
One difference between the US and Spain – and the rest of Europe, I think – is the practice of tipping in restaurants and bars. In the US, tipping is such a common custom that the waiters' salaries are reduced, sometimes below minimum wage, under the assumption that the tips that they make will put them back over the minimum wage. In Spain, waiters are paid at least minimum wage, and there is no tipping whatsoever. None. If the check comes and it says 4.80€, you put down a 5€ bill and you wait for the change to come back. That's the norm. I submit to you that **the European system of non-tipping is inherently superior to the American system of tipping**.

### 1) Myth: Service is better in the US because of tipping.

I have lived in Europe for over eight years now, and I can see no difference in the overall nationwide level of service between the US and Europe. This is, of course, only _anecdotal evidence_, and it would be awesome to see some hard data, like average wait time, etc. The problem is that good data on this topic would be impossible to obtain. There are too many other variables, e.g. server mood, how many customers in the establishment, how many waiters, what kind of food is being ordered, what _quality_ and _price_ of food is being ordered, waiter experience, etc. Anecdotal evidence is all we have to go on here, which renders this point completely a matter of opinion. _However_, if you you are an American and wish to argue this point after having spent a week in Paris, Barcelona, London, or Prague and never having left the tourist zone, I suggest you defer your opinion to an expatriate. I would love to hear what other American expats in Europe think about this, and _especially_ from any European expats living in the US.

### 2) Tipping demeans waiters.

Across the entire service industry, from the cable guy to the auto mechanic to the barber, the person performing the service is, for the duration of the service, in a lower social position than the client. The client has requested something, and just sits there while they service provider is doing all the work. But the temporary difference in social standing is much greater for someone putting food on the table in front of you. It's one thing to say, "Bring me food," but it's another to say, "Bring me food, and if you are slow or don't smile at me, then I'm lowering the negotiated price!" Suddenly the waiter's social status has plummeted. It's demeaning.

Now that I think about it, I can't think of any other non-tipping-based service where the client has the right to raise or lower the negotiated price _after_ the service has been provided. To anyone who has not grown up in that culture, the idea is ridiculous!

### 3) Tipping favors the rich over the poor.

Tipping is broken in the same way that the US Health Care system is broken. It unfairly gives rich people the power to hurt poor people on a whim. It's true that not all restaurant clientí¨le are rich, but it's also true that very rarely is a waiter much richer than their customer.

### Conclusion

I admit that I have never worked as a waiter, but I have often imagined myself in their shoes, and it's this empathy that feeds my distaste in the American tipping system. I can't imagine that it's more common for a waiter to see a tip and think, "Hey, wow! What a nice tip!" than for him to see a tip and mumble, "Cheapskate!" under his breath. Surely the latter is at least twice as common. Isn't it obvious that the most fair thing to do is to just pay the waiter the extra 15% and let customers respond to bad service by either talking to management or just not going back to the restaurant (two things that they _already do_ under the tipping system!)?

Points #2 and #3 are similar and are based on my distaste for the social divide between rich and poor. Even if I concede point #1 to you and agree that service is really better in the US because of the tipping system, that still doesn't make the injustice acceptable. And if you're an American waiter that disagrees with #2 and #3 and you think you make more in the tipping system than in a flat salary system, then A) there's still some flat salary that would equal your tipping income, and B) you must be one abnormally charming and attractive person.

I'd _really_ like to hear the opinion of someone who has worked as a waiter on both continents.

If you disagree with me, please try to avoid ad hominem arguments attacking me as a cheapskate. I tip when I'm in the US because it's not the waiters' fault that the system is broken. If you're going to argue, tell me why you think the American tipping system is better than the flat salary, flat price system of Europe.

No, I don't know how to fix the problem, other than a blanket law and going cold turkey. It's painful, but I watched Europe convert to a new currency and it only hurts for a year or two. Ditto for the metric system. You just have to do it and recover from the change.

### Update - 2009-09-17

I admit that I never really liked my argument in this post. It's the first post that I sent to someone to see if he had any ideas on how to improve the argument (he didn't). The main weakness is that my argument is entirely based on trying to put myself in someone else's shoes, trying to imagine what it is like to work a job I have never worked. One of the reasons I write these posts is to help myself organize my thoughts about a particular topic. Often times I don't have things very clear even when I finish the post. This is why I asked openly for opinions from waiters with experience in both continents.

I certainly didn't expect the level of response this post received. A fellow blogger by the name of [Teleburst](http://teleburst.wordpress.com/) clearly disagreed with me strongly, because he wrote more than _six thousand words_, well over six times the length of my original post, informing me just how wrong I was. I have read every last one of them, and I must say that, when he gets around to it, he makes some very good points and raised some important issues I had not thought of. The restaurant and bar cultures in the US and Europe are _sooooo_ different that – as I surmised in my original post – it's really impossible to compare the two in a way to isolate tipping as a variable.

This has been a learning experience for me. Primarily it has humbled me into realizing that my ability to empathize with others is a lot weaker than I assumed. It sounds to me like professional waiters, at least in the US, are a lot happier than I originally assumed they must be. Tipping is yet another issue where both sides have to be classified as [**different, but not necessarily better or worse**](/2008/10/16/everything-is-gray/).

