Cafe y Chisme Corner
Stories, cultura, and gift guides rooted in real Latino family life. Read, share, and find something that feels like home.
Cafe y Chisme Corner
Bacano: The Colombian Slang Word for When Somet...
My uncle Fernando has one word for anything he approves of, from a well-cooked sancocho to my cousin's new apartment to a goal scored by the national team: "bacano." He...
Bacano: The Colombian Slang Word for When Somet...
My uncle Fernando has one word for anything he approves of, from a well-cooked sancocho to my cousin's new apartment to a goal scored by the national team: "bacano." He...
Pana: The Word for 'Friend' That Venezuelans Ta...
My cousin Andreina left Maracaibo for Madrid in 2016, and the first thing she told me after landing was that she already missed being called "pana." Not "amiga," not "chama,"...
Pana: The Word for 'Friend' That Venezuelans Ta...
My cousin Andreina left Maracaibo for Madrid in 2016, and the first thing she told me after landing was that she already missed being called "pana." Not "amiga," not "chama,"...
Vaina: The Untranslatable Colombian and Venezue...
My grandmother in Barranquilla could not locate a single object in her house by its actual name. The remote control was "esa vaina." The reading glasses on top of her...
Vaina: The Untranslatable Colombian and Venezue...
My grandmother in Barranquilla could not locate a single object in her house by its actual name. The remote control was "esa vaina." The reading glasses on top of her...
Chévere: The Word That Means 'Cool' in About Si...
My uncle Rafael is Venezuelan, my aunt's side of the family is Puerto Rican, and for years I genuinely thought "chévere" was a word my family had invented, because I...
Chévere: The Word That Means 'Cool' in About Si...
My uncle Rafael is Venezuelan, my aunt's side of the family is Puerto Rican, and for years I genuinely thought "chévere" was a word my family had invented, because I...
Parce: The Colombian Word for 'Friend' That Say...
When my friend Camila from Medellín introduces me to anyone, she doesn't say "this is my friend." She says "este es mi parce" — and something about the word lands...
Parce: The Colombian Word for 'Friend' That Say...
When my friend Camila from Medellín introduces me to anyone, she doesn't say "this is my friend." She says "este es mi parce" — and something about the word lands...
Güey: How One Word Became the Backbone of Mexic...
My cousin Mando cannot finish a sentence without it. "Oye, güey, pásame la sal." "No manches, güey, ¿ya viste eso?" "Güey, cálmate." I used to count how many times he...
Güey: How One Word Became the Backbone of Mexic...
My cousin Mando cannot finish a sentence without it. "Oye, güey, pásame la sal." "No manches, güey, ¿ya viste eso?" "Güey, cálmate." I used to count how many times he...