Vocabulario de la semana – Vocabulary of the Week

como mencioné – as I mentioned
se saludan – greet each other
es importante saber – it’s important to know
diferencia cultural – cultural difference
saludos – greetings
mujeres – women
mejilla – cheek
hombres – men
un abrazo – a hug
diferentes saludos – different greetings
cuando se saludan (a) – when they greet
¿qué pasa cuando – what happens when
pero la mujer – but the woman
brazos – arms
frecuentemente – frequently
ha sido creado – has been created
la respuesta correcta – the correct answer
es – is
tan común – so common
parecía – it seemed
casi diario – almost daily
más tarde – later on
unas pulgadas – a few inches
el codo – the elbow
dedos – fingers
por arriba y abajo – up and down
fuerte – strong
movimientos – movements
cargando – carrying
la primera vez – the first time (more…)

Last week we talked briefly about eating different parts of the cow so that no food is wasted. This week I want to tell you about some of the interesting/different things I ate while living in Latin America. If it makes your stomach weak, just remember that you’re only reading about it; I had to actually eat them.

As I have mentioned earlier, when eating at someone’s home in Latin America, as I did 3 meals a day for two years, you should eat all of the food your host/hostess serves you or they may become very offended and hurt. (more…)

Culture: Don’t Waste Your Food – All Parts of the Cow!!?

In many of the lower-income pueblos in Latin America, resources to purchase food can be scarce. Latin America mostly consists of developing or so called third-world countries. Because of their low economic resources, Latin people usually don’t waste any food. In-fact, many will go to extremes to eat a lot of interesting parts of the cow, pig and other animals that most Americans have never even thought of eating.

After living in Latin America for two years and becoming accustomed to their way of life, I was shocked when I returned to the United States and had dinner with my family the first night I returned. It was reverse culture shock for me. I could not believe how much food they wasted. If they couldn’t or didn’t want to eat all of their food, they just left it on their plates and all of it went down the hungry and ever-ready food disposal never to be seen again. It is interesting to me that I used to do the same thing at mealtime before spending two years of my life living among the Latin people. In Latin America, because of economic conditions and lifestyle, they usually eat every piece of their food. (more…)