Thank you to [Teleburst](http://teleburst.wordpress.com/) for his patience in loquaciously educating me, despite me not being very nice to him at all.


Tipping


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870672680_5b8b527e09_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870672680_1218ab2d5f_t.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
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 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")Every year, on the last Friday of August, the nearby beach town of Laredo holds the _Batalla de Flores_ (Flower Battle), which consists of parade floats decorated with flowers and young girls. It's always a very beautiful event. This year the weather was terrible, i.e. raining and cold. The _Batalla_, however, is not really an event that can be postponed, since each float is decorated with **100% real flowers**, all specially harvested and attached to the floats for that one specific date. So they had the _Batalla_ anyway. We chose not to go, because the event is only barely worth the impossible effort to park and the crowds, so in the rain, forget about it! Luckily for my blog readers, however, we went the day after to examine the exhibition of floats.

The creativity and quality of the designs were absolutely staggering. Sometimes it's easy to forget that these are **100% real flower petals**!!! In the 2D photos, it's sometimes hard to appreciate the shapes amongst all the bright colors. It's a contest, and every year there's a winner, but the winner seemed completely arbitrary since the quality of each float was so outstanding. I can't even begin to imagine how much work goes into these things every year.

Enjoy... <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869817965_2c0c50760e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869817965_571ae43e80.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") All the floats lined up on one street for the exhibition.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870417834_700a205767_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870417834_0c0c7cd870.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870425954_da8982c459_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870425954_8f3084e9c7.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Wagon wheel of flowers.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870431414_42e4450ccb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870431414_0281146ccb.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") They really are real flowers!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869656287_c50f5a6b0b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869656287_ef0f7e0eaf.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") A merry-go-round horse.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869662873_a6f79730a6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869662873_3c663502bc.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870451962_3a12b66d63_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870451962_6f40dd83ca.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Some sort of dancing flame thing?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870458750_25c60df426_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870458750_a0458dd2a7.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") A Betty Boop sort of character singing with turtles playing the guitar.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869683277_20f8c6411b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869683277_461840c272.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Horsemen from Andalucia.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869689355_70cc75f08e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869689355_4eb34c9381.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Some sort of parrot-like bird.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870477630_7ab82dccc6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870477630_e025eeb7fe.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") A Phoenix?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869702337_214a9e6b52_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869702337_1b9f76e9b9.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Some shoe-wearing insect.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869707751_46dd168a25_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869707751_4abbc6aafb.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Mermaids scare me.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870495624_ffc2860653_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870495624_9698a44307.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Cats and birds, oh my!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870504068_32fffb3f71_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870504068_89cbdba1c1.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Polly want a flower?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870510786_e2e395155e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870510786_2dd601e6b5.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Sea horse.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870518414_d622be1d96_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870518414_7a9467f6c9.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") An octopus eating a lighthouse. Sure, why not?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870524708_979ec53e43_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870524708_cf888f713d.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Some Chinese symbology.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869749399_cd567fbba4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869749399_63d5362a1c.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Wait, how is the Venetian gondola gonna pass under that bridge?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870538612_88c7e14b18_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870538612_aebed92007.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Pinocchio and his creepy puppet master.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869762731_c7b387e005_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869762731_a62af0333b.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Jousting knights.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870553382_42273ee4de_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870553382_e96f3104e8.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Winnie the Pooh, with his friend the giraffe, the ducks, and the elephant. Christopher, I don't think we're in the Hundred Acre Wood anymore.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869779621_e11985ab07_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869779621_03032058fe.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Mardi Gras-esque masks.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869786945_23488cdba0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869786945_21ab664337.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869794835_c5f5f427b8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869794835_57645b10f1.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Nemo always looks so scared!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870608536_dc26cbf88e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870608536_76271dc7ae.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Pinocchio from the other side.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870617238_dd612b6458_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870617238_024264d965.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") What a liar!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870625960_0f953a7619_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870625960_2b6a8a2065.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Flower close-up. You can see the nail through the center of each.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869851407_0124afb3f8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869851407_521f7d5700.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870640632_96384aeb7f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870640632_543c2b01c3.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Okay, so the hands aren't made of flowers.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870648602_211a5b6f7d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870648602_8f51d76190.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Ballerina.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869874193_1cff7c0812_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869874193_832466c510.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Freaky kitty.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869882385_40f6a54e3f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869882385_d128630a9c.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870672680_5b8b527e09_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870672680_1218ab2d5f.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870681534_fae9216c37_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870681534_57541c1014.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870691466_a1b812fbca_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870691466_24b8145570.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869917987_0d6fe0fcf5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3869917987_94f3d899ff.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") An iguana?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870709926_1cbdaf9137_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870709926_6f7ba1838c.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870718426_745dc3504f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-30-batalla-de-flores-the-day-after/3870718426_eff5189520.jpg" alt="Batalla de Flores 2009 (the day after)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr") Smiley whale!

Needless to say, the whole exhibition smelled pretty good. It was almost more fun to see the floats the day after than it is during the parade when they move by so quickly. The amount of work put into these things is incredible. I applaud every last participant. Bravo!


