I'm not sure if this is just part of my husband's world or if this really extends to all Mexicans, but I don't really know my husband's friends names. What I do know instead are their nicknames. It seems that everyone has one and some aren't flattering.
Take my husband for example. His real name is Jesus but his nickname is Chuy. How did Chuy come out of Jesus? If you ask him, he will say it's because his name is Jesus Emanuel. If he was Jesus Manuel he would be called Chema. Oh, that cleared it all up! Clear as mud, thanks honey.
There are other common nicknames that don't seem to have any relation to the real name.
Francisco becomes Kiko or Paco or Pancho
Jose becomes Pepe
Rodolfo-Pop0
Ok I guess we have a few of those as well. One might not immediately derive Bill from William or Betsy from Elizabeth if they were learning English as a second language.
But then there are the nicknames based on someones appearance. Close circles of friends might have funny nicknames for each other, but these names are not generally shared and used as the standard.
For example my husband's soccer friend is called El Negro, the black one. I don't even know El Negro's real name. This is how widespread and understood his nickname is. I'm not sure if my husband even knows his real name. When El Negro's family was here the other day, I even heard his wife call him that. Given this countries history and struggle for civil rights, I'm going to guess no one would really venture to call anyone, Hey Blackie! (Just a side note here he's not even black!)
So I've compiled a list (with the help of my husband) of some nicknames you just wouldn't hear used in the White American vernacular.
Nicknames to describe the color of your skin
El Guero- the white one, Whitie
El Negro- the Black one, Blackie
El Moreno- the Brown one, Brownie
Nicknames to describe other features
Tofeo- trompudo y feo, big ugly trumpet (mouth)
Gordita- Little Fat one, (Not to be confused with Gorda- just fat which would be considered insulting)
El Patotas- Big Foot
Cepe- cejas de perro, eyebrows of a dog
el foco de mercado- supermarket lights, because the person had a lot of zits
el bocho- Volkswagen beetle, because the person had big ears
pelon- baldy
Pope- After Popi, because someone had big arms
I've yet to find what is really embarrassing in Mexican culture. Being called El Foco and drawing attention to the fact that someone has really bad acne seems embarrassing to me. But in my experience Mexicans are extremely good at making light of life and light of themselves. My husband will be the first to tell you "Mexican jokes." He loves them, thinks they are hilarious. Instead of getting offended he just laughs. What a great way to go about life, no?
Monday, April 26, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
On Spanglish
There are those who would like a language to stay stagnant, frozen in historical time, bound up by rules and grammar. But language is a living organism. It breaths, grows, adapts and changes as it follows the life of it's speakers. Some might argue that Spanish and English should remain separate entities. But if you live in my house you will find that they co-exist quit nicely.
Today I was telling my husband what to get my son out for dinner and I caught (which doesn't usually happen) the crazy sentence that was coming out of my mouth. Los peas, que estan en el frig son good. Really did I just say that?
In my house we speak Spanglish. Generally my husband speaks Spanish and I English, or so at least I think I am. For example, my husband, my mom and I were all on our way to Home Depot the other day. My husband and I were talking about what we needed. When we got into the store my husband went off in his own direction and I turned to my mom and said, "what was it that we needed?"
"You are asking me?" She said.
"Yah, we were just talking about it in car." Still not understanding why she wasn't helping.
"You do realize that whole conversation was in Spanish, right?" she said.
Hum... clearly I didn't!
I love that I have the ability to switch back and forth between languages. I love the looks I get when I answer my phone in the middle of Target in Spanish. I love the options that open up for music, movies and TV because it doesn't matter if it's in English or Spanish. More importantly I love that I have been able to meet so many more people in this world all because I speak another language. There really is something to being bi-lingual.
There are some very fun Spanglish words I thought I would share with you. I hope you enjoy!
Googlear - to google someone
Molear- to go to the mall
Parkeate- to park (this one is so entwined in Border Spanish that I do believe people truely think this is an actually Spanish word)
pusheme- push me
watchale- watch this
un ridete- a ride
esmoking- tux
yonque- junk yard (pronounced like junky)
boiler- water heater
me frekea- I'm freaked out
troca- truck
nerdo- nerd
If I come across any new and good ones I'll be sure to add them. Until them I'll make sure to check that my blog is written in English and I haven't empece a escribir en Espanol.
