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May 24, 2006
Little Fatso
I went to the equivalent of a "big and tall" store in Mexico, the tienda de tallas extras. In fact, the actual store name of this place is La Tienda: Tallas Extras®. It's one of the few names (apart from big, huge conglomos like Jumex®) that I've seen where they actually bother to register their trademark. However, I suspect you'll see that happening more and more often.
I wanted to put a blog entry in on this place just because it's so difficult to find clothes for fat people in this country. A lot of Mexicans are considerably smaller, making it hard for even Shawn to find clothes that fit here. Yet this place has a pretty wide selection (no pun intended), and their staff is helpful. They have two locations in Guadalajara: Avenida Javier Mina 166 (across from el mercado de San Juan de Dios; 33 / 3617-8095) and the one that I went to at Avenida Arcos 617 (between Avenida Niños Héroes and Avenida Inglaterra; 33 / 3122-0252). Another nice thing is that they're pretty cheap; at the fat stores in the United States, you'll pay a lot more for fat clothes than regular clothes, but at La Tienda the prices are comparable to regular clothes here. In some cases, they're cheaper. Not only can I buy clothes that fit, but I can save money too.
The slogan on the back of their tags say:
¡Los gorditos y los grandotes son nuestros consentidos!
which translates (a bit literally, so that I can make a point) to:
Little fatsos and the huge are our spoiled children!
Mexicans crack me up with this. They use diminutive forms at any given opportunity, and they will even double the diminutives in some cases, changing the last vowel not only to -ita or -ito but to -itita or -itito. In fact, I have even heard some Mexicans draw this out even more, but frankly, as a gringo, I don't dare attempt it in fear of rupturing something.
For those of you that don't know Spanish, diminutives are used not only to imply that something is little, but it also helps to soften adjectives or to express endearment. Therefore, translating gorditos as "little fatsos" isn't really fair. In all honesty, it would really mean something more like "chubby people," but the fact that Spanish allows you to make such oxymoronic statements with diminutives like this is one of the funnier aspects of the language.
Posted by crispy at May 24, 2006 05:24 PM
Comments
Speaking of 'gorditos,' did you know Fernando Botero was Columbian?
[crispy: And here I thought you were going to make some joke about Taco Bell! Yes, I did know that, but I'm embarrassed to say that I only realized that recently. The Donación Botero, which means what it sounds like - contains 123 of his own works, and 85 original works by the likes of Bacon, Chagall, Corot, Dalí, de Kooning, Matisse, Monet, and Picasso. It's been far too long since I've seen an original Bacon. I'm shivering with antici-pation. That place is #2 on my personal list of must-see museums in Bogotá, and in about a week, I'll be checking it out. ]
Posted by: akira at May 24, 2006 09:40 PM
That is just too damned funny!!
Posted by: carolco at May 25, 2006 10:22 AM
IMPORTANT
The point has been raised that the extremely literal translation I gave above may verge on the humorous, but it completely misrepresents the intention of the authors and gives an inaccurate picture of the cultures that speak Spanish.
I stand, not so much corrected, but rather annoted; a more appropriate translation for meaning would be:
"We pamper heftier and taller people."
It should also be mentioned here that in Spanish-speaking countries, nicknames based on physical attributes or age are not considered (nor intended) to be rude or insulting. I fear that my previous translation, when viewed without this being said, unduly makes my Spanish-speaking hosts here in Mexico seem like jerks. While there are a number that I've experienced that are jerks (or worse, but I try to run a family show on this blog), I do not wish, by omitting an important cultural point, to make it seem that all of them are cruel.
Because the use of words that we English speakers would take to be offensive happens a lot in Spanish, it is important for accurate understanding of the language to bear in mind that in Spanish, they just do not have this negative connotation. For example, you'll see the elderly described all the time as "ancianos" (literally, "ancients"), but this is in no way derrogatory in the Spanish-speaking context.
(But it still cracks me up that one can say elefantito with a straight face.)
Posted by: Chris Coen at May 25, 2006 01:21 PM
I'm the fattest I've ever been, but it's a beer gut so I've got ladies all over me.
At least I don't have to buy clothes in Mexico. Or anywhere really, as Log does it for me.
(Mexico's just a long drive for me to buy clothes.)
Anyhoo, I'm enjoying a brief bit of G5 iMac workivity. When I power down in anticipation of Olney's next severe thunderstorm, I fully expect the computer will not restart. (Had hard drive and fan replaced, then logic board [formerly known as 'motherboards'] and it starts about once in several dozen tries.)
Editor unhappy!
Stay away from Apples, kids.
Posted by: Mark Allen at May 25, 2006 07:47 PM
i'm NOT little fatso, i'm BIG BONED!
Posted by: brett at May 26, 2006 12:16 PM