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Latin News
on August 24, 2010

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shioshvili The 6th annual UCF Latin American Cultural Festival will arrive early September to showcase the best Latin American and Caribbean music and dance. Held in Orlando on September 12th, the festival will have two performances from leading groups. These are the Knight Winds Ensemble and The Opus Mundi World Jazz Music Project.
If you are interested in Latin American culture, the festival is a great place to get acquainted to the music, food and dance which are all important elements in the culture. If you are unsure whether the event is worth attending, you can watch a short video of last year's performances from the Knight Winds, to give you a better idea of what to expect at the festival.
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Latin Culture
, Latin Food
on August 13, 2010

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mickou Mexicans savor tequila just like the French savor cognac or wine.
And just as there are wine lovers everywhere, so too are may tequila passionistas especially among the young travelers.
Sommelier Audrey Formissano - a French-born and trained sommelier - is now one of a handful of certified tequila experts in Mexico and gives the following information which Tequila lovers would probably want to know. Formissano aims to dispel the myths of drinking tequila and educate visitors and locals alike on the rich history and culture behind tequila.
Tequila is made with the "pina" or fruit of the blue agave plant grown in Jalisco, Mexico. Hundreds of years ago, Mexicans would use the leaves of the blue agave for making sandals and handicrafts while the "pina" was thrown away. Locals noticed that the smell from the garbage was sweet and so they began to use the "pina" and eventually created tequila.
It takes at least eight years for a blue agave plant to mature before it can be used to make tequila. One mature blue agave will grow to weigh 70-80 pounds but can yield about five bottles of tequila. Only tequila that is produced from 100% blue agave from Jalisco is considered real tequila. Year-round, travellers can visit the Jaliso region to watch blue agave plants being harvested in fields and many distilleries.
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Latin Music
on July 20, 2010

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Jacob Garcia Pete Escovedo, a renowned Latin jazz musician, turned 75 years old recently. As he looks back on his latino music career, he is awed by his true passion for music. As a percussionist, he's played in several great Latin big bands. He recounts his career and the growth of the Latin jazz music industry in the United States. During the fifties, Latin music was popular and expanding throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The area was well known for its Latin music scene and a number of renowned musicians flourished there.
From a young age, Pete Escovedo's was destined to be a great latin musician. Several of his family members were also musicians. He played tirelessly with his brothers to form The Escovedo Brothers Band, especially in the Latin music era of the fifties.
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Latin Food
on June 10, 2010

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We all know that Mexico is an experience - the night life, the beaches, the culture, the history. Most people who have visited Mexico love it. Well, the experience is expanding somewhat...
As Mexico strives to attract tourist in the wake of an international recession, culinary tourism is becoming a growing focus of the hospitality industry in Mexico, according to MSNBC.
Mexican food is appealing to most of the world. Every little town in half the world has a Mexican restaurant and people near it spend half the week thinking about chips and salsa, fajitas and tacos, beer and margaritas. But Mexican food offers more choices than just whether to have to chicken or the beef fajita.
The MSNBC story looks at a recent gather of 100 chefs and foodies in Mexico for a 10-day event to promote culinary tourism. It gave me some ideas about things to try next time I get to Mexico.
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