Overseas style 丨 Argentinian cultural wonders
When it comes to Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina with a history of more than 400 years, people's minds must be conditioned by football and tango. On November 25 last year, world soccer superstar Maradona passed away, and Argentina declared three days of national mourning. Argentines love football and are more passionate about art. The variety of tango art is the pride of the Argentine nation.
But my trip to Buenos Aires was different, and although I stayed in the city for only a week, I gave a lot of my precious time to bookstores and cafes. Really, truly feel the unique bookstore culture and coffee culture in Argentina.
"A Flower in a Global Bookstore"
"A flower in the global bookstore", this is the praise given by many readers in South America to the Argentine capital "Athenian Bookstore". As a writer, I have the opportunity to go to Argentina, and no matter how busy I am, I have to visit this bookstore.
The "Athenians Bookstore" is located on Santa Fe Street in Buenos Aires, with an ordinary appearance, only a simple shop sign, not at all conspicuous. When I arrived at the door of the bookstore, I was still muttering: Is this the world's most beautiful bookstore on the list of the world's top ten bookstores published by the world's famous National Geographic? But as soon as I entered the store, my doubts were immediately swept away. This one-of-a-kind bookstore in the world is a strange combination of the imperial palace in the early years, the former theater and the current book hall.
The bookstore manager talked about the "Athenians" turning around. This more than 100-year-old building was built in 1860 by the architects Piro and Torres Amongo for Queen Mas Gruxman of Argentina. The imposing dome painting is the masterpiece of the Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi. The work depicts the people's desire for peace. The statue of the goddess created by the famous master is solemn and solemn, which is awe-inspiring. Such exquisite architectural design attracts artists from all over the world to hold exhibitions and events.
In 1919, the abandoned palace was transformed into the Great Bright Opera House, which became a hit and soon became one of the favorite places for Argentine celebrities and aristocrats, and was also an iconic building in the city. Famous tango dancers are proud to be able to perform here.
But the opera house is also ill-fated. In 2000, when the theater fell into disrepair and was on the verge of closure due to the economic recession in Argentina, the municipal government decided to rebuild the opera house. After the acquisition of a publishing group, the investment of 3 million US dollars, by the Argentine architect Manzoni cleverly innovated, the 1050-seat theater into a "book temple" with an entire building, which is the first original in the world.
The renovation of the "Athenian Bookstore" carefully maintains the original structure of the building, fully displaying the grandeur of the theater, retaining the large stage, dark red flannel curtains, delicate carved decorations and frescoes, Greek pillars, and theater lighting. The seats were all removed and replaced with special bookshelves, and thousands of books were displayed on the mezzanine wall, blending the rich appearance with the calm aroma of books, revealing a faint elegance.
During the recession the "Athenian Bookstore" opened and caused a sensation throughout South America. This shows that in addition to football and tango, Argentina also enjoys the reputation of "World Book Capital"! With a total area of more than 2,000 square meters, the "Athenian Bookstore" is divided into 3 floors, and the scale is the largest in South America and the second in the world. Unlike other bookstores, the golden floor sells children's toys and books for the younger children, the second floor sells a variety of books for adults, and the third floor has a choice of stars' records and DVDs. The bookstore reserves some seats on the fourth floor, where readers can read, overlook the entire bookstore, and experience what is the "kingdom of books" and the shock that books bring to the heart! National Geographic describes this with unsparing praise: "The light here is soft, and the overall tone shows the best art of the early 20th century." People here talk in a whisper, like they're in an old library. A large number of people come here every day to read, and they think it is the most beautiful bookstore in the world. ”
The yellow theater lighting in the hall outlines the romance of the entire bookstore, making people feel as if they are in a magnificent court. The stage area was converted into a café. Book lovers are tired of reading, so you can eat a simple meal here, or order a cup of coffee and enjoy a little more reading time. The café 'menu' is compiled according to the musical score, reflecting the unique ingenuity of the designer. The curved grandstands on either side of the opera stage were the boxes previously prepared for the celebrities and aristocrats. Now it is a place for readers to read and rest.
Compared to other bookstores, the Athenian Bookstore is open for a long time, closing at 10 p.m. every day. On Fridays and Saturdays, the lights don't go out until midnight. Today, the owner of the bookstore, which has become a chain brand, is most proud that in a country of only 43 million people, the bookstore welcomes about 1 million readers each year.
In the bookstore, I was pleasantly surprised to find books about Mao Zedong prominently displayed. On its cover, Mao Zedong, dressed in a gray Zhongshan suit, is radiant and stands and applauds. I have long heard that this leader is deeply rooted in South America. Witnessing the thick biographical books on sale in Argentina now shows the extraordinary influence and appeal of the great man.
