Synopses & Reviews
From the sneakily successful travel series with over 1 million copies in print, Wicked Spanish (over 250,000 copies in print) is the devilishly funny pocket-sized guide to language and culture in the land of manana.
From managing epic taxi rides (The Old Man and the Chevy) to Perfecting the Haggle to Tipping the Police, Wicked Spanish anticipates and prepares norteamericanos for a wide range of exotic Latin customs and conditions-also know as que sera, sera.
Explain to your innkeeper that you'd rather have private accommodations: Pero you prefiero un cuarto sin escorpiones. ("But I'd prefer a room without scorpions."). Politely ask your waiter what you're eating: QuS hace immovil dentro del mole? (What lies motionless under the spicy chocolate sauce?). And Mi abuelo perteneci. a un sindicato obrero ("My grandfather belonged to a labor union") may be just the ticket for kidnap victims of revolutionaries.
Once acclimated, you'll make clever cockfight conversation, understand Zapotec Basketball, and even enjoy a cold cerveza with your wife in a friendly men's bar: No la mires. No le hables. No la toques. ("Do not stare at her. Do not address her. Do not touch her."). Above all, you'll learn the real meaning of Vaya con Dios.
Synopsis
It's a wicked world out there. And to help the millions of Americans who venture beyond our shores every year come the phrase-books that put the visitor in control. Together with 933,000 copies in print.
Synopsis
Head south with the phrasebook that won't take manana for an answer.
Perfecting the Haggle
Tipping Policemen
The Old Man and the Chevy
Love in the Time of Severe Abdominal Cramps
Understanding Zapotec Basketball
Beach Blanket Lingo
Gringo-matic Emergency Dictionary
Addressing the Mule
El Banco De Quixote
Handy Guide to Latin Revolutionaries
Mariachi at a Distance
About the Author
Howard Tomb is the author of the Wicked Travel books. He also writes for the Sunday Travel Section of the New York Times.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTIONGETTING AROUND- The Old Man and the Chevy…6
- Disclaimer of Wickedness…7
- Stop Bus!…8
- Prayer of the Lost Luggage…9
- Addressing the Mule…10
- Customs Tips…11
- Tipping Policemen…12
- Pedestrian Advisory…14
- Assorted Road Signs…15
DESTINATIONS- Surviving the Hotel…16
- When in Ruins…18
- Understanding Zapotec Basketball…19
- Confession…20
- Death Takes a Holiday…21
- Finding the Museum…22
- Beach Blanket Lingo…24
- Attention Third-World Shoppers…25
SUSTENANCE- Restaurant Survival Techniques…26
- Look out for "Chicken of the Trees"…28
- Guide to Painless Dining…30
- Prayer of the Large Intestine…31
- The Men-Only Bar…32
- For Women Only: Coin-A-Curse…33
- Drinking to Kill the Critters Within…34
- Mexican Drinks of Death…35
- Moctezuma's Medical Emergency…36
- Eat and Run…37
DAILY LIFE- Perfecting the Haggle…38
- Post Waste…40
- Essential Expletives…41
- El Banco de Quixote…42
- Banishing the Miniature Huckster…44
- Reporting Thefts…46
CULTURE- The Eternal Siesta…48
- Manana Counterattack…49
- El Business Meeting…50
- La Revolution…52
- Handy Guide to Latin Revolutionaries…53
- Love in the Time of Severe Abdominal Cramps…54
- Cockfights…56
- Bullfights…57
- Mariachi at a Distance…58
THE MODEL GUEST- The Polite Guest's Guide to EntrÈe Identification…59
- Natives at Home…60
- The Inevitable Thank-You Note…62
HELP- Gringo-matic™ Emergency Dictionary…63
- Gringo-matic™Quick Reference…64