Carlos is a fine artist and an athlete who, when not painting a canvas, can be found sailing windsurfers and kites from his little guest house on the breezy south beach in Adícora, Venezuela. We asked him if he would give us a little presentation from atop his roof. You can hear for yourself that this spot is all about one thing, el viento!

Couldn’t you just go for some refried beans right now? They are great for breakfast, great for lunch, and we’re happy to have them for dinner, not to mention a medianoche snack! Let’s drop in on Gloria as she cooks up a batch for us.

Al gusto means, literally, “to the taste,” but in English we usually express this as “to taste.” So Gregoria doesn’t add honey to the avena (oatmeal). She puts it on the side of the plate. The person eating can can put it on al gusto, a little or a lot, however they like it. We often do this with salt, syrup, hot sauce… anything where individual palates vary considerably.

In beautiful Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, the local cooks know their fruit! Let’s drop by the lovely Casa Mar as Gloria prepares a glorious multi-colored fruit salad made with local sandía (watermelon), melón, and plátano (banana). You may soon find yourself blending melon seeds into a delicious horchata.

Juan paints outlines on his tiles using a paintbrush and manganese oxide, but at one time practitioners did this by laying down fine strings dipped in wax, and this explains why Juan still calls the technique he uses cuerda seca, or “dry cord.” Note that he describes the technique as one of alto relieve, or “high relief,” which is the opposite of bas-relief (low relief).

A little research tells us that the musical comedy Arturo did with Héctor Suárez at the Teatro de los Insurgentes was Sigue tu onda (Follow Your Wave), a Spanish language adaptation of a Broadway show known to American theater-goers as Your Own Thing. Soon Arturo himself would be heading to New York on a tip from Paul McCartney’s agent that he could land a spot in Hair...

Arriving in December of ‘71, a young Arturo Vega decides that it is New York where he is going to clavar, or stay put. His journey began in Mexico, where he began his artistic life as an actor and participant in experimental theater or “happenings”—an art form which was not well received by the powers that be in that country.

Carlos and Angeles are a young couple from Burgos, located about an hour and a half north of Madrid, a city that dates back to 884! The surrounding province is also known as Burgos, and tucked inside it is an equally historical town known as Lerma, which is where we meet up for a walk and conversation.

Emiro used to live in oil-rich Maracaibo, where his father was headmaster of the school system Shell oil ran for the children of employees. (Did you know: Venezuela is the only country in the Americas that’s a member of OPEC? And a founding member at that!)

Emiro spent years crewing an oil tanker, and many more as a fisherman commanding his own lancha, so it’s no surprse to find him at the helm of his own seaside kitchen, the Pimienta Café in Adícora. Join us as we drop in to check out the menu!

José Rodriguez, the caretaker of a beautiful finca, or farm, is kind enough to show us around and tell us a bit about the area and himself. You will probably realize that pues, as José employs it, is a common muletilla (“filler” word), used to add a bit of emphasis or just as a matter of speech style, and doesn’t really always have to be translated (though it can often be thought of as akin to “well”).

Marriage and children bring with them needs and responsiblities that a soltero doesn’t have. Rafael hopes to grow his small pharmacy into a cadena of drug stores that he can use to benefit his wife and kids. To raise the necessary capital, Rafael is working abroad for a few years.

Recently the song "Mesa Que Más Aplauda" from the Mexican group Climax had reached coastal Venezuela and was blasting from every bootleg music kiosk and bus stereo. Its catchy, inane, meaningless refrain za za za, yakuza, yakuza was on the lips of every impressionable child from 5 to 50. Taimur was no exception (nor were we!)

Young Taimur’s Spanish is not quite as easy for the non-native as that of his neighborhood pal Zulbani, but he does have a lot of interesting things to say! Listen up, because our young friend presents an opportunity to hear some expressions and turns of phase you may have not heard before.

Zoraida is a big fan of one of Spain’s newest exports, La Oreja de Van Gogh. Besides listening to “Van Gogh’s Ear”, let’s find out what else she likes to do for fun in her spare time… apart from giving interviews!