Please queue up for coffee
Please queue up for coffee. I have been to many countries where coffee tasting has become popular, and even the cafés of the cow have never seen such a grand occasion. But the Toltoni Café in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, is so cattle. It is rightly called "Rolls Royce in the Café". I had planned to spend a short time in the city, but I, who didn't drink coffee very often, wanted to join in the fun. Because it has a history of more than 160 years, in the fierce competition of more than 3,000 cafes in the city, of which more than 70 are over 100 years old, it stands out, evergreen and undefeated, enjoying the reputation of "one of the most beautiful cafes in the world". Many office workers in Buenos Aires have such a deep relationship with "Tortoni" that the time of day is arranged like this: get up early in the café to ask for a cup of caffé con leche, with two or three soft and sweet medialuna; after lunch, cup cortado, drink enough and then return to work; after work, in order to avoid the traffic jam, first go to drink a coffee before dinner to relieve the hunger.
Waiting outside the door of "Tortoni", the statue of the founder erected in front of the café caught my attention. The French entrepreneurial immigrant gave the café its name, from a famous Parisian restaurant, as a way to express homesickness. The inscription on the gate is several lines in Spanish. Homework has been done before the future, which is the 1940s Argentine poet Baldomero Fernandez Moreno's poem "Singing Love, Sunshine and Water". The long poem is full of poets' attachment to Tortoney coffee culture and a faint melancholy of the world.
After waiting for about 10 minutes, the smiling waiter opened the closed door. After counting the number of guests, the same number of queued guests can be allowed to sit. I entrusted the "heavy responsibility" of ordering coffee to the "coffee masters" of my peers, so that I could seize the time to appreciate this century-old shop full of coffee culture.
A century and a half later, "Tortoni" still maintains its original mood. Ceiling hangings are copper chandeliers from Italy from 1889. The two walls are lined with various bronze medals of honor, as well as important frames and photographs. Amber marble columns meet the ceiling and are inlaid with stained glass. At its peak, 100 French-made oak coffee tables with luxurious marble tabletops dotted with 150 Tiffany lamps. 400 oak chairs and 200 luxurious leather sofas, arranged in order. Maintaining the strong European atmosphere of more than a century ago, the café presents the aesthetic characteristics of the Parisian style, so it attracts many professors, experts and artists from the upper class. There is a metal nameplate next to each seat in the store today, showing which master's seat was once dedicated. At the same time, there are also statues of famous celebrities who used to be talking and laughing, the most famous of which are the wax statues of the tango master Carlos Gardel, the poet Luis Borges and the legendary female writer Alfencina Stotti. Other distinguished guests who have visited here include Albert Einstein, the famous physicist who founded the theory of relativity, García Márquez, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, and the piano master Artur Rubinstein. It is no exaggeration to say that Café Tortoni is like a silent witness to the vicissitudes and changes of Argentina's recent history.
Over the years, "Tortoni" has attracted customers to pay the most attention to maintaining tradition. Buy freshly ground coffee in the store, the coffee has not yet been ground, and the rich aroma is everywhere, often causing buyers to buy more. When weighing the portion, without the consumer opening, add 5 grams, that is the weight of the bag. The process of brewing coffee is extremely delicate: the water temperature must be between 70-85 ° C, neither too cold, the taste is not good; and can not be too hot, so as not to lose the nutrition of the coffee beans. It is said that coffee brewed at this temperature has a strong taste and a lingering aroma.
That day, on the recommendation of the "coffee master", I ordered Viennese coffee. I saw that on the snow-white whipped cream, there were colorful rice sprinkled. It's a great flavor to drink piping hot coffee through sweet chocolate syrup and cold whipped cream. Instead of stirring the coffee, enjoy the three-stage pleasure in the cup: cold cream, soft and refreshing; strong coffee, lubricated but slightly bitter; sweet syrup, that is, unsolved, bringing you unexpected surprises.
A few years ago, Buenos Aires applied to UNESCO to add the local coffee culture to the list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In order to protect the development of long-established cafes, the municipal government of the city set up the "Excellence Café Protection and Promotion Committee" to include 75 long-established cafes in the "Classic Cafe Directory".
"If you don't have a cup of coffee without Tortone, you don't come to Argentina." Such a cattle advertising slogan shows that the century-old brand is rejuvenated, and the older it is, the more beautiful it is.
Producer: Horizon Media
Source: Vacation Travel magazine
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Editor: Fang Xinjin Final Review: Fang Wei
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