Latino/Hispanic Ultimate Catch All Thread of Culture, Language, Food, Travel and Identity (gringos welcome)

[Shoxthemonkey 1983]

I'll rec any mention of chicken hearts. I fry them like I would any other chicken part. How do the latinos do it?

[Orale 1087]

I'm tempted to simply say they aren't, but I have been to some that come petty close... although i really didn't like Fogo de Chao. We have non-chain ones that are much better. Beef is beef, and while there are some differences they are minor.  Most everything unique to Brazil can be found by restaurants here. The biggest difference is what else you get there. I fell in love with chicken hearts and I've never seen those in the U.S.. 

I went to some amazing parrilladas in BA and Montevideo that would blow away American steakhouses for a third of the price.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Please allow me to weigh in. I think there is a pretty big difference between churrascarias in the States vs Brazil. I have probably eaten my weight three times over at a dozen different ones in Brazil. Some differences:

Price, it is obviously a lot cheaper in Brazil. Last time I ate at one with my wife and two kids, it was the same as one person eating at any churrascaria in the US.

Taste, the beef usually, not always tastes better there. I will say that once we were at a friends house for a churrasco and her husband works on a ranch. He had just slaughtered a cow and that is what we had that night. It was unreal good.

More cuts and options. As mentioned already, hard to find chicken hearts here. There is also the lack of mussarela de búfala grilled alongside the meat. Typically the size of a racquetball. I want to mainline that shit. Last place I ate at in the states last month didn’t even have bacon wrapped filet mignon or maminha, cupim or decent sausage.

Maybe this thread was a bad idea. I am starving now.

[Born to Run 6569]

Lots of people have the misconception that all Latin American food is spicy but I don't think any type of food in South America is known for being spicy. I'm lucky, I live just outside of Charlotte and there are two really good Colombian restaurants within about 15 minutes.

Enviado desde mi SM-G973U mediante Tapatalk

No shit. Argentines would freak the fuck out if you put a light dusting of black pepper on a steak.
Most Central American food is very bland as well.

[Mo Horn 8855]

22 minutes ago, Orale said:

44 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

I'm tempted to simply say they aren't, but I have been to some that come petty close... although i really didn't like Fogo de Chao. We have non-chain ones that are much better. Beef is beef, and while there are some differences they are minor.  Most everything unique to Brazil can be found by restaurants here. The biggest difference is what else you get there. I fell in love with chicken hearts and I've never seen those in the U.S.. 

I went to some amazing parrilladas in BA and Montevideo that would blow away American steakhouses for a third of the price.

Agreed

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Here is one of my little Brazilian creations getting passports renewed. 
 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

6 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

No shit. Argentines would freak the fuck out if you put a light dusting of black pepper on a steak.
Most Central American food is very bland as well.

A friend was visiting from Brazil.  We took him to get some Tex Mex.  He thought the rice was spicy.  I am not even kidding.  Most of Brazil don't do strong spice, although hot sauce is common to see in lanchonetes where people buy coxinha and put a few drops on it as they eat.  But a few areas of Brazil do love spice, like in Bahia.

[Brisketexan 105360]

50 minutes ago, Shoxthemonkey said:

I'll rec any mention of chicken hearts. I fry them like I would any other chicken part. How do the latinos do it?

Chicken hearts are the best innard.  Fried is FANTASTIC (gimme a mixed fried innards basket with livers, gizzards, and hearts, and I'm happy).  The Brazilian way is simply seasoned (I suspect just salt) and grilled over the fire, that's it.  That's what we do at tailgates (although I use season salt), and they're glorious.

22 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Please allow me to weigh in. I think there is a pretty big difference between churrascarias in the States vs Brazil. I have probably eaten my weight three times over at a dozen different ones in Brazil. Some differences:

Price, it is obviously a lot cheaper in Brazil. Last time I ate at one with my wife and two kids, it was the same as one person eating at any churrascaria in the US.

Taste, the beef usually, not always tastes better there. I will say that once we were at a friends house for a churrasco and her husband works on a ranch. He had just slaughtered a cow and that is what we had that night. It was unreal good.