Batalla de Flores, The Day After


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864631125_d3f0efcae2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Leering Erik">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864631125_e1458a1b23_t.jpg" alt="Leering Erik"/>
</a>

On the penultimate night of our summer vacation in Extremadura, we went, at my insistence, to a local restaraunt that we call _El Cruce_ because it's at a crossroads, but that is really called [Hotel Trajano](http://www.hoteltrajano.es/). The food was excellent, as always, but so was the company. My camera got passed around the table, and my sister-in-law, Belén, took several portraits of the attendees. She's a good portrait photographer.  I present the photos in the chronological order that they were taken.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865372210_21742fa9fa_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Which bottle is for baby and which is for Daddy?">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865372210_58dcb9be8f.jpg" alt="Which bottle is for baby and which is for Daddy?"/>
</a>

 One of these bottles is for Nora, and one is for her father.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865379664_caff64ef86_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Sisters Belén and Marga">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865379664_6c6d957273.jpg" alt="Sisters Belén and Marga"/>
</a>

 Sisters Belén and Marga. The former is more photogenic.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864601665_5d59df8bbe_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Cuttlefish and Garlic Mayo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864601665_63b38600c0.jpg" alt="Cuttlefish and Garlic Mayo"/>
</a>

 A starter course of cuttlefish with _alioli_ (garlic mayonnaise). The _alioli_ is the real reason we go to _El Cruce_. It's to die for.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865393524_e8fcdd9d95_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Steak, fries, and peppers">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865393524_39a6465126.jpg" alt="Steak, fries, and peppers"/>
</a>

 My sirloin steak with fries and a red pepper.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865397610_61061e32bc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Marga is Jay Leno">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865397610_e98cae0928.jpg" alt="Marga is Jay Leno"/>
</a>

 Apparently I married Jay Leno.

At this point, Belén takes the camera.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864620491_60bc65ab1c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Abuelo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864620491_eb7e7cfd29.jpg" alt="Abuelo"/>
</a>

 Abuelo, Marga and Belén's grandfather.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864625427_c247984a93_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Juan">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864625427_368149f81d.jpg" alt="Juan"/>
</a>

 Sweaty Juan. What? It was hot!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864631125_d3f0efcae2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Leering Erik">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864631125_e1458a1b23.jpg" alt="Leering Erik"/>
</a>

 Doing my best to look sexy... The trick to the sexy look is showing just the right amount of chest hair. That, and looking like a sunburnt pig. At least my shirt matches my eyes...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865418876_284422457f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Marga">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865418876_0e99fda3ac.jpg" alt="Marga"/>
</a>

 Marga looks to her right.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864637819_5685dd068f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Marga">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864637819_c97e4560a1.jpg" alt="Marga"/>
</a>

 Ha ha ha ha ha...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864643275_2f5cd5db32_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="A lovely dessert called a Pajama">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864643275_c60796a9e9.jpg" alt="A lovely dessert called a Pajama"/>
</a>

 A dessert called a "pajama", as in the last thing you need before bed, which contains flan, ice cream, lemon sorbet, peaches, pineapple, caramel, nuts, and whipped cream.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864649819_82b193b594_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Marce">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864649819_882e87296a.jpg" alt="Marce"/>
</a>

 Marce.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864655145_87831eae63_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Belén">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3864655145_2a0bc4e95f.jpg" alt="Belén"/>
</a>

 Belén gives up the camera, but only to have her own photo taken.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865446582_a137dc7415_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Lemoncello">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-29-dinner-and-a-portrait/3865446582_c4112950e5.jpg" alt="Lemoncello"/>
</a>

 What a lovely dinner. Here, have a limoncello.


Dinner and a Portrait


![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-28-cantabrian-clogs-shoes-with-legs/300px-Albarcas_cantabras.jpg)These wooden shoes, called _albarcas de Cantabria_ in Spanish, date back to at least 1657, when King Felipe IV mentioned them in a letter to the Pope. They are overshoes, worn over your house slippers, to be kicked off at the door upon entering your house after a long day of work in the fields. Translated from [this Spanish Wikipedia page](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albarquero):

> The use of _albarcas_, very practical shoes in a region as humid and rainy as Cantabria, has been common in the towns by all social classes, since it's a very appropriate footwear for preserving the feet from the water and filth on the ground, and especially for performing countryside farm labor. The custom was to have two pairs, one for daily use in the fields, and another newer and more attractive pair for wearing during festivals.

Continuing...

> During the seasons when work at home was less important, the _albarca_ makers went up into the mountains to fell trees and prepare the wood for _albarca_ construction. The usually went during the months of spring and autumn, when they finished the farm chores and collection of grass. The duration of their stay depended on various factors, but especially on the weather, like seasonal storms and snowfall. During their absence, it was the elderly, women, and children that continued to maintain the rural activity in the towns.
> 
> The _albarca_ makers would usually go to the mountains in small groups and their stay could be one or two weeks or more. When they were gone for more than a week, the others went up to find them in a predetermined place, taking a donkey to transport clean clothes and food, and also to take back down the already-prepared pairs of _albarcas_ stuffed into wicker baskets and sacks. The final touches to these _albarcas_ were done at home with the frequent collaboration of the rest of the family.

