At a local industry watering hole with an inexpensive and lively happy hour mixer this evening, I met an interesting woman named Jill who is a television producer. She was an engaging conversationalist. We talked about the projects we were working on, shared work related war stories and exchanged political predictions for the election, both of us believing Obama would win handily. When I mentioned my time in Argentina, Jill surprised me with an exclamation that she "loved" Argentina and wanted to live there.  

We flew into L.A. International Airport this morning, and the familiar view of the 405 freeway from the window of the airplane signaled a new phase in this venture. After nine long months in South America, it feels almost alien to be back in Los Angeles.

Is it meaningful irony or simple coincidence that tomorrow will be the seventh anniversary of 9/11, that fateful date that had such a profound impact on the idea of America?

We had a fiesta for my birthday this weekend in my apartment. In typical Argentine fashion, no one bothered to show up at the 10:00 pm start time, but by midnight, the place was packed. About 25 people wandered through at one point or another. We danced through the apartment and out onto the terraza during the course of the evening with people laughing and singing along to the lively Cubano music playing on the stereo.

Nico, Julia and I spent much of the past week working on yesterday's shoot for our first episodes of the La Comida Aborigen show. We shot three episodes and a series of short webisodes or mobisodes featuring brief aboriginal cooking tips and ingredients. The first two full episodes we have mapped out are built around the two main staples of the ancient American diet, corn and potatoes, their history, how they are prepared, served and eaten.

The third episode, recommended by both Maria and Rodrigo, was about chipá, a kind of cheese bread typically made from corn flour. It doesn't sound very aboriginal, but is a standard item of the Andean diet, prepared in many different ways and carried almost as a kind of native energy bar. (click below for slideshow)