More cuts and options. As mentioned already, hard to find chicken hearts here. There is also the lack of mussarela de búfala grilled alongside the meat. Typically the size of a racquetball. I want to mainline that shit. Last place I ate at in the states last month didn’t even have bacon wrapped filet mignon or maminha, cupim or decent sausage.

Maybe this thread was a bad idea. I am starving now.

All accurate, in my experience.  Definitely cheaper, and of course their beef is WAY better.

You mention cupim, which I discovered when we hit the place in Iguazu.  It's the "hump" of their VERY large beef cattle, and its texture is closest to the point of a brisket.  Stringy beef, with lots of fat.  Cook that over wood -- it's grilled, not smoked, but cooked for a long time to break down the connective tissue -- and it melts in your mouth.  This perfect bite of wood-grilled, buttery South American beef.  I hammered the shit outta that when we were there.  The Argentines didn't cook that, from what I saw, but the Brazilians do.

18 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

No shit. Argentines would freak the fuck out if you put a light dusting of black pepper on a steak.
Most Central American food is very bland as well.

Yep.  My folks lived in BA for several years.  My mother carried mini tabasco bottles in her purse wherever they went, so my dad could add spice to his food.  Even their italian food (which was actually very good -- strong italian influence there) was on the bland side.  ZERO red pepper in anything.

[RDCanecutter 26474]

27 minutes ago, Born to Run said:

No shit. Argentines would freak the fuck out if you put a light dusting of black pepper on a steak.
Most Central American food is very bland as well.

If you want some fun, invite some friends from Spain to try Mexican food.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Yeah, I think it is a common misconception.  I spent some time in Puerto Rico and rarely encountered any kind of heat.  I haven't been to Cuba, but the "legit" Cuban restaurants I've been to are similar.  I want to go to Brazil, I'd like to see for myself if the Americanized steakhouses are even close to what can be had there.  Delicious, but a long way from spicy.  Brazil will definitely be my next destination.

Do you have particular destinations in mind?

[tx 3 putt 77439]

14 hours ago, 956 Worldwide said:

This is the most Harlingen thing that’s ever been written on the internet.

 

[tx 3 putt 77439]

If you have kids in college, pay for them to study a semester in Mexico. Their Spanish will be flawless and repay for itself the rest of their life. 
 

my sister has business degree and finished with a semester in the Mexico City area. She just started another high paying job in SA and her Spanish locked it down 

Edited June 28, 2021 by tx 3 putt

[tx 3 putt 77439]

I’ll add in - ldogg, Patricio, brisket and Zepol are with whitest Latinos I know. Pinche Gringos 

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I’ll add in - ldogg, Patricio, brisket and Zepol are with whitest Latinos I know. Pinche Gringos 

Foda se.

[tx 3 putt 77439]

Both sides of my family have lived under all the flags, not sure what generation that makes me. My grandparents were all hard working people. My aunts and uncles were all college or trade school grads. All had great careers, raised great families.

Grew up on the coast. A&I engineering degree (smartest decisions I ever made). In oil / gas for 25 years. I know South Texas like the back of my hand.

 

#csb - bs chemical engineering, I’ve worked zero days as a chemical engineer and honestly don’t know what they do

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I’ll add in - ldogg, Patricio, brisket and Zepol are with whitest Latinos I know. Pinche Gringos 

Actually, I bet Hefeweizen would beat us all. He needs to jump into the discussion. He was born and raised in Brazil.

I also agree with your idea of language immersion in another country. I took 3 semester of Portuguese at UT but also lived down there for a year. Makes a world of difference. Also dating and eventually marrying a Brazilian.

[tx 3 putt 77439]

It pays for itself your entire life 

[Zepol87 9191]

14 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

I’ll add in - ldogg, Patricio, brisket and Zepol are with whitest Latinos I know. Pinche Gringos 

This is pretty accurate for for myself and ldogg. @kingkoopa6 is even whiter. The spanish he was busting out in Tijuana on our trip was fantastic in a not good way

Edited June 28, 2021 by Zepol87

[iodeac 138]

One of my biggest regrets was not studying abroad. I've gotten myself to about a middle advanced level but it's taken a ton of work. I'd love to take a work sabbatical and just go to a school in Mexico or Medellín or Antigua Guatemala and finish it up.

