Little Fat Girl

If there is one thing that Peruvians are good at it is telling it the way it is. Whether that may be about your weight, height, cleanliness, and even race, they will say it out loud.

Now coming from the states saying that someone is fat, to their face, would be considered rude. So naturally when I first got to Peru, I was shocked at what they were saying, but here it is just how they describe people.

For example, in a restaurant, you may call the waitress “gordita” (little fat girl), “china” (if she’s of Asian descent), and “joven” (because she is young.) All of those descriptors would be acceptable in getting her attention.

Depending on my mood, I can usually take a “gringita” here or a “gordita” there. But the other day, I was at my high school waiting for some meeting to take place, when all of the sudden, one of the teachers (who mind you, isn’t exactly Peru’s Next Top Model) goes to me: 

Teacher: “Oh Annie, you are a little fat girl now. 

Annie: [Blank stare]

Teacher: “Yes, yes, you’ve definitely gained weight. How much did you gain?”

Annie: “Actually, I haven’t gained weight.”

Teacher: “No really, you’ve gained. Just look at you (meanwhile pinching my side)”

Annie: [Blank murderous stare]

Now the clincher to this story is that I had seen this teacher only a month before when I took her to a free English teaching training in Lima (key word: free). And I’m not going to lie, being fed a straight diet of potatoes and rice hasn’t exactly gone well for me, but come on people, you don’t need to remind me of this fact! Geez.

So needless to say, that little “gordita” remark, left me in a foul mood. But at least I’ll have a great motivator when I’m back in the states on the treadmill...playing it over and over again in my mind…