The Care and Feeding of Gringos
07. Jan, 2009 
25 Comments
There should be a book. It would be written in Spanish, have detailed instructions and be mandatory reading for every language exchange host family. Actually I secretly think there is already such a book, as most of the families already knew the rules.
But first things first: who is a gringo? Everyone. It might have been at one time that a gringo was American, and I’m sure there are plenty of Canadians and Europeans that cling to this hope, but the fact is, if you have white skin (meaning fairer skin than the locals, regardless of ethnic background), Spanish isn’t your first language, and you come from somewhere else… You’re a gringo.
Don’t worry, it’s changed meanings over time and while some people may mean it in a derogatory fashion, it’s common use is just: foreigner. And maybe a slightly delicate one at that.
If you aren’t familiar with the strange ways of the gringo, here are some tips:
1. You have to explain everything to gringos. Even the basic stuff like, don’t throw the toilet paper in the toilet (I mean duh, you’ll just clog the pipes) and having a sign that states as much in English is highly recommended. If you can put one of these signs in every bathroom, public and private, all the better. Also using the shower seems to confuse the heck out of them, so you’ll have to walk them through how to turn the single knob all the way up, then slowly decrease the pressure until a trickle of hot water appears.
2. Try to feed the gringos on a regular basis, but only include frijoles once a day. Now it seems weird that anyone wouldn’t want beans with every meal, but if you want to prevent your student from spending the first week en el baño, then this is recommended. Foreign foods like spaghetti and pizza are good choices too, but if you don’t have all the ingredients improvise. A little salsa on noodles works and tortillas with queso fresco are practically the same thing.
3. Speaking of food, gringos are like newborn babies. You have to prepare their food very carefully– using only purified water, cooking everything through and soaking veggies and fruits in chlorinated water before serving, lest they get a “parasite” or “amoeba”. Also, don’t let them see you drop food on the ground, they tend to get upset about this. You might also want to warn them about street vendors, who aren’t as well versed in the ways of gringo food preparation.
4. Speak slowly and clearly to your gringo. They probably only understand the words mas and bueno, so learning how to mime entire conversations will get you through those awkward first days (hopefully they’ll learn more Spanish over time, but not always.) If you can get one with some previous Spanish, you’re lucky. Use this as an opportunity to tell all your silly Spanish mistakes stories, like that time a student tried to order a beer with sperm on it or the time one gringo pointed to their head, asked for aspirin and said they had a horse-ache.
5. Gringos are too polite. They aren’t going to tell you if they’re unhappy or cold or hungry. Best to nip those problems in the bud (before they run off to the school to switch homes) by asking them everyday if they are happy, if they like it there, if they like the food or if they’re cold. In the first days, you can just pantomime these things by pointing to your smile, pointing to their food and then rubbing your belly.
6. Your gringo is part of the family now! Sure they kissed your Uncle directly on the cheek and shook your mother’s hand and keep thanking you for dinner BEFORE they’ve even eaten anything, but they’re kin. Treat them as such, and they’ll never be happier.
And the very best Gringo Wrangler? My host mom, Veronica, who I privately referred to as my Mémère. She would talk for hours with me, give me big hugs and just loved to laugh. She’s been in the gringo-biz for 12 years now, so she’s pretty much an expert.
A great list, I really enjoyed reading it especially #5.
I find that Westerners have a habit of talking a lot, but not saying much at the same time. The rest of the world is much more comfortable with honesty.
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That food looks delicious!
Ha! This was fantastic!
My mother-in-law would include rice with your beans. When she came to visit us from Cuba, she griped when we had a meal without rice. “Si no hay arroz,” she said, “no hay comida.”
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Loved this post! My gringo dad lives in a small village (San Pedro) 2.5 hrs southwest of Guadalajara, I’ll have to send him this list
I’ll admit I’m an outsider on the subject (non-Spanish speaker, and beyond an all-inclusive in Acapulco years ago I’ve never traveled in Latin America) but I must admit I’ve always been a little uncomfortable with the term “gringo”.
Apart from (increasingly common) ironic usages by travel writers, I can’t recall ever seeing it used in a way that wasn’t at least mildly derogatory. Is that TV and movies talking? Do real people actually use it without intending to display scorn?
I’ve always equated it with the Thai, farang, or perhaps the Swahili, mzungu — although that one I have seen used without contempt.
I guess, being raised in multi-culti central (if not in reality then at least in intentions, if you see what I mean) I’m uncomfortable with any broad generalization or definition of foreign-ness being tied to race..? Anyone else get a little icky feeling when you see these terms?
There are definitely times you feel like a trained monkey in foreign countries.
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Right on! Cute post, and it takes me back to my 2007 travels through Guatemala. Although I didn’t have the benefit of staying with a family… sounds like your host mom’s the bomb-diggety!
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What a laugh, it’s good to see our funny ways through different eyes.
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That’s just had me spitting soup over my screen with laughter. I really love your writing – and as always, it’s just serving to heighten my excitement about my forthcoming trip to Guatemala. Oh, and yes, that food looks lovely!
