Gordito, Chinita & other names you can't get away with in the US

One thing I've come to love and appreciate about Peru is what does and does not offend people here. They will be offended if you don't greet them with a "Buenos Dias" and a kiss on the cheek, or if you don't want to hang out and spend time getting to know one another. (Isn't it great that that's considered the norm?) However they will NOT be offended by the un-PC labels which Latin Americans affectionately give one another, such as "gordito" (chubby), "flaquito" (skinny), "chato" (shorty), or in my case, "chino" or "chinita" (technically that means Chinese, but here it's used loosely as meaning any Asian, or Peruvian with Asiatic features, or for that matter anyone you feel like giving that nickname to. It's surprisingly common).

Now I realize that sounds offensive or insensitive, but think for a second about why you think that is. I too had the initial knee-jerk reaction of, "How mean! How racist! How inappropriate!" But the terminology above is not seen as derogatory or negative at all, and in fact a typical Peruvian would be surprised if any of it were taken as an insult.

I've come to believe that this is a good thing. People can call each other "gordita" here because it's not a bad thing to have some meat on your bones, it's just a distinguishing characteristic, like calling someone a brunette or an athlete. Without unrealistic standards of beauty being shoved in your face here to the same extent it is in the States, it's not such a big deal to be short or chubby or of a certain generalized racial category. In fact it's kind of cute. Hence the frequent use of the affectionate diminutive "-ito"; to call someone "gordo" (fat) might be a bit blunt, but a "gordito" (fatty or chubby) is more likely to be used teasingly with someone you love.

Bizarre? Maybe to most Americans, ingrained as we are to want to be tall and skinny and beautiful, but to this Korean-American chinita living in Peru, it's kind of refreshing...


*PS - My fellow Asians will probably also be shocked and offended that I constantly get asked if I'm related to Bruce Lee - but after all, they LOVE martial arts movies here, and he's the only Lee they've heard of, so it would be akin to telling someone your last name is DiCaprio and them thinking that's rare enough that you might be related to Leo.

I am also frequently asked what ethnicity I am, and when I say I'm Korean, they ask if I'm from the North or South, and if I've been there or speak the language, and extol the virtues of Korean cars and electronics... in other words they have more knowledge of it than the average American. This may be partly because there have been substantial Chinese and Japanese minorities here for generations, and many Peruvians are a mix of indigenous, European, African and Asian blood themselves...







My friend Lenin, far left, is frequently referred to as a "chino", and Jack, far right, as "chato"...