Enviado desde mi SM-G973U mediante Tapatalk

[tx 3 putt 77439]

1 minute ago, Zepol87 said:

This is pretty accurate for for myself and ldogg. @kingkoopa6 is even whiter. The spanish he was busting out in Tijuana on our trip was fantastic in a not good way

 

[tx 3 putt 77439]

I’ve been to South America 3 times. Love Argentina 

 

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

6 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

 

Accurate.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

A few photos.  My grandparents at the Straight of Magellan.  My grandmother was pregnant with my aunt and had to get of in VIña del Mar to give birth.  They were on their way from Brazil to Panama.

Grandparents enjoying some beers in Punta Arenas, Costa Rica where my grandfather owned a small hotel for a little while.

My grandfather's ranch in Honduras where he died of a heart attack.

[dcbc 14510]

I'm not Latino, but this thread is great.  Many years after my dad died, my mom married a man who owned and lived in a restored hacienda in the Yucatan (near Muna).  Had some good times getting to go down there (they moved back and forth between there and Houston month to month). 

[RDCanecutter 26474]

41 minutes ago, tx 3 putt said:

If you have kids in college, pay for them to study a semester in Mexico. Their Spanish will be flawless and repay for itself the rest of their life. 
 

my sister has business degree and finished with a semester in the Mexico City area. She just started another high paying job in SA and her Spanish locked it down 

Also, if you are focused on the goal of language instead of class credit, you can cut out the middle man (some US school) and get the classes directly from the Mexican school for a fraction.

EG, CSB: Years ago I worked for a college with some broke students. I made it my goal to set up a bare-budget Spanish-learning plan for them. I went to Monterrey and Saltillo, talked to people at the public universities of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, as well as some private school I forget the name of, as well as the Tec de Monterrey.

So your kid could go to one of the publics for about a month in the summer, they'd be happy to have them, and for each class it was about $300+ dollars, and maybe $200 max/month for room and board with a family. I am talking jaw-droppingly inexpensive, from what some of y'all describe as what y'all spend on your kids, you couldn't afford NOT to send them to Mexico.

If you want fancier, the Tec fits more smoothly into our accreditation system, student grants/loans work* for their classes just like they would for some US school, and so on.

Language facilities at the places I visited looked comparable to similar US schools. That's not where they're going to learn Spanish anyway.

*The Tec has a fixation with being cutting edge, so instead of just having you sit down for 5 minutes with a human, they'll route you to websites that crash, then you work it out with a human.

US-based study abroad programs basically keep about 2/3 of the money you pay just for their nameplate on the courses, even if some local professor is doing all the work. That US professor who tags along is partially a chaperone/fixer, but mainly there to dole out a little busy work so the US school can claim some hand in the teaching.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Speaking of language and immersion, I have a friend that moved to Chile for nearly 3 years for his wife's job.  He worked remotely.  No doubt his Spanish got better, but jesus, 3 years he should have been fluent with just a little effort.

[Zepol87 9191]

9 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Also, if you are focused on the goal of language instead of class credit, you can cut out the middle man (some US school) and get the classes directly from the Mexican school for a fraction.

EG, CSB: Years ago I worked for a college with some broke students. I made it my goal to set up a bare-budget Spanish-learning plan for them. I went to Monterrey and Saltillo, talked to people at the public universities of Coahuila and Nuevo Leon, as well as some private school I forget the name of, as well as the Tec de Monterrey.

So your kid could go to one of the publics for about a month in the summer, they'd be happy to have them, and for each class it was about $300+ dollars, and maybe $200 max/month for room and board with a family. I am talking jaw-droppingly inexpensive, from what some of y'all describe as what y'all spend on your kids, you couldn't afford NOT to send them to Mexico.

