mexican vs spanish

[camifree 2]

The same night I arrived to this country, my husband and I were invited to get dinner at his "best friend"'s place. The food was so spicy that I had to excuse myself; I know it was a rude thing to do, but I was in pain, my mouth was burning and I couldn't swallow anything else. The friend was very surprised and told me that it made no sense that I couldn't eat spicy food being a Latina... "Sweetie", I said, "I'm Latina, but not Mexican... Spicy food isn't something most Venezuelans eat".

I know he cooked all that food with his best intentions and that he might have felt hurt when I rejected it, but what could I have done? I didn't want to get sick the first day!! Nonetheless, this has happened to me SO MANY times, that I don't feel offended anymore... Sad, isn't it?

The good part is that I've decided to inform anyone that shows the slightest interest on immigration issues. For example, if one of my students (high school) asks me anything about my status (some of them are amazed that I'm legally able to work), I tell them about the K-1 and all the process I've been through. I'm just trying to educate as many as I can.

[msu17 0]

If you hear hoofbeats in central park, you'll assume its a horse not a zebra... Same thing here. People tend to have more experience with Mexicans than Spaniards or individuals from Central/S America so they just assume anyone that speaks Spanish and looks hispanic must be mexican. I can't believe people have mistaken a lot of your spouses from Africa/India as Mexican though! Jeez!

Edited December 8, 2007 by msu17

[Ban Hammer 13,340]

The same night I arrived to this country, my husband and I were invited to get dinner at his "best friend"'s place. The food was so spicy that I had to excuse myself; I know it was a rude thing to do, but I was in pain, my mouth was burning and I couldn't swallow anything else. The friend was very surprised and told me that it made no sense that I couldn't eat spicy food being a Latina... "Sweetie", I said, "I'm Latina, but not Mexican... Spicy food isn't something most Venezuelans eat".

I know he cooked all that food with his best intentions and that he might have felt hurt when I rejected it, but what could I have done? I didn't want to get sick the first day!! Nonetheless, this has happened to me SO MANY times, that I don't feel offended anymore... Sad, isn't it?

The good part is that I've decided to inform anyone that shows the slightest interest on immigration issues. For example, if one of my students (high school) asks me anything about my status (some of them are amazed that I'm legally able to work), I tell them about the K-1 and all the process I've been through. I'm just trying to educate as many as I can.

spicey food? pass it on over

[Laveau 67]

My observations: in New Orleans, Spanish speakers were referred to as Spanish. My father is 100% Mexican but in New Orleans he was "Spanish" and so were my bro and I. My friend from NO who visited me last year here in TX still referred to any Spanish speaker as Spanish and to him, I was still Spanish. Here in Dallas a Mexican is a Mexican and so is almost everyone else (whether they really are or aren't)

[JVKn'CVO 11]

The good part is that I've decided to inform anyone that shows the slightest interest on immigration issues. For example, if one of my students (high school) asks me anything about my status (some of them are amazed that I'm legally able to work), I tell them about the K-1 and all the process I've been through. I'm just trying to educate as many as I can.

That's really good

Saludos,

Caro

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

The same night I arrived to this country, my husband and I were invited to get dinner at his "best friend"'s place. The food was so spicy that I had to excuse myself; I know it was a rude thing to do, but I was in pain, my mouth was burning and I couldn't swallow anything else. The friend was very surprised and told me that it made no sense that I couldn't eat spicy food being a Latina... "Sweetie", I said, "I'm Latina, but not Mexican... Spicy food isn't something most Venezuelans eat".

I know he cooked all that food with his best intentions and that he might have felt hurt when I rejected it, but what could I have done? I didn't want to get sick the first day!! Nonetheless, this has happened to me SO MANY times, that I don't feel offended anymore... Sad, isn't it?

The good part is that I've decided to inform anyone that shows the slightest interest on immigration issues. For example, if one of my students (high school) asks me anything about my status (some of them are amazed that I'm legally able to work), I tell them about the K-1 and all the process I've been through. I'm just trying to educate as many as I can.

spicey food? pass it on over

Are you gonna share?

[yassmine2878 1]

If you hear hoofbeats in central park, you'll assume its a horse not a zebra... Same thing here. People tend to have more experience with Mexicans than Spaniards or individuals from Central/S America so they just assume anyone that speaks Spanish and looks hispanic must be mexican. I can't believe people have mistaken a lot of your spouses from Africa/India as Mexican though! Jeez!

I can kinda understand why Ahmed is mistaken for Mexican. He has that creamy-cocoa complexion similar to alot of the Mexican immigrants around here. And we have an extremely large population of Hispanics in the area. The biometrics appointment was in a Hispanic mall and I was the only white person in a 100-ft radius. Everyone else looks at him and thinks "His skin looks like mine, he's at an immigration office in a Hispanic-populated area, he must speak Spanish". It was a logical conclusion, although grossly incorrect.

ETA: Its interesting to note how many people making such quick judgements based on a person's appearance. Im not sure which shocked the little old man (who mistook Ahmed for Hispanic) more; a brown boy who couldnt understand Spanish or the fish-belly pale white chick who did!

Edited December 8, 2007 by yassmine2878

[Jenn! 918]

I hear people say Spanish when they mean Hispanic or Latino/a. I've even heard Latinos say it. I don't think it's meant to be derogatory, it's just confusion of terminology.

[yassmine2878 1]

why do ppl here (in the states) call a mexican "a spanish" there like totally different ppl different culture/background they dont even speak the same spanish

xoxo

smart ###

Maybe you're hearing the word "Hispanic" (a generic description of North-Central-South American Spanish speakers) as "Spanish".

That is also a good point. Some folks may be shortening the word Hispanic, or just not enunciating everything and it comes out sounding like "Spanish". This sort of thing also brings out the uglier derivative of the word Hispanic, though.

Edited December 8, 2007 by yassmine2878

[pedroh 21]

i get confused with a scot..

Edited December 8, 2007 by pedroh

[Scott & Lai 12]

I've been mistaken for Indian, and Lai gets mistaken for several non-Chinese Asian nationalities

[caybee 21]

My husband is pretty light-skinned, but he's been mistaken for Hispanic, sometimes by other Hispanics. If he joins in a pick-up soccer game, there are usually a fair number of Hispanic players, and they often speak to him in Spanish at first. Once, back when he first arrived, one man heard his accented English and asked where he was from. When he told him, the man grinned and said, "Ohh, Bin Laden!" Hubby was pretty bummed out for a while after that comment, but now I think he's heard it all and tends to laugh most things off.

The first time I was in Morocco, a begging woman mistook my husband for European and spoke to him in French.

Edited December 9, 2007 by mona_jamie

[athena_ny 1]

why do ppl here (in the states) call a mexican "a spanish" there like totally different ppl different culture/background they dont even speak the same spanish

xoxo

smart ###

Ummm, I've never heard anyone call a "Mexican" (because who knows if the people you're referring really are Mexican) "a spanish" ... they're called Hispanic or Latino. My husband says he's Spanish sometimes, but his background is from Spain...

[LaL 418]

My husband also gets mistaken for Latino. In Tampa we had a sizeable Latino community, and he would often be spoken to in Spanish. He would just reply in Arabic.

[kisschick1976 0]

I live in South Texas and I am always getting mistaken for a Mexican. It's god damned annoying! Annoying because so many people assume. This region was settled by the Spanish, my ancestors are Spanish. There are some fcukheads who don't even believe me when I tell them I am Spanish by decent.

When people come up to me and speak to me in Spanish, even if I understand them I reply back in Romanian just to show them it's not a nice thing to assume.

I can only wonder what I will be mistaken for when I move to England this week