Thursday, January 24, 2008

A Cooking Show, Carlos Arguiñano

I would like to recommend a TV show.
If you are interested in learning Spanish cooking, the kind people eat in their homes day in and day out, this is your show. Carlos Arguiñano is from San Sebastian, Pais Vasco. He is, on a nation wide level, recognized as one of the best cooks in the country. He has a restaurant in San Sebastian that one of these days I would like to visit.
His show is everyday at 2:30 on Telecinco. Just ignore some “dirty” jokes and focus on his cooking. It is easy, creative, cheap and healthy. Like I said, he cooks what most people around the country cooks each day, but with some creativity and many tricks.
Now, if you understand one of his jokes - a clean one, of course – give yourself a “10” on Spanish culture acquisition!
Enjoy his cooking!

Friday, January 18, 2008

Resources: PUNTOYCOMA Magazine

Language Resource Review: ; puntoycoma
http://www.pyc-revista.com/

About a year and a half ago, I discovered through a friend a language-learning resource called; puntoycoma, a bi-monthly magazine designed by Spaniards to help non-native speakers improve their Spanish.

Not only is each issue packed with articles, but an audio CD (featuring Spanish spoken in various accents to help improve listening skills) can also be purchased as a supplement to each issue.

While I didn’t have the time (or perhaps just wasn’t disciplined enough!) to make it through every issue, I was very pleased with what I read. Each edition of the magazine features a variety of articles on pop culture, current events and other relevant issues, often in Spain, but also in other countries around the world.

One huge plus about this resource is that no matter the language level of the learner (the site says the magazine is directed to those with an intermediate-advanced level of Spanish), there is always new information for the reader to glean from each issue. Each issue of the magazine mixes articles written at varying levels of difficulty for Spanish learners. The articles also highlight important or potentially new vocabulary and sayings and give a glossary listing of each featured term.

Another useful tool in the magazine is that reading comprehension can be checked by taking the content-related quizzes at the back of the magazine.

As a bonus, I will also throw in that my customer experiences with the magazine subscription personnel was excellent. Communication was extremely professional, and when I had questions about my subscription, the staff quickly responded to my e-mail with exactly the information I needed.

I highly recommend this resource to enhance the Spanish language learning experience. Mara W. now has the copies of ; puntoycoma in Madrid, or a number of subscription options (including digital versions) are available online at http://www.pyc-revista.com/ .

- Tep L., Madrid