If you want fancier, the Tec fits more smoothly into our accreditation system, student grants/loans work* for their classes just like they would for some US school, and so on.

Language facilities at the places I visited looked comparable to similar US schools. That's not where they're going to learn Spanish anyway.

*The Tec has a fixation with being cutting edge, so instead of just having you sit down for 5 minutes with a human, they'll route you to websites that crash, then you work it out with a human.

US-based study abroad programs basically keep about 2/3 of the money you pay just for their nameplate on the courses, even if some local professor is doing all the work. That US professor who tags along is partially a chaperone/fixer, but mainly there to dole out a little busy work so the US school can claim some hand in the teaching.

I took a few classes at UANL during my time in Monterrey and this is a good call. Why TF didn't I think of taking a spanish class instead of learning all my shit at the various mercados and cantinas?

Sidenote: When I was there they thought everyone that was in the military was part of seal team 6 or something so it made for some weird/entertaining conversations when it got brought up

Edited June 28, 2021 by Zepol87

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

We had some friends who moved to Brazil for a few years with intentions on moving back to the states.   First thing they did was enroll their kids in the schools to learn the language....  Learning Spanish is one thing in Latin/South America.   But if you can learn Portuguese it can be a double plus especially since Brazil is the biggest economy in Latin America followed closely by Mexico.  Then if you are an American looking to work in Latin America with a multinational, you have the best of all three worlds knowing three languages.   

[RDCanecutter 26474]

3 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Speaking of language and immersion, I have a friend that moved to Chile for nearly 3 years for his wife's job.  He worked remotely.  No doubt his Spanish got better, but jesus, 3 years he should have been fluent with just a little effort.

Well, we know he didn't pick up a girlfriend on the side. 

Looking back, I learned some new Spanish after almost a year working in Mexico, but really it took off for me after I'd been back in Alabama for a few years. I just started getting after it-- occasional trips back there, reading tons of books in Spanish, watching multiple telenovelas with my wife, and just speaking Spanish to anybody who didn't walk away from me fast enough. The Mexican kids here are usually fully-fluent, and they'll sign up for my juco class expecting Peggy Hill, so I had to up my game like crazy. First day of class I teach them to sing "El Rey" from memory. That puts everything on a basis of mutual respect.

THere's an alternate universe even in Alabama where if you want to live an entire week immersed in Spanish, you can do it.

[Mo Horn 8855]

8 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Speaking of language and immersion, I have a friend that moved to Chile for nearly 3 years for his wife's job.  He worked remotely.  No doubt his Spanish got better, but jesus, 3 years he should have been fluent with just a little effort.

That's horrific. Not to get too CR, but nothing pisses me off more than Americans going abroad and doing nothing to try and assimilate into the culture. They stay at the best 5 star hotel, visit sites, eat only at "American" restaurants and then rush back to the safety of their hotel room. All the while bitching about how nobody speaks English and nothing is done how they're used to it being done. Just stay home. 

[CooterBrown 18031]

[Zepol87 9191]

4 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

We had some friends who moved to Brazil for a few years with intentions on moving back to the states.   First thing they did was enroll their kids in the schools to learn the language....  Learning Spanish is one thing in Latin/South America.   But if you can learn Portuguese it can be a double plus especially since Brazil is the biggest economy in Latin America followed closely by Mexico.  Then if you are an American looking to work in Latin America with a multinational, you have the best of all three worlds knowing three languages.   

Buddy is decently high at Netflix due to this. Speaking Portugese fluently is what he thinks nailed the job due to their Sao Paulo location. 

[RDCanecutter 26474]

7 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

I took a few classes at UANL during my time in Monterrey and this is a good call. Why TF didn't I think of taking a spanish class instead of learning all my shit at the various mercados and cantinas?

Sidenote: When I was there they thought everyone that was in the military was part of seal team 6 or something so it made for some weird/entertaining conversations when it got brought up

Did you ride the metro out to the campus station where that big round library is?

I love me some Monterrey. All you gotta do is know where La Silla is and you're good to go. Had many a sanity break while at Aggy where I'd bust down to Monterrey and spend a weekend in civilization.

