What is it about the many gringos/gabachos who constantly slaughter Spanish words? Spanish is easy to pronounce (and spell) compared to English. The vowels (a, e, i, o, u) are always pronounced the same way. In English, vowels vary a lot — difficult for new learners. All the other alphabet…

I am from an Arabic-speaking country. After my education is completed here, I’ll return to my country or Kuala Lampur (the Garden City of Lights). Since I’ve been in this country, I’ve noticed there’s a rising tide of hatred toward Mexicans. I’ve talked to Mexicans, and they all say they’re…

I have some questions and observations. During George W. Bush’s administration, there was a lot of talk for and against comprehensive immigration reform (amnesty to some). One remark that I recall was stated by a Mexican that went something like, “Go back to Europe!” Aren’t Mexicans of European descent also?…

I noticed that Mexican people don’t generally smoke. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not condoning smoking, but it’s interesting to see how some groups do or do not smoke, and I have yet to see a Mexican person smoke cigarettes. Does the tobacco industry not target Latinos? Fulminating Fumador…

The tragedy currently playing out on the U.S. southern border has reminded me to once again ask my three-years-ago-posed and perhaps-more-relevant-than-ever question (slightly tweaked): If the U.S. had sponsored and funded infrastructural, educational, social, and economic development in Mexico and Central America during the 1950s to the 1980s in the way the more…

I think I might be Mexican — but there are some people who might disagree. Being that you are the source of all knowledge mexicano, I thought I might ask you. Here’s the deal: My ancestors left the United States in 1847 knowingly and entered recognized territorio mexicano. The U.S…

If dark-skinned people are so “undesirable,” unwelcome, and put down by you gringos, how come you bake in the sun like zopilotes to get dark? Summer is fantasy time for all of you, when you can actually get some color in that white skin of yours. Maybe the whole deal…

If dark-skinned people are so “undesirable,” unwelcome, and put down by you gringos, how come you bake in the sun like zopilotes to get dark? Summer is fantasy time for all of you, when you can actually get some color in that white skin of yours. Maybe the whole deal…

I am a Mexican who owns a successful wholesale liquidation business, which happens to be an industry dominated by Jews and Asians and some gringos. So why does almost everyone, including mexicanos, who visits my warehouse think my business or any successful business (for that matter) is owned by a…

While vacationing in Mexico, a couple of vendors or waiters addressed me as chica. I didn’t think much about it at the time, but while relating a conversation with one of these guys to a Mexican friend of mine back in the U.S., he insisted that chica is way too…

I’m a half-mexicana, half-gabacha working as an appointment scheduler in a medical office. I’m one of a handful of schedulers there who speak Spanish. I’ve noticed in the years I’ve been working in this field that about seven to eight times out of 10, when a Spanish-speaking patient calls, gets…

So, I had our graphic artist walk out of the room pissed the other day because the publisher asked my opinion over a Cinco de Mayo advertisement they were planning to publish and ended up publishing. The graphic showed a row of chickens with sombreros. The publisher asked if I…

I’m a pocha and my husband is a gabacho (by the way, we loved your explanation in your book on why Mexicans and Irish get along so well — it really explained a lot about our marriage). We had the rehearsal dinner for our wedding catered by one of our…

Is there a pecking order at the places where you see day laborers awaiting to be hired? What’s the hierarchy? Are all those dudes Mexican or are some Central and South American, and if so, who has priority when the random contractor comes by to pick up a worker for…

Our grandparents came from Mexico. The entire next generation spoke Spanish. However, in my generation, pretty much none of us do. One cousin’s daughter does because the cousin married a fluently bilingual spouse. Most white people I know have long ago lost , generally, both awareness of what their actual…

I like reading your articles — they are funny, sad, insightful, crude, serious and even a little provocative and antagonizing at times. One thing I find a little antagonizing is the use of the term “Latino” as a synonym only for “Hispanic;” certainly, yours is not the only forum in…

Even though throughout the years since I came to the United States 20 years ago I have seen it happening with less frequency, the use by Mexicans of the expression ¿Mande? (Command me) has always struck me. I personally see it as a symbolic legacy of submission probably originating from…

I’m a second-generation Orange County-raised pocho. Both sides of my family have been civil rights activists since the 1940s. My mother’s family took part in the landmark case Mendez, et al vs. Westminster, et al. in 1946. My father was a Chicano activist in the 1960s and 1970s. From the…

Can you help me unravel the citrus dilemma? When I am in Mexico or a Mexican restaurant or market, I am unable to find lemons (yellow, egg-size, tart fruits). Whenever I ask, I get green-colored fruit, which looks and tastes to me like limes (green, smaller than egg-size, tart fruits)…

What’s the story with Mexican pastries? Like most cultures, Mexicans seem to be cribbing from the French, but pan dulce just winds up tasting like a dinner roll with a little icing on top. So many other parts of Mexican cuisine emphasize strong flavors. Why must the best part of…

The current clothing trend is for ladies to wear low-cut jeans and belly shirts that expose their midriffs. That looks great on a hard-bodied woman, so why do so many fat Mexica mujeres insist on dressing like this? It’s one of the grossest things imaginable. Their gut hangs over their…

My dad says that when he was a kid growing up in Downey, California, they used to open the local plunge (pool) to mexicanos and negritos on Thursdays only because the pool was cleaned once a week on Friday mornings. Is this an accurate account of racism in the 1940s…