Orale vs. O Sea

Remember when I started my blog? Yeah, that was cool. I'm already reminiscing. Speaking of reminiscing, pull up a chair. I got a story to tell you, and my stories usually don't have a point and can go on forever.

In 1985, my cousin Jorgito came from DF to stay with us for a year. I was in 3rd grade and he was in 5th. Despite the fact that he is and was a Yankees fan, we did everything together. He taught me how to skateboard and I taught him English. While I suck at skateboarding to this day, his English is still excellent. So, Jorge, you're welcome. Anyway, one of the other awesome things George taught me was DF slang. The term that has influenced me the most is the ultimate compliment of them all: NACO.

We are a diverse people, we Mexicans. Everywhere, nicknames are used to distinguish everything from your family to your neighborhood to your physical downfalls. We insist upon calling you something other than what's on your birth certificate. In my family, we got a Feo, Fuchi, Chato, Trucha, Prieta and Seño. And that's just in one bedroom. Hell, my grandparents had a friend in our small nacolonial village whose name is El Mexicano. That man is 85 years old and none of my family or neighbors know his God-given name. If this sounds all too familiar, chances are you got a cousin Pecos whose real name you don't actually know, either.

But I digress. My two favorite apodos for Mexicans are nacos and their counterparts, fresas.

Here's what nacos and fresas mean to me (and wikipedia):
Naco (fmn. naca) is a pejorative word often used in Mexican Spanish to describe bad-mannered and poorly educated people. Recently, however, the word has been reclaimed by Mexican hipsters, particularly in Mexico City and in other places where the word has been popularized in fashions. A naco is usually associated with lower socio-economic classes, but could also sometimes include the nouveau-riche.


My favorite naco. (Photo courtesy of google image search.)


Fresa (which is Spanish for strawberry) is a slang term often used in Mexico for a cultural stereotype of superficiality to youngsters of whom many come from a high class and educated family.

I wouldn't have thought to use the term pejorative for naco. Also, I would've described the fresa men as heteros in gays clothing. You don't even want to know how I'd describe the chicks. So thanks, wiki!

My favorite!! Fresas! (Photo courtesy of my frenemy Naco Libre.)


When a NAcido COrriente buys a Chivas jersey, un hijo de papi buys a Chanel murse.

If a naco dreams of Cartablanca, a fresa dreams of Cartier.

My favorite difference between these two social classes, hands down, is the speech. For an excellent example of these subcultures side-by-side, please watch this video made by my boyfriend Victor Hernández.




Alright, well, I think these were enough babosadas for one day.

Hasta mañana.