亲爱的墨西哥人: I’m a half-墨西哥人, half-gabacha working as an appointment scheduler in a medical office. I’m one of a handful of schedulers there that speak Spanish. I’ve notice in the years I’ve been working in this field that about seven to eight times out of 10, when a Spanish-speaking patient calls, gets one of the schedulers that doesn’t speak 西班牙语, and waits for myself or someone else to call them back…the patient actually speaks English well. I only find this out because (since mi mamá mexicana always told me to never assume someone can’t speak English and do him/her the courtesy by waiting until he/she requests Spanish) I call back speaking in English and they respond in English. I don’t mind speaking Spanish with any of my patients—in fact I’m happy I can be of service—but it makes me wonder why would anyone would want to wait and waste precious time to get their health situated by not speaking English if there is no Spanish speaker available at the time (given they have the capability). Some of my patients really need the help and I am ready 说话, but others probably have better English skills than several of the 加巴哈斯 我知道。
Appointment Desk, This is Chiquita Curiosa. How Can I Help You?
Dear Pocha: Sometimes, Mexicans who can speak English pretend not to so they can gain an advantage over their 加巴乔 adverseries—the classic “No espeak English” ruse when either trying to get out of a situation or trying to make the 加巴乔斯 think they’re a stupid Mexican. Other times, the English-knowing Mexican will still prefer Spanish because they can be more exact. That seems to be the case here, especially given you’re a medical profession and some Mexican health practices just don’t translate well into the King’s English—how do you tell your doctor, for instance, that your mom’s remedy for a broken clavicle is Vix and 7-Up?
For those of us living in California, the FIFA World Cup is a big deal. Since we have such a huge Mexican population that has been here a while, is it a safe bet that they root for the U.S. team and the one from Mexico? I know that I tend to place my hopes on Mexico once the Americans get the boot in the first round. Couldn’t we get a little more love going for our SoCal community by making our support in the World Cup international?
Soccer Gabacho
Dear Gabacho: Historically, no Mexican in the U.S. would ever root for 洛斯·埃斯塔多斯·尤尼多斯—not so much because it was considered traitorous, but mostly because the team was middling at best and uber-加巴乔. That has changed in the past generation, as the U.S. has not only become a mid-level power that consistently whips Mexico’s ass on the pitch, but also because the squad is now diverse. At the same time, El Tri has underachieved behind the Fresa酒店 foot of Javier “Chicharito” Hernández (“Little Pea,” so nicknamed for the size of his 鸡蛋) and the most overrated Mexican since Maná. Most Mexican-Americans will still root for Mexico over the U.S., but there’s at least a grudging respect for the 北美 side—and at least brown members of Uncle Sam’s Army don’t get pelted with urine bags anymore…much. Nevertheless, I don’t see a fruitful MUNDIAL for either team, so Mexicans will probably do what they did during the last Cup: suddenly discover their Spanish roots, and go for the goal-getting 加丘平.
¡问一个墨西哥人! 视频回来了!: 温和的 怎么就: 经过多年的中断,我重新推出了这个的视频版本 columna. 通过点击标签#askamexican 关注我在 Twitter 上的每周咆哮并提问。 享受!
在问墨西哥人 [电子邮件保护],在Facebook上成为他的粉丝,在Twitter @gustavoarellano上关注他,或者在Instagram @gustavo_arellano上关注他!
This isn’t a Mexican thing. People from other Spanish speaking
countries do the same thing. Puerto Ricans are experts at it–just think
they’re US citizens besides. Pasaba poco tiempo en PR y comprendo
el espanol casi totalmente–but as the young lady said–why waste people’s time.
I just don’t buy into other people’s passive aggressive BS–latino, gringo or whatever.