All of the singers in the penultimate video of my [Sauga Folk Festival report](/2009/08/25/sauga-folk-festival-2009/) were wearing these clogs. Also during that weekend we saw this parade of Cantabrian bagpipers going through town.


Cantabrian Clogs: Shoes With Legs!


The other day I took Nora out for a walk. We stopped at a bar with a terrace, and I ordered a glass of wine and opened a book. Nora was content to observe the other patrons. By bad planning, I was situated right next to one of these coin operated amusement vehicles, the kind that the kids get in and the machine moves and plays music when a coin is inserted. That is when the following events took place.

> Kid: \[runs at full speed to the machine and climbs inside\] Daddy, daddy!! Look!
> 
> Dad: \[unemotional\] Wow, yes, that's nice.
> 
> Kid: Make it go! Make it go!
> 
> Dad: \[checks pockets\] I don't have a one euro coin, son. I'm sorry.
> 
> Kid: But Daaaaaad!!
> 
> Dad: It takes a one euro coin, and I don't have any.
> 
> Kid: \[thinks for a second\] I have one!
> 
> Dad: Where?
> 
> Kid: In my pocket!
> 
> Dad: \[dubious of his son's purported wealth\] Okay, stand up, let me check.
> 
> Kid: \[stands up, lifts up his shirt, and thrusts hip towards father\]
> 
> Dad: \[digging around in pocket\] Nope, nothing in there.
> 
> Kid: Awwww..... C'mon, Dad, make it go! \[puts on sad face\]
> 
> Dad: Alright, let me go break a five at the bar. \[walks off\]
> 
> Kid: \[giddy with anticipation, or triumph of manipulation, I can't tell which\]
> 
> Dad: \[returns with coin, inserts coin\]
> 
> The music starts up; it's a sixties rock-n-roll song, played through tinny speakers. The Beatles, maybe. The vehicle lurches...
> 
> Kid: \[let's out a piercing scream\] I HAAAAAAAAAATE IIIIITTTTT!!!!
> 
> Nora: \[begins to cry\]
> 
> Other baby: \[starts crying\]
> 
> Kid: \[at the top of his voice\] Get me off! Get me off! GET ME OFF!!!
> 
> Dad: \[after a deliberate second-long hesitation, picks kid out of vehicle\] Okay, here ya go.
> 
> At this point another enterprising little girl ran up and climbed in to use up the rest of someone else's coin. The whole time she was in the vehicle, she looked so incredibly bored that I had to wonder what sort of interest these vehicles hold over small children.
> 
> I finish my wine, pay my bill, and prepare to leave. As I'm going, the original kid runs over and climbs back into the vehicle.
> 
> Kid: Daaaaaaaad!!!

I couldn't help but think that I was looking into my own future. It strikes me that, as a parent, one is stricken with the paradox of both A) wanting your child to grow up to be able to do more things and satisfy your curiosity of what they will be like as an adult, and B) wishing your child would remain in the same more or less manageable state they are in right now.


Coin Operated Amusement


[![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-internauta-favorite-spanish-words/267611943_77784d0d60_t.jpg)](http://www.flickr.com/photos/gaetanlee/267611943/ "Lego space men, by gaetanlee")_internauta_: **n.** a user of the internet.

Just like an astronaut navigates the stars (still only figuratively, unfortunately), an _internauta_ navigates the complex network of tubes connected computers collectively known as The Internet. The threshold to be considered an _internauta_ is more or less being able to send and read email and watch a video on YouTube. I mainly hear the term on the television news when talking about users of a certain website. The Spanish wikipedia page for [_internauta_](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internauta) vaguely claims that the term originated in France. The English wikipedia page for [internaut](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internaut) claims that its use is spreading, but I haven't ever seen it written or heard it spoken in English. Personally I'm all for its spread.

I've always despised the term "web surfer". The term was borrowed from someone who rapidly changes television channels, and I can only assume that it originated there (or maybe in pre-television radio?), as a clever metaphor for "looking for a good _radio_ wave".


Internauta - Favorite Spanish Words


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856525066_323ce8d7b0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Sauga Folk T-Shirt (crop)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856525066_6779659561_t.jpg" alt="Sauga Folk T-Shirt (crop)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")In August every year, my adopted town of Colindres, Spain, holds a Sauga Folk music festival celebrating local and international folk music. We have missed it the previous three years because it almost always coincides with our annual migration south to [Extremadura](/category/extremadura/). This year, however, I was lucky enough to be able to attend.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856518964_fc77cb323f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Sauga Folk T-Shirt">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856518964_f4c42d38a1.jpg" alt="Sauga Folk T-Shirt"/>
</a>

 The official t-shirt for this year's festival.

Before I get to the high definition folk music video extravaganza that has used up all my cpu and bandwidth this week, I want to share a little bit that I learned about the local Cantabrian langage.

### The Cantabrian Language

Until now I had only vaguely been aware of local dialects creeping into spoken Castillian Spanish. Most notable of late has been the question, "_¿Es buenuca?_", when referring to my infant daughter. The _\-uco_ or _\-uca_ suffix is a Cantabrian diminutive. They are asking if she's a good little girl or not.

