La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
The other day, as San Geraldo prepared lunch, he apologized for not having any Ease-A-Menorah for dessert. I was momentarily stumped. It was his latest unintended version of Ines Rosales. The next day I was in El Corte Inglés and, while there, picked up a couple of packages. When I got home, I told him I bought two packages of Ines Rosales.
He said, “Now you’re doing it!”
“Doing what?” I asked.
“Getting the name wrong,” he replied.
“That is the name?” I said.
“Really? Isn’t it Isa Gonzales?” (Click here if you’re lost.)
Once, when we were in a restaurant in our early years in Spain, we were waiting to order dessert. The server returned and asked “Algo más?” [anything else?] San Geraldo, said “No” and the waiter walked away. I said, “I thought you wanted dessert?” He replied, “I do.” “Then why’d you say No?” “Because he said alcohol.”
I passed an ice cream shop Tuesday afternoon. I noticed among their flavors, along with mango and cheesecake, there was Vanilla from Madagascar as well as Lemon from the Guadalquivir. The Guadalquivir? Our dirty river? Is that a selling point?
While out recently, I overheard part of a Spanish conversation. One person asked if there was a discount. The other person replied in pure Andalusian. “Sí. Para doughy ma.” It only took me a moment to fill in the missing consonants. What she meant was “Sí. Para dos y más” (Yes. For two and more.) If they were talking about the lemon ice cream from the river, no thanks.
There’s a big board in our neighborhood that posts information about what’s going on in the city. Clearly my Spanish is not good enough to understand what’s happening in March. Look below and maybe you can figure it out.
El otro día, mientras San Geraldo preparaba la comida, se disculpó por no tener Ease-A-Menorah de postre. Me quedé un momento perplejo. Era su última versión, inesperada, de Inés Rosales. Al día siguiente, estaba en El Corte Inglés y, mientras estaba allí, compré un par de paquetes. Al llegar a casa, le dije que había comprado dos paquetes de Inés Rosales.
Me dijo: <¡Ahora sí que lo estás haciendo!>
<¿Qué?> pregunté.
<Me equivoqué de nombre>, respondió.
<¿Ese sí se llama?> dije.
<¿En serio? ¿No es Isa Gonzales?> (Haz clic aquí si te pierdes).
Una vez, cuando estábamos en un restaurante durante nuestros primeros años en España, estábamos esperando para pedir el postre. El camarero regresó y preguntó <¿Algo más?> San Geraldo dijo <No> y el camarero se fue. Le dije: <¿Pensé que querías postre?> Respondió: <Sí.> <¿Entonces por qué dijiste que no?> <Porque dijo alcohol.>
Pasé por una heladería el martes por la tarde. Noté que entre sus sabores, además de mango y tarta de queso, había vainilla de Madagascar y limón del Guadalquivir. ¿El Guadalquivir? ¿Nuestro río sucio? ¿Es eso un atractivo comercial?
Hace poco, mientras salía, escuché parte de una conversación en español. Una persona preguntó si había descuento. La otra respondió en un andaluz puro: «Sí. Para do y ma.» Solo tardé un momento en completar las consonantes que faltaban. Lo que quería decir era «Sí. Para dos y más.» Si se referían al helado de limón del río, no, gracias.
Hay un gran tablón en nuestro barrio que publica información sobre lo que está pasando en la ciudad. Claramente, mi español no es lo suficientemente bueno como para entender lo que está pasando en marzo. Mira abajo y quizás puedas entenderlo.
• Claro como el barro.
• Barro.
Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Haz clic en las miniaturas para ampliar.
Maybe SG can fathom the instructions. It’s endlessly interesting hear his versions of words, anyway.
Boud:
When SG apologizes around town for his Spanish, I always add that his English isn’t much better.
“Ease-A-Menorah” — oh, that’s SG’s best garbled attempt yet!
Debra:
Yeah, I thought he outdid himself.
Lost in translation