Military: one day down in Colima when I ran out of English conversation ideas, I taught my kids some marching cadences. It was a little scary how much they got into it.

[Zepol87 9191]

4 minutes ago, RDCanecutter said:

Did you ride the metro out to the campus station where that big round library is?

I love me some Monterrey. All you gotta do is know where La Silla is and you're good to go. Had many a sanity break while at Aggy where I'd bust down to Monterrey and spend a weekend in civilization.

Military: one day down in Colima when I ran out of English conversation ideas, I taught my kids some marching cadences. It was a little scary how much they got into it.

Didn't ride the metro in my entire time there. I was living close to Santa Catarina so I was always on the bus, didn't mind it because there was a stop at HEB. I miss that damn city

Edited June 28, 2021 by Zepol87

[RDCanecutter 26474]

2 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

I was living close to Santa Catarina so I was always on the bus, didn't mind it because there was a stop at HEB.

¿Está abierto?

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

5 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Buddy is decently high at Netflix due to this. Speaking Portugese fluently is what he thinks nailed the job due to their Sao Paulo location. 

No doubt that helped.  I think many forget Portuguese is the primary language in Brazil and don't really realize it until they either make plans to visit the country or see something on TV which reminds them of the fact.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

20 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

I took a few classes at UANL during my time in Monterrey and this is a good call. Why TF didn't I think of taking a spanish class instead of learning all my shit at the various mercados and cantinas?

Sidenote: When I was there they thought everyone that was in the military was part of seal team 6 or something so it made for some weird/entertaining conversations when it got brought up

The Women in Monterrey had to be a nice attraction.   

Some of the gals I met during my younger years in the RGV from Monterrey were fine.  I mean fine!

 

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

18 minutes ago, Nueces River Rat said:

We had some friends who moved to Brazil for a few years with intentions on moving back to the states.   First thing they did was enroll their kids in the schools to learn the language....  Learning Spanish is one thing in Latin/South America.   But if you can learn Portuguese it can be a double plus especially since Brazil is the biggest economy in Latin America followed closely by Mexico.  Then if you are an American looking to work in Latin America with a multinational, you have the best of all three worlds knowing three languages.   

Wait, did they move there for work or just wanted to move and immerse the family in Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language?

I would love to move back for a few years to help get my kids speaking better, but doubt my wife will.  Jobs are hard to come by there.  Retirement is a distinct possibility though.

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

Just now, Patricio Swayze said:

Wait, did they move there for work or just wanted to move and immerse the family in Brazilian culture and the Portuguese language?

I would love to move back for a few years to help get my kids speaking better, but doubt my wife will.  Jobs are hard to come by there.  Retirement is a distinct possibility though.

They have a well established business here in Texas and I know they went down there and did a bunch of charity work in the past with their church during summers.  So I guess they decided to make a longer term commitment and lived down there for like three or four years while still keeping the business going here with good on the ground management.  

[Brisketexan 105360]

51 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

That's horrific. Not to get too CR, but nothing pisses me off more than Americans going abroad and doing nothing to try and assimilate into the culture. They stay at the best 5 star hotel, visit sites, eat only at "American" restaurants and then rush back to the safety of their hotel room. All the while bitching about how nobody speaks English and nothing is done how they're used to it being done. Just stay home. 

I truly don't understand this.  Even worse when you have an expat experience and LIVE there.

Shit, we have some family members who functionally grew up in Japan -- lived on a US naval base, but they lived in Japan, and participated in Japanese life.  They picked up SOME Japanese, but for crying out loud, you LIVE THERE.  And being bilingual in English and Japanese gives you such an in with so many jobs.  Yet all three kids.....hardly speak anything but basic "shopping and restaurant" Japanese.

I don't get it.  Shit, I figured out that within about 10 days visiting my folks in BA, my spanish would get a lot better just because of the immersion.  I'd love to live down there for 6 months to get to full fluency (yeah, my parents didn't teach me spanish when I was a little kid, so I had to learn as I went along - they were pretty good parents, but they sure fucked that up).