There were a few crafts tables set up at the festival, and one table with a guy selling books about the history of Cantabria and the [Cantabrian language](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantabrian_language). So I browsed and took a photographs. After the second photograph, he turned from the people he was talking to and said, "Hey, you owe me a euro for those photographs!" Only about 60% sure he was joking, I let out a nervous laugh and kept examining the books. I could pretty easily read the Cantabrian signs and book covers, and it seemed to me that it was very close to Spanish, but with a lot more u's. A moment later his other clients left and he turned to me to ask if I was curious about the Cantabrian language and where I was from. Normally people are at least a little surprised to hear that I'm from the US, just because there aren't many US expats in small town Spain, but he didn't seem to think it at all strange. He asked how long I'd been in Colindres (4 years), and if I'd noticed any usage of the Cantabrian language. A good friend of mine, who was dating a Brazilian girl at the time, once joked, "Speaking Portuguese is easy. All you have to do is speak Spanish, but mispronounce everything!" So I told this guy that I'd thought I'd heard some Cantabrian, but it sounded just like mispronounced Spanish. He was not amused. He said, "**No language spoken anywhere in the world is mispronounced!** Dialects may change from town to town or neighborhood to neighborhood, but they are all valid languages in their own right! Sheesh. I can see how that might be a touchy subject for a staunch defender of an endangered language. I apologized and agreed. That's when he handed me a piece of paper that read:

> Pueblu dengunu esmana la su lingua pola su sellenca vuluntá.

He was clearly very proud of this phrase and translated it for me. I'll include both the Spanish and English translations so you can see how similar Cantabrian is to Spanish.

> Ningun pueblo pierde su lengua por su propia voluntad.

> No [people](/2009/08/24/spanish-people-is-weird/) loses their language by their own will.

"Languages are always killed off by violence and war," he added. I'm not entirely sure that I agree with this. While I know that dozens of languages across the globe go extinct each year (astounding, but the number is really that high), I think that a lot of it is through peaceful assimilation into ruling cultures. I suspect that there are many instances of parents who just don't make the effort to teach their native language to their children _and instill in them a pride that will make them want to pass it on to the next generation_. I tried meekly to voice some of my doubts about the veracity of his sweeping generalization, but he wasn't hearing it. He informed me that the Cantabrian language would not go extinct any time soon because there were good people like him helping to preserve it both in text and in teaching it. "Good," I said, shook his hand, and went back to the stage to see more music.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3855761267_dc016a2d2f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Books to learn Cantabrian Language">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3855761267_6fac770566.jpg" alt="Books to learn Cantabrian Language"/>
</a>

 The books about Cantabrian language and family histories. Click through to Flickr for title translations.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856559336_e8dd4b3d24_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Cantabrian Language Signs">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856559336_a7c8c413b9.jpg" alt="Cantabrian Language Signs"/>
</a>

 Signs for sale in Cantabrian. Click through to Flickr for my attempted translations.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856531118_97f544d4a9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Beverage Price List">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3856531118_f289ec42b9.jpg" alt="Beverage Price List"/>
</a>

 Even the beverage menu was in Cantabrian! I had no idea what a _cachi_ was, but I ordered a _cachi_ of _cerveza_. By complete coincidence, I had been browsing [2009 Oktoberfest beer price lists](http://www.oktoberfest.de/en/article/About+the+Oktoberfest/About+the+Oktoberfest/It%27s+all+about+the+beer_-3-__-3-__-3-_/839/) that day, and the beer at the Sauga Folk festival was considerably cheaper (and of undoubtedly inferior quality!). A _cachi_, by the way, is a huge (0.5L?) paper Pepsi cup full of beer.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3855751295_e90044ffe6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pork on the Grill">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-25-sauga-folk-festival-2009/3855751295_858c841596.jpg" alt="Pork on the Grill"/>
</a>

 Grilling meat for the 4€ sandwiches.

### Sauga Folk Music

The first group to perform was a local band called [_Gatu Malu_](http://www.gatumalu.com/) (see? I told you Cantabrian was like Spanish but with too many u's!). They were awesome, but I didn't have my video camera with me. After their set, I ran back home to get my camera.

The second group is a sibling band from Asturias called [Tejedor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tejedor), sort of like an Iberian version of [Nickel Creek](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_Creek). They rocked. Check out the tambourine spinning!

The next band had come all the way from Ireland to preform, The Michael McGoldrick Band. Great flute, guitar, and bagpipe. Check out the modern billow-powered bagpipe so you don't even have to blow to fill up the bag! Fancy schmancy! Good acoustic guitar strumming, too.

The first show the next night was a group of local Cantabrians performing typical local folk music, an a cappella men's chorus, a women's tambourine group, a gentleman playing a special Cantabrian flute called a _chifla campurriana_, and another gentleman playing a poor man's fiddle called a _rabel_, singing songs with adult humor. One line went something like, "A woman is not like a _rabel_; you play a _rabel_ with your fingers on the outside...etc."

The final band was [Liam O'Flynn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_O%27Flynn) and The Pipers Call Band, also flown in from Ireland. Great guitar, flute, bagpipes, and fiddle.

