Listen, Smile, Y ¡No Te Rindas! es un podcast que mejora los conocimientos ambos del inglés y la cultura de los Estados Unidos.
En episodio 37, entrevistamos a una mujer del sur de México (Villahermosa, Tabasco) que vive en EEUU. La preguntamos acerca de ciertas diferencias en la vida en México y la "Gringolandia."
She makes reference to several different cultural products relating to food, environment, and other topics, and it is in this article that we would like to share more information about things that the listener may never have heard of before.
If you are not from Tabasco, you may not have seen a pejelagarto, which Greg describes as looking like a dinosaur with a nose like a saw. Alma draws the more accurate comparison that it looks like a "gar," a Louisiana fish that also seems like it is from times past. They are closely related (https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/this-biologist-wants-you-to-love-prehistoric-fish-as-much-as-he-does).
Photo credit: WikiCommons
Perhaps our favorite portion of the episode is where Alma describes Buc-ee's, the enormous gas station/convenience store that can be found throughout the southeastern US, and beyond. This photo gives you some idea of how much bigger a Buc-ee's gas station is than the one that you may frequent:
Photo credit: https://www.businessinsider.com/buc-ees-has-a-cult-following-photos-review-2018-7
Alma, a mother with a large family, made a point of talking about both how many bathrooms there are in Buc-ee's and that they are so CLEAN. Here's an article with many photos that explains why: https://www.mysanantonio.com/lifestyle/travel/article/buc-ees-bathrooms-17559669.php
I, Greg, am not sure if Buc-ee's sells corn dogs, but corn dogs are indeed a part of American culture that he talks about in this episode. Americans love to dip things in batter and fry them. The corn dog is an ever-present example:
Resulta que los coreanos y australianos también tienen su propia versión del corn dog. Read more about corn dogs from the source of this photo: https://www.bar-s.com/food-for-thought/why-do-they-call-it-a-corn-dog
In the episode Gabe and Greg express a preference for Carolina barbecue, while Alma's tastes run more towards barbecue from Kansas. There are two other styles additionally in the US, and you can read about all of them here:
Finally, as the episode spends a lot of time talking about meal times and diets in the US, I thought it appropriate to show some pictures of school cafeteria food in American public schools. I have been a teacher in several schools in my career and have always found the food to be a good value and delicious. The stereotype is the opposite, however! One can take in too much fat and salt in a school cafeteria, easily. However, there are fresher and more veggie-based options if you have the discipline to grab those, instead:
Photo credit: https://www.buzzfeed.com/caseyrackham/23-school-cafeteria-lunches-from-your-childhood-that-youre
Find episode 37 here to acquire intermediate-level English in a humorous and approachable format:
Cover photo credit:
https://www.mysanantonio.com/food/article/bill-miller-brisket-mac-and-cheese-17090611.php
https://masienda.com/blogs/learn/corn-tine-tamales-mira-evnine
https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/side-dishes-for-fried-chicken/