Edited June 28, 2021 by Brisketexan

[jimmyjazz 46143]

2 hours ago, Patricio Swayze said:

Do you have particular destinations in mind?

Nope, I'm completely open.  I've never been south of the Yucatan.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

I used to give my dad so much shit for not teaching us Spanish. Now I know, it’s a bit harder than it looks. Granted my wife and I could do a better job of speaking only Portuguese at home, but it is touch when no one else around us speaks it with an regularity besides us. My oldest understands the majority of what we say and occasionally tries to speak it, but our younger one isn’t as good at it.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Nope, I'm completely open.  I've never been south of the Yucatan.

Well, when you finally decide to go, hit me up. Be more than happy to give some suggestions. There are so many places I need to still see there. I have visited 6 capital cities, including SP and Rio multiple times as well as many small towns throughout SP and the southern part of the country.

[kingkoopa6 8377]

1 hour ago, Zepol87 said:

This is pretty accurate for for myself and ldogg. @kingkoopa6 is even whiter. The spanish he was busting out in Tijuana on our trip was fantastic in a not good way

yea. my Spanish is horrible.

I can maybe have a decent conversation with a 5 year old.

My stepdad (far right) is Mexican Mexican from Guadalajara.

It amazes me that his entire family is Wedo..

all white with colored eyes. His parents migrated to Los Angeles sometime in the 50s

 

As for me, im 5th Gen Texan. me, my mom, my grandpa, his mom all born in Texas 

My mom did one of them 23 and Me DNA test.. She's 50% Northern Mexico/South Texas Native...

 

[Mo Horn 8855]

2 minutes ago, kingkoopa6 said:

yea. my Spanish is horrible.

I can maybe have a decent conversation with a 5 year old.

My stepdad (far right) is Mexican Mexican from Guadalajara.

It amazes me that his entire family is Wedo..

all white with colored eyes. His parents migrated to Los Angeles sometime in the 50s

 

As for me, im 5th Gen Texan. me, my mom, my grandpa, his mom all born in Texas 

My mom did one of them 23 and Me DNA test.. She's 50% Northern Mexico/South Texas Native...

 

x,x,1,x,x,x,x

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

yea. my Spanish is horrible.
I can maybe have a decent conversation with a 5 year old.
My stepdad (far right) is Mexican Mexican from Guadalajara.
It amazes me that his entire family is Wedo..
all white with colored eyes. His parents migrated to Los Angeles sometime in the 50s
 
As for me, im 5th Gen Texan. me, my mom, my grandpa, his mom all born in Texas 
My mom did one of them 23 and Me DNA test.. She's 50% Northern Mexico/South Texas Native...
 

Points deducted for that asshole Argentine in the photo.

[HouTex 1894]

Sincere question. Is Latino/hispanic a race or a country of origin thing? I had an uncle who was Cuban (pre-Castro) who was pure Spanish. He had the complexion of Sergio Garcia or Desi Arnez. I have several friends who are Mexican who look very white/Spanish. They could pass as Italian as well. Are they Latino/hispanic? And my contribution to the Latino part, I can make pretty mean tamale from scratch. So I have that going for me.

[Patricio Swayze 17058]

Sincere question. Is Latino/hispanic a race or a country of origin thing? I had an uncle who was Cuban (pre-Castro) who was pure Spanish. He had the complexion of Sergio Garcia or Desi Arnez. I have several friends who are Mexican who look very white/Spanish. They could pass as Italian as well. Are they Latino/hispanic? And my contribution to the Latino part, I can make pretty mean tamale from scratch. So I have that going for me.

For me it is not a race. It’s an ethnicity. Cultural, language, country of origin, etc. my wife isn’t Hispanic, she is Latina. Born and raised in Brazil to parents that were Italian in her mom’s side and Portuguese on her dad’s side.

When given the option, I check off Hispanic/latino and white. Not sure what my brothers do.

[Zepol87 9191]

21 minutes ago, Mo Horn said:

x,x,1,x,x,x,x

Yea I did alright. Just need her to cook more Venezuelan food