I had a great time at the Sauga Folk festival this year, and I\\'m looking forward to next year!


Sauga Folk Festival 2009


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-five-months-old/3853762910_6209715689_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Five Months Old (crop)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-five-months-old/3853762910_bd618a5be0_t.jpg" alt="Five Months Old (crop)"/>
</a>

 by erikrasmussen, on Flickr")Today is Nora's five month birthday. Every birthday so far we've had cheeseburgers for lunch. We've stopped buying cake, though, ever since con of calories began to outweigh the pro of having cake. She slept through the burgers on her [activity mat](/2009/08/21/activity-mat-the-180/). It's strange now to see tiny babies in the street and be the one saying, "I can barely remember when mine was that small," but here we are. We have no envy for the parents of week-olds, though. Every day Nora's getting more interesting to be around.  Goals for month six include: **Learning to sit up on your own.** So far, I'm [doubtful](/2009/07/24/the-sitting-olympics-nora-vs-gravity/).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-five-months-old/3853472124_53f6774439_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Five Months Old">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-five-months-old/3853472124_c61cb2e727_b.jpg" alt="Five Months Old"/>
</a>

Happy birthday, Kiddo!

P.S. Make this month a good one, because if your mother has to hold up six fingers next time, you might get dropped.


Five Months Old


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-spanish-people-is-weird/5640085987_b1e6466d57_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Spanish Question">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-24-spanish-people-is-weird/5640085987_bb571b3115_t.jpg" alt="Spanish Question"/>
</a>

One tough grammatical hurdle for English speakers learning Spanish, or vice versa, is the word "people". In English it's plural, and in Spanish it's singular (_la gente_). I still find myself incorrectly conjugating verbs when "people" is the subject. e.g. _La gente están contentos esta noche._  As fellow blogger [Eleena](http://www.voicesenespanol.com/) pointed out in [a recent comment](/2009/07/24/in-spanish-its-not-your-fault/comment-page-1/#comment-4488) here, this difference affects the way people think about themselves as a group.

> The individual isn\\'t as important as the collective. In English, â€œpeople are…â€ (plural, group of individuals) but in Spanish, â€œla gente es…â€ (singular, one entity). In Spain, there\\'s less a sense of individualism and striking out on one\\'s own and more a sense of conformity and staying with the pack.

Another interesting aspect of learning a new language is noticing when two different words in the foreign language translate into the same word in your own language. It forces introspection of your own language, which inevitably leads to noticing that yes, actually, the two ways that you use that word are different and hold different meanings. Lets look at an example...

1. There were four people in the car.
2. People don't like that bar.
3. The Basque people are proud.

Those three sentences use the word "people" in very different ways. When translated to Spanish, there are three different words for "people".

1. _Habí­a cuatro **personas** en el coche._
2. _A la **gente** no le gusta ese bar._
3. _El **pueblo** vasco es orgulloso._

That third usage got me thinking about a particular weirdness in English. That definition of "people" is: "a body of persons sharing a common religion, culture, language, or inherited condition of life," and its the only time when you can pluralize it to "peoples". e.g. "The Basque and Cantabrian **peoples**..." Bizarre. And the really counterintuitive part is that if you remove the 's', seemingly making it singular, you still have to treat it as a plural. e.g. "The Basque people are...", not "The Basque people is...". It's times like these when Spanish makes more sense to me than English.

But then you just have to back up a bit and realize that languages, like people, cultures, religions, sports and everything each have their strengths and their weaknesses, and [none is necessarily superior](/2008/10/16/everything-is-gray/).


Spanish People Is Weird


![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-23-mommys-hiccups-funniest-thing-ever/2.jpg)The other day after bathtime, Nora discovered the funniest thing in the world: Mommy with the hiccups. This dovetails perfectly with the theory that, evolutionarily, [humor originates from a shock-relief combination](/2009/02/13/conversations-with-a-pregnant-woman-episode-4-dont-have-a-cow/). What better shock-relief pattern than your protective mother suddenly convulsing and releasing a loud sound, followed by her immediate recovery and smile? The randomness of hiccups adds to the suspense, as you never know when the next one is coming.  I think this is my favorite Nora Rasmussen Film yet. She was laughing much more before I got the camera, but it's still a great moment. And the freeze frame that I use for the title sequence is one of her best pictures, I think.

This video is also available on [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4lBvkqqun8), [Yahoo](http://video.yahoo.com/watch/5800903/15184572), [Metacafe](http://www.metacafe.com/watch/3204173/), [DailyMotion](http://www.dailymotion.com/video/17213547), [Blip.tv](http://www.blip.tv/file/2506477), [Veoh](http://www.veoh.com/videos/v18964946nTdMmP3g), [StupidVideos](http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/Mommys_Hiccups_Funniest_Thing_Ever/) and [Viddler](http://www.viddler.com/explore/rasman1978/videos/71/).


Mommy's Hiccups: Funniest Thing Ever!


![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-21-activity-mat-the-180%c2%b0/2.jpg)I recently [tweeted](http://twitter.com/erikras/statuses/3359022447) that:

> Daughter's current mobility status: Can't crawl, can't sit up, but won't necessarily be in the same place you left her 5 minutes ago.