Today I was telling my husband what to get my son out for dinner and I caught (which doesn't usually happen) the crazy sentence that was coming out of my mouth. Los peas, que estan en el frig son good. Really did I just say that?
In my house we speak Spanglish. Generally my husband speaks Spanish and I English, or so at least I think I am. For example, my husband, my mom and I were all on our way to Home Depot the other day. My husband and I were talking about what we needed. When we got into the store my husband went off in his own direction and I turned to my mom and said, "what was it that we needed?"
"You are asking me?" She said.
"Yah, we were just talking about it in car." Still not understanding why she wasn't helping.
"You do realize that whole conversation was in Spanish, right?" she said.
Hum... clearly I didn't!
I love that I have the ability to switch back and forth between languages. I love the looks I get when I answer my phone in the middle of Target in Spanish. I love the options that open up for music, movies and TV because it doesn't matter if it's in English or Spanish. More importantly I love that I have been able to meet so many more people in this world all because I speak another language. There really is something to being bi-lingual.
There are some very fun Spanglish words I thought I would share with you. I hope you enjoy!
Googlear - to google someone
Molear- to go to the mall
Parkeate- to park (this one is so entwined in Border Spanish that I do believe people truely think this is an actually Spanish word)
pusheme- push me
watchale- watch this
un ridete- a ride
esmoking- tux
yonque- junk yard (pronounced like junky)
boiler- water heater
me frekea- I'm freaked out
troca- truck
nerdo- nerd
If I come across any new and good ones I'll be sure to add them. Until them I'll make sure to check that my blog is written in English and I haven't empece a escribir en Espanol.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
On Walmart
Against all the fibers of my being I'm going to write about Walmart. I'm not a fan of Walmart for reason I won't get into, but I don't think I could write about becoming Mexican without mentioning the Holy Grail of the Mexican shopping experience.
Ir de compras (shopping) should really be called ir de walmart. There is nothing one can't buy and nowhere one can't find a Super, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Walmart. Aside from the obvious allure of cheap Chinese crap, Walmart has done an incredible marketing campaign to lure in Mexican buyers. But this is not what Walmart has actually come to mean to Mexican communities around the United States (and now Mexico as well).
Walmart is the modern day Plaza. Centuries ago when people lived in an age where it wasn't necessary to cross a border to feed your family, towns were built based around the Plaza. In fact houses were build around a central courtyard. These central meeting spaces were community centers. Places to meet people, to "shoot the breeze," to gossip, talk politics, or simply to enjoy the company of others. Mexicans are a relational bunch. Mexicans are also a chatty bunch. So if you put the two together you can understand that Mexicans sit around doing a lot of talking.
When I lived in Mexico I remember sitting around on the driveway (which doubled as a patio) for hours as my host mom would sit with her friends and gab the evening away. I was always bored to pieces but I guess I can thank her now for the unbeatable Spanish language immersion I endured for 3 months straight.
I suppose there are some Americans who like to sit around and talk as well. Sure we all like to catch up with our friends here and there. But on average I would say we are a doing culture. We make plans for lunch, penciled into our crackberries (Blackberries) and sandwiched between 5 other activities for the day. Its rare that we just sit and talk without any agenda. It's even rarer that we show up to a friends house unannounced and sit and talk without any agenda.
So where do chatty relational Mexicans go in communities across the US to meet, chat, and make connections- to the one place that affords them the luxury of being welcoming and open 24 hours a day, Walmart.
My mother-in-law is one such Walmart goer. Being new to Colorado, the first place she learned to drive herself to was Walmart. Even if she doesn't need to go shopping at all you can find her and my sister-in-law hitting up Walmart at 8pm (as long as the Telenovela isn't on). They very rarely come home with multiple shopping bags. Perhaps a token purchase to make sure the trip wasn't "wasted." But it was never about the shopping to begin with. They just need to go to the plaza, to be relational, to meet new people, to feel Mexican again.
Ir de compras (shopping) should really be called ir de walmart. There is nothing one can't buy and nowhere one can't find a Super, open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Walmart. Aside from the obvious allure of cheap Chinese crap, Walmart has done an incredible marketing campaign to lure in Mexican buyers. But this is not what Walmart has actually come to mean to Mexican communities around the United States (and now Mexico as well).