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>>But first things first: who is a gringo? <<
I did hear the word was coined in the way-back-when, and was derived from the US Army’s fondness for the song ‘Green Grow the Rushes-o’. But, I think this is ‘urban myth’, because no American I know has ever heard of it.
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Hilarious. The best list about Gringos I’ve read so far, and I like the photo of your host mom. She looks so friendly!
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@Eva, my first tendency was to agree with your general uncomfortableness with the word “gringo” or any other generalization linked to race (or ethniciy, nationality, etc). No one has ever galled me gringo (gringa?) to my face, but I have a hunch I wouldn’t like it very much. I mean, I could name a whole host of words Americans use to categorize hispanics, particularly those who recently immigrated to the U.S., but I would never, ever, under any circumstances think that it would be ok to actually speak these words outloud or even think that they are acceptable ways to categorize people.
On the other hand, I occasionally refer to the French as “Frenchies.” Maybe context matters here (and in the case of gringo), as the use of this word generally occurs when I’m either with French friends who use it as well or with friends who have lived in France/studied French culture. It’s used almost as a term of endearment in these cases, and it is never used to degrade or deliberately offend someone, but I could see how others might see its use in any circumstance as being done in poor taste.
I’m not sure that this quandry has a good answer.
Gringo Biz…..thats awesome. Yeah I was just last week and man I had my fill of beans and tortillas. Gah no more of that combination.
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Hey everyone, this is Drew, Christine’s DH (Designated Hitter?) wanting to chime in here with regards to the general PC nature of the use of “gringo”. I totally understand that initial tightening of the stomach some of you might get when first reading this casual usage, but the more I talk to Christine about her experiences (I am currently chained the my family’s house in VT for the time being, for those who didn’t know.), the more clear it is to me that the culture and context of the usage there is truly not cut and dry in any way. Anyone who has spent significant time in Central America might be able to back me up on this, but it’s clear that at least with the majority of people Christine has run into, the people there are very much unaware that the word has a negative bent to it.
A quick run through of the seven definitions listed on page one here ( http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=gringo ) show me that of these seven:
-Three make a point to say that while it can be used in a derogatory way, it is not usually the case, and is just as likely if not more likely to merely mean “American”
-One sites it specifically as non-derogatory
-One sites it specifically as derogatory
-Two site it as a matter-of-fact statement that it means Americans, no bias one way or another
I’m sure you will now bow down to my irrefutable, highly scientific methods here, which lead me to believe that there is a trend towards the word being not-derogatory. Now of COURSE people can and will use it in a hateful way, the same way any non native can change the specific nationality of a person into an insult merely by their inflection. >>> (Effing Mexicans… Ugh) <<< I do get how someone not acclimated to the very grey contextual area down in that region could feel a little “icky” about the word, but I hope that anything I just wrote here soothes that upset tummy like the smooth, minty salve that is Pepto Bismol. Can we resume laughing heartily at this post? I can’t tell you why, but this might be my all time favorite post on the site. I’m always telling her to bust out the comedy more, and she nailed everything in this post just the way I personally love to read. Great job babe:)
Hey Drew,
Thanks for getting back to me! (And Tanya, too.) It’s comforting to know that most people don’t use it in a derogatory sense — as I said, in my (TV and movie-based, ha) experience, it always seems to be a slur. I’m also more comfortable with it usually meaning “American” than simply “white person” for some reason — I think there’s more room to have fun with national stereotypes than racial ones, unfair as that may seem to people who’ve been on the receiving end of national stereotypes a lot.
Equating inherent foreign-ness with a different racial background is what really makes me uncomfortable — for one thing, because it’s just not accurate in our globalizing world. I have a grim memory of a substitute teacher in high school teaching a unit on immigration, and, turning to the only black kid in class, asking: When did you get here?
(His response? “I’m from Toronto…”)
ps: With respect to the Swahili for “white person”, mzungu, I have a Filipina friend who got a real kick out of being chased down the street by kids shouting Mzungu! Mzungu! “That’s a first!” she said.
Well spoken, Drew!
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Bienvenida a Centro America
Cuando vas para Honduras?
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>>there is a trend towards the word being not-derogatory. Now of COURSE people can and will use it in a hateful way,<<
I’m often being asked whether or not I mind being called a ‘Brit’ … usually, I can tell from the person’s tone of voice whether or not any insult is intended. I’d rather be called a ‘Brit’ than a ‘Pommy B*****d’, though.
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Spot on. I’ve stayed with a family and also in some family-run hostels in Mexico, and that’s exactly how it is! They even warned me of the street food.
I didn’t listen to that warning though, but all was well.
I just came across this one google, it’s SO TRUE! As a Mexican myself, living in a very gringo community, my family and I really related to this.
Nice~
I think I’ve entirely missed the tone of this article. Is this supposed to be ironic? The entire reason to go to another culture is to experience something different. As a traveler, I am the one who must adapt… not the host family.
“Best to nip problems in the bud…by asking them if they are happy everyday.” A host family is just that a host, someone welcoming you into their country and their culture… not a servant, it’s not their job to make you happy. I can’t figure out from who’s perspective this is supposed to be funny.
How come you put a plate of food and talk about Gringo? Actually I never knew anything about the word Gringo until I Google it, thanks btw.