BajaNomad

Need some esplaining, please

Santiago - 1-26-2009 at 03:05 PM

While honing our fish torture techniques last week, 3 things occurred I did not understand.
1. Our fishing guide was the youngest of the 10 or so guides and he spoke little or no English. Of course, we asked him his name straight away and he replied with something neither of us understood. During our lunch break I asked the lodge manager our guide's name and he said everyone calls him Mikada (Mikado?) which meant 'daddy long legs'. OK. When we came in that evening our boat pulled up to shore with all the other boats and the man helping with the boat called to our guide by his nickname and my fishing buddy stood up and pointed at our guide and said "He's Mikada?" and I yelled "Mikada?" and all the other guides started cat calling Mikada and whistling and laughing while our guide got very embarrassed and had a look of complete resignation. For the rest of the next 2 days every time we pulled out or pulled in, all the other guides would laugh and call his nickname. Here’s my question - I'm sure they would use the nickname all the time, but why was it so funny when we, the gringos, found out what it was?
2. I tried my best to communicate and have some kind of rapport with our guide by using whatever Spanish words I knew, which is not many. I got very little response from him until the morning of the 2nd day when I asked for some agua and he opened the cooler, tossed me my water and said “Here’s your water” in perfect English. Absolutely broke us up – we were literally lying on the floor of the boat laughing it was so funny. I finally got up and said “Here’s your water, you P-nche gringo” (mimicking him) and once again, we’re on the floor of the boat – even he was laughing. On reflection, I wondered if all my attempts at talking, when he didn’t know English, was somehow belittling to him.
3. Our lodge served beer and marggies and said for us to bring our own wine, which we did. Each evening we would sit for dinner and I would go to the counter and ask for wine glasses and the lady cook would give us our glasses and always look at the bottle with interest. On the last day, she gave me the glasses and I then offered her a taste, thinking she may have an interest or curiosity in wine. The look on her face was one of horror and almost disgust and she quickly shook her head. I left feeling I had done something really culturally stupid. Did I?

DENNIS - 1-26-2009 at 03:20 PM

Sounds as though there were some misunderstandings on the nickname and maybe the cookette is a Mormon.

Sharksbaja - 1-26-2009 at 04:17 PM

Thank God they didn't call him "La Cucaracha":lol:

BAJACAT - 1-26-2009 at 07:17 PM

Santiago, this is what I think. We the mexicans, we usually use nicknames to communicate to each other, You you like chango,El flaco,El mechas, so when somebody from another country or with a different language tries to say the same nickname it sounds funnier...I think it has to do with the accent.IMHO.

shari - 1-26-2009 at 08:10 PM

You are a good man Santiago for trying your spanish....but often what happens is people put an "a" on the end of a nickname instead of "o" which of course means the feminine version of the name which always gets a huge laugh out of all the guys and sometimes they change the nickname to the feminine version forever which is pretty funny....humour is all fine and well here...not like on nomads at all!
Offering mexican women alcoholic beverages is usually a big no no though....even just a taste...except for Juan's sisters tita and blanca!

Diver - 1-26-2009 at 08:15 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Offering mexican women alcoholic beverages is usually a big no no though....even just a taste...except for Juan's sisters tita and blanca!


Not including naturalized Canadian Mexican women, of course ! :lol:

Santiago - 1-26-2009 at 09:21 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Offering mexican women alcoholic beverages is usually a big no no though....even just a taste...except for Juan's sisters tita and blanca!


Shari - I had the distinct impression that I had crossed a dark line and wondered about that. Thanks.

fishbuck - 1-26-2009 at 10:10 PM

Did you catch any fish?

But ya, it's like novio and novia. Make a mistake on that and you'll really get a big laugh

[Edited on 1-27-2009 by fishbuck]

El Camote - 1-26-2009 at 10:37 PM

Ouch, Santiago. Sounds like the time I asked the pretty young thing in the auto partes store for a grease nipple in Spanish. She quickly retrieved the the male manager who clued me in to the correct term. :no:

Mango - 1-26-2009 at 11:41 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Santiago
Quote:
Originally posted by shari
Offering mexican women alcoholic beverages is usually a big no no though....even just a taste...except for Juan's sisters tita and blanca!


Shari - I had the distinct impression that I had crossed a dark line and wondered about that. Thanks.


It wasn't too long ago when ladies were not even allowed in bars in Mexico. Well,... some bars they were allowed to work at. Other bars were called "Ladies Bars" and is/was proper to take your girlfriend/wife there.. But, women would never go without a date. Even today, it still changes/varies place to place, bar to bar, and state to state.

It's just a different culture and you are a better man for asking and trying to understand. I salute you.

You might check out the book called, "The Peoples Guide to Mexico" by Carl Franz. Besides being an entertaining read, it has a lot of great inside information about Mexican culture. (It's a cultural guidebook, not a guidebook of places/hotels)

It's on its umpteenth edition by now and can most likely be found at your public library if you don't want to buy it. I recommend having one though... I have two! :lol:

Russ - 1-27-2009 at 06:24 AM

So maybe now is the time to try this out.This morning I had a humorous moment and thought of a reply to a few who tell me I speak Spanish well, I know a couple of words.
"Yo ser mucho enfluezado en Española." OK, I'm told, more often, I'm sick. But does any one beside myself think that's funny?

Santiago - 1-27-2009 at 08:02 AM

fishbuck: http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=36606

Russ: yes - that's funny. On the first morning I got up about 4:00am and the night watchman asked me something like "Como nacento?" (How did you sleep?). I was confused as the only word I knew that was close is 'nacimiento'. At breakfast I asked the manager what he asked me and I explained I thought he was asking me something about my birth and all the mexicans laughed. Of course, every morning after that I was greeted with "Como nacimiento?" to general laughter.

shari - 1-27-2009 at 08:12 AM

This is a very good phrase to learn as you will here it all the time if you see someone early in the morning. In Spanish, they dont say...how did you sleep...they dont care...what DOES matter is how you woke up!

In Spanish they ask Como amanaciste? which means...how did you sunrise...which kinda refers to did you wake up on the right side of the bed...or sometimes it is "Como amanacieron....the plural form denoting you..in a general form...your group. couple etc. This is a most common phrase that I heard for many years before I finally figured out what it actually meant.

Thanks, Threadies*

Mulegena - 1-27-2009 at 09:58 AM

Y, la hora es temprano, se pregunto, "Como anamacieron?"



Shari, can you help me out to say this correctly, please?

One time someone gently asked my age, something like this:
"Cuantas primaveras conosco?" "How many springtimes have you known?"




*Threadies-- those who participate in a blog thread