Which prompted one wiseass comment asking if I was alluding to teleportation. The truth is that I don't fully understand her current method of locomotion. It has to do with raising her feet, sometimes grabbing them, letting them fall to the side, and then rolling back over to her back. Somehow her finishing position is not the same as her starting position. When repeated multiple times, she can move quite a ways. Just before I filmed this video, I accused her of spinning around on her activity mat like the minute hand of a watch. I turns out that, in the video, she does a full 180Â° in about 25 minutes. Don't worry, I've timelapsed it because I know you're busy.

Watch big in [full HD glory](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKj2QJ0uJq0&fmt=22). I love the lighting from the cloudy sky out the window.


Activity Mat: The 180Â°


![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-20-ruffles-and-kicks/Rasman1978-RufflesAndKicks966.jpg)I would love to have some video of my young grandparents playing with me as an infant. That's one of the reasons why I'm putting so much energy into recording bits and pieces of Nora's infancy. It's more for her than for anyone else. We've already enjoyed looking back at the videos of Nora when she was [days](/2009/03/29/expressions-of-a-three-day-old/) and [weeks](/2009/04/08/expressions-of-a-fortnight-old/) old.

The following video is of her grandparents dressing her one morning during their [recent visit](/2009/08/19/vacationing-in-southern-spain/). 

This video is also [available in HD](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQ0pz0kaZrM&fmt=22).


Ruffles and Kicks

Vacationing in Southern Spain


![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-not-sleepy/default.jpg)Last night, presumably after the excitement of her [first day of daycare](/2009/08/17/the-daycare-drop-off/), Nora was not at all tired at bedtime. We tried to put her in her crib, but it was clear that she just wasn't ready. So we brought her back downstairs and let her perform for us. This is what she had to say:   This video is also available, for the first time on this site, in [in Full HD](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hFQaEamxVQ&fmt=22).


Not Sleepy


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829572088_0b32b558bd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Rain on grapevine leaves">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829572088_f617d77bd2_t.jpg" alt="Rain on grapevine leaves"/>
</a>

The part of Spain we go to in the summer is very, very dry. In the summer, it can go for months at a time with zero precipitation. 2009 was my seventh year going there, and I think I'd seen it rain twice, never for more than an hour, in previous years. One day this year, August 13, it rained all morning long, bringing the temperature from 28Â° down to 22Â° for a few hours. By lunchtime, however, the ground was dry and the temperature was back up to its regular 33Â° or so.  Because rain is such a strange occurance, when it happens, everyone comes out of their houses into the street to stand there looking at each other and commenting on the weather. This year, as people were gathered in the street, someone noticed that a storm drain was blocked and a large puddle was forming. Luckily, Agustí­n, son-in-law of our neighbor, stepped up to become the local hero, risking life and limb diving into the clogged storm drain.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829535930_7e05c5b395_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Agustí­n clearing storm drain">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829535930_3383134a8c.jpg" alt="Agustí­n clearing storm drain"/>
</a>

 Man, that's a deep puddle!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828764739_c5c97597d7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Agustí­n clearing storm drain">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828764739_945ccb2d46.jpg" alt="Agustí­n clearing storm drain"/>
</a>

 Hooray for Agustí­n!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828765811_8478d93dc0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Drops on clothes line">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828765811_2987253ab9.jpg" alt="Drops on clothes line"/>
</a>

 The chimney as seen through two water drops on a clothes line.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829572088_0b32b558bd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Rain on grapevine leaves">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829572088_f617d77bd2.jpg" alt="Rain on grapevine leaves"/>
</a>

 Rain drops on a grapevine leaf.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828777629_c881193b2f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Rain on grapevine leaves">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828777629_cd51091765.jpg" alt="Rain on grapevine leaves"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828781361_589ebf65c7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="It's wet outside, Grandpa!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3828781361_a3ecbe1ef7.jpg" alt="It's wet outside, Grandpa!"/>
</a>

 It's wet out here, Grandpa!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829587086_0871194f0a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="The house plants are escaping!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-18-the-day-it-rained/3829587086_2ea09838cc.jpg" alt="The house plants are escaping!"/>
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 We left the door open, and the house plants made a break for it. We caught them again, though.


The Day It Rained


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3829756603_b23450117f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="First Day of Day Care">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3829756603_af5b669227_t.jpg" alt="First Day of Day Care"/>
</a>

Nora started daycare today. She's going to go for only two hours each day for the rest of August (two weeks), and then go for four hours every afternoon after that. The daycare people suggested a gradual introduction period of at least a week. As this was a big day for our family, Marga and I both walked her down to daycare to see her off. In the future, only Marga will take her on her way to work.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3829756603_b23450117f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="First Day of Day Care">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3829756603_af5b669227.jpg" alt="First Day of Day Care"/>
</a>

 This fortress gate is the entrance to the daycare. The building at the end of the road, through the trees, is the one we live in. Pretty close, huh?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3830577312_565ff7ab0e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="First Day of Day Care">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-the-daycare-drop-off/3830577312_e3f3a6e3dc.jpg" alt="First Day of Day Care"/>
</a>

 The inner gate has a latch at the very top that only grown-ups can operate. Marga actually looks like a kid going to her first day of school, doesn't she? The backpack is full of the required diapers, wet wipes, extra clothes, etc.

