How do you pronounce your last name?
It's pronounced "oorKADD". This is the modern French pronunciation, where the "H" is silent, "ou" makes an "OO" sound, and you don't pronounce the "e" at the end. Hourcade is a Gascon last name from southwest France.
So, are you French?
Not really. I'm half Spanish, from Galicia. The other half is three quarters Italian (both from the north and south), and one quarter French (both Gascon and Basque).
Where are you really from?
I'm from many places. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay, and moved to the US when I was 16 years old. In the US I have lived in the Washington, DC suburbs (both in Virginia and Maryland), and in the Iowa City metro area.
What is that you are drinking?
It's called yerba mate. It's a traditional tea from South America. It's popular in Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and southern Brazil. You put the tea in a gourd, pour hot water, and drink the tea through a metal straw that has a filter at the bottom (so you don't get leaves with your drink). No, you can't smoke it (ever seen anyone smoke earl grey?).
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