Little Knowledge Of Spoken English

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVII, Issue 15057, 18 August 1949, Page 4

Little Knowledge Of Spoken English

<&- . Argentine Consul's Wife In N.Z. Housewifely Arts. Her Chief Interests Although she has, as yet, little knowledge of spoken English. Senora de la Torre, wife of the newly-arrived Consul for the Argentine, left no doubts as to her first impressions of Wellington when interviewed recently. Her happy smiles and hands expressive in their quick movement made up for her lack of words in making known her approval. Although in China where she and her husband have spent nearly three years, there was no servant problqm, Senora de la Torre is eager to make her home in Wellington. Servant problems will not trouble her over much as she insists that the housewifely arts, particularly cookery, are her chief interests and she is looking forward to demonstrating, for Wellington friends the palate-tempting national dishes of Argentina, where she was born. In China, she did not attempt to follow her favourite hobby. Chinese cookery was too difficult, she said, but after the first few days she had found the food very pleasing. It had amazed her to see the dexterity with which young Chinese children, mere babies in fact, handled chopsticks. Senora de la Torre has never seen a bull-fight nor does she wish to do so. Argentinians, she says, are too great lovers cf horses to approve of the sport and at any rate bull-fighting is forbidden in the Argentine. Like many of her country-women she loves music and much of her leisure time is spent at the piano. She ccniesses a special fondness for the compositions of de Falla and the work of the modern Spanish composers. At home before going to China she was a member of the Libraries' Committee in Buenos Aires. After her travels in China and prior to that in Europe, Senora de la Torre finds Wellington an exceedingly clean city. She said she had heard a great deal of the peacefulness of New Zealand and the good living conditions here, adding that she liked best, a quiet place to live in. It had not been so quiet in China, especially in Shanghai, and Wellington was a pleasant contrast. Before long, Senor and Senora de la Torre hope to have a visit from their 19-year-old son, Ernesto, who is attending University in Buenos Aires. They hope he may be able to travel by air to spend his next vacation here.