Walmart is the modern day Plaza. Centuries ago when people lived in an age where it wasn't necessary to cross a border to feed your family, towns were built based around the Plaza. In fact houses were build around a central courtyard. These central meeting spaces were community centers. Places to meet people, to "shoot the breeze," to gossip, talk politics, or simply to enjoy the company of others. Mexicans are a relational bunch. Mexicans are also a chatty bunch. So if you put the two together you can understand that Mexicans sit around doing a lot of talking.
When I lived in Mexico I remember sitting around on the driveway (which doubled as a patio) for hours as my host mom would sit with her friends and gab the evening away. I was always bored to pieces but I guess I can thank her now for the unbeatable Spanish language immersion I endured for 3 months straight.
I suppose there are some Americans who like to sit around and talk as well. Sure we all like to catch up with our friends here and there. But on average I would say we are a doing culture. We make plans for lunch, penciled into our crackberries (Blackberries) and sandwiched between 5 other activities for the day. Its rare that we just sit and talk without any agenda. It's even rarer that we show up to a friends house unannounced and sit and talk without any agenda.
So where do chatty relational Mexicans go in communities across the US to meet, chat, and make connections- to the one place that affords them the luxury of being welcoming and open 24 hours a day, Walmart.
My mother-in-law is one such Walmart goer. Being new to Colorado, the first place she learned to drive herself to was Walmart. Even if she doesn't need to go shopping at all you can find her and my sister-in-law hitting up Walmart at 8pm (as long as the Telenovela isn't on). They very rarely come home with multiple shopping bags. Perhaps a token purchase to make sure the trip wasn't "wasted." But it was never about the shopping to begin with. They just need to go to the plaza, to be relational, to meet new people, to feel Mexican again.
Monday, April 5, 2010
On Frijoles
When I first was introduced to beans with eggs for breakfast I thought my husband was smoking something. Beans come in burritos or maybe on a tostada, but beans and eggs? I protested for a while. Eating my eggs with my buttered toast and letting my husband fix his eggs with chorizo and a heaping side of beans all eaten with a tortilla. Eventually, I gave in and ate it for dinner one night. Then poco a poco I began to eat it for lunch. Until I have to admit now I am a full fledged fan of beans and eggs for breakfast.
There is a large Tupperware container always in our refrigerator with frijoles ready to heat and serve. The process in which these beans get into the container is still beyond me. The first time I went shopping for my husband and I, a week after we were married, I came home with (My Mexican friends avert your eyes) store bought tortillas and a can, yes a can, of refried beans. My husband took one look at that can and said "um... NO." I said well you better cook then cause this is as good as it gets from me.
This is my understanding of the long and ardious task of cooking beans. First you pick out all the non beans (ie. rocks) and bad beans from the bag. Then you wash them and soak them. Then you cook them on the stove for what feels like a decade (in a pressure cooker the time is reduced to maybe a year). Then you mash them up and stick them in the frig. There is probably more to it than that, but I've yet to learn the art. My husband makes good beans so why should I ruin a good thing?
I do have one complaint about beans. I HATE the smell of beans cooking and I HATE even more the smell of beans left out on the counter. The bean dishes have to be washed immediately after use.
So I guess you could now call me a frijolero (beaner). I think I'm supposed to take offense to this term but frankly it's true.
There is a large Tupperware container always in our refrigerator with frijoles ready to heat and serve. The process in which these beans get into the container is still beyond me. The first time I went shopping for my husband and I, a week after we were married, I came home with (My Mexican friends avert your eyes) store bought tortillas and a can, yes a can, of refried beans. My husband took one look at that can and said "um... NO." I said well you better cook then cause this is as good as it gets from me.
This is my understanding of the long and ardious task of cooking beans. First you pick out all the non beans (ie. rocks) and bad beans from the bag. Then you wash them and soak them. Then you cook them on the stove for what feels like a decade (in a pressure cooker the time is reduced to maybe a year). Then you mash them up and stick them in the frig. There is probably more to it than that, but I've yet to learn the art. My husband makes good beans so why should I ruin a good thing?
I do have one complaint about beans. I HATE the smell of beans cooking and I HATE even more the smell of beans left out on the counter. The bean dishes have to be washed immediately after use.
So I guess you could now call me a frijolero (beaner). I think I'm supposed to take offense to this term but frankly it's true.
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