We were greeted at the door by a very friendly lad named Sergio riding a tricycle. As Marga was doing paperwork, Sergio walked me around and showed me all his toys, specifically taking advantage of his big new friend to get toys down from high shelves. If I looked away for a second, he'd say, "_¡Mira, ven!_" and pull me towards something else.

Eventually it was time to pull Nora out of her stroller and hand her over. Of course she chose this moment to cry, which made the moment all the harder. She had no idea what was happening, of course, and was crying about something unrelated to her impending abandonment, but her tears added some extra emotion to the situation. No matter how my logical left brain told me that correlation was certainly not causation in this case, my emotional right brain couldn't help but project mature emotional understanding onto my 4.5 month old daughter's behavior.

I admit it, I got a little misty-eyed.

But before I knew it, she was out of my hands and walking down the hall to meet her caretakers. And in the blink of an eye, the two hours were over and she was back at home with us like she'd never left.

And so begins Nora's journey into the labyrinth modern society calls an education system. I can't wait to see what she's like on the other end.


The Daycare Drop-Off


[![thumb](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-17-when-metaphors-attack/3621325735_8080a89b7b_t.jpg)](http://www.flickr.com/photos/23293954@N03/3621325735/ "Rotten Eggs (take #2) :)")Today I had a run-in with a concept that I've only ever used as a metaphor or a generic negative idea. For the first time in my 30+ years, a rotten egg broke in my hand. I was washing off the chicken dung that many of our eggs are coated with, and it just exploded. We get our eggs from [my father-in-law's chickens](/2007/11/26/old-and-new-apple-products/), you see, so they come from wherever they decide to lay them, which is often where they excrete other stuff. The improvement in taste over grocery store eggs is worth the extra scrubbing hassle.  My only previous experience with rotten eggs were from the childhood phrase, "Last one to \[achieve some goal\] is a rotten egg!" and from chemistry class when learning how to describe the chemical element sulfur.

Anyway, the kitchen was unenterable for several minutes, and it took about a half hour to get the smell out of my nose. I have now washed my hands at least 25 times and I can still smell it on my hands.

So just in case you are a rotten egg virgin like I was when I woke up this morning, I can assure you that its place at the archetypal throne of bad smells is well deserved.


When Metaphors Attack


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826610270_1980222133_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Four Grandparents">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826610270_cd79d501b1_t.jpg" alt="Four Grandparents"/>
</a>

We made it back today from our annual pilgrimage to my wife's family's ancestral home in southern Extremadura. This was an extra special year, not only because it was the first time we were there with a baby in the family, but because my parents got to visit and experience the small town life of Extremadura first hand rather than just reading about it on my blog. Having Nora with us meant not taking many touristic day trips as we have in previous years, so we spent most of our time walking around town wearing a path in the cement from bar to bar. Since my energies were focused more on translating and hosting my parents, I didn't take quite as many photos as previous years, but my parents did bring over a new HD video camera that I purchased just before their travel, so I have some good video to share...if I can only figure out how to clear enough disk space to properly edit it.  For the trip down, we dressed Nora in her [red fish t-shirt](/2009/07/10/little-red-and-white-striped-hoodie/), and she didn't wear it again until the trip back, when it was _noticeably_ smaller. I'm pretty sure she grew at least four centimeters in the last fortnight. Unfortunately, my pants were a little tighter on the trip back, too. My Wii Fit is sure to give me a good talking to.

Nora and her American grandparents had a wonderful time meeting each other again. I heard my mother sing her songs that I'm certain I haven't heard since I was four years old.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826610270_1980222133_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Four Grandparents">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826610270_cd79d501b1.jpg" alt="Four Grandparents"/>
</a>

 Nora with her four very proud grandparents: Juan, Marce, Betsy, and Paul.

### Departing

The remaining photographs were taken while waiting for my parents' bus to take them back to Madrid on their journey home.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826681824_b79750cb30_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saying goodbye to Grandpa at the bus station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826681824_8a89bebd23.jpg" alt="Saying goodbye to Grandpa at the bus station"/>
</a>

 Grandpa's face is prickly!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826729814_a87c9af7eb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saying goodbye to Grandpa at the bus station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826729814_e2a03bd372.jpg" alt="Saying goodbye to Grandpa at the bus station"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826782910_d0fdf10358_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saying goodbye to Grandma at the bus station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826782910_9eda0c8489.jpg" alt="Saying goodbye to Grandma at the bus station"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826854962_3e74043dd3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saying goodbye to Grandma at the bus station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826854962_b5f9100c62.jpg" alt="Saying goodbye to Grandma at the bus station"/>
</a>

 Grandma's a little more tan than Nora.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826090471_425f787881_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa at the bus station">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2009-08-16-back-from-extremadura/3826090471_61962806bd.jpg" alt="Saying goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa at the bus station"/>
</a>

 Bye-bye, Grandma and Grandpa! I'd miss you if I could remember anything at all about this vacation!


18 posts from August, 2009