from the domestic violence, usurpation of Rights, freedom and security of its sovereignty that might be attempted by armed forces by one of them to suffocate the declared principles. And it will, as well, render all its attention, honour, faithfulness and religiousness to everything it believes and judges necessary to preserve for this Province the advantages of Freedom and to maintain a free Government, of pity, justice, moderation and industry. For all of which, etc.

    Before Montevideo, April 13th 1813, Gervasio Artigas.

History of Punta del Este

    The first European to be know to have set foot in the region where now is Punta del Este is the Spanish explorer Juán Diaz de Solís in 1516 (please see History of Uruguay part I). There he found the entrance to the Rio de la Plata, which he thought was a way to reach the Pacific Ocean. He named the place Cabo de Santa María (Cape Santa Maria). 50 years later the fort of San Fernando was built there.

    In 1829, the cape was named Villa Ituzaingó by Francisco Aguilar who drew the plans of the city to be and began building. Aguilar, a very wealthy man, used the land for agriculture and manufacturing of ceramic tiles. He was the fist ship builder of Uruguay, and also raised cattle and went into politics. He was Mayor of Maldonado and Senator. He was also given by the President exclusive rights to hunt for whales, of which plenty could be found near the coast.

    In 1843 the peninsula and the Gorriti Island were sold to the brothers Lafone. They used it as saladeros, the process of salt-curing the meat. At that time the only way to go from the Punta to Maldonado was in carts and the way was very difficult as it was mostly sand with lots of dunes. To make this easier Aguilar brought dromedaries that were much more adapted to this kind of terrain.

    In 1889 the first hotel was built. At that time the town was inhabited by fishermen, customs officers and the lighthouse keepers. But during the summer the population increased with people coming looking for a place to rest. Many of the inhabitants were thinking of developing the town into a seaside resort similar to Biarritz in France or Brighton in England.

   

    In 1907 a ship called "Golondrina" arrived to the port full of people from Buenos Aires and Montevideo, that had been invited by the Society "Balneario Punta del Este". That year the town had been officially named Punta del Este by President Claudio Williman.

    From that moment it never stopped growing, to become what it is now. One of the most important seaside resorts of South America, and a center of the international jet set. Properties in the zone of Punta del Este, specially heading east towards José Ignacio, are now valued in millions of dollars.

    If you haven´t been there you should visit it. It´s worth it

Sunset over Punta Colorada

Sunset over Piriapolis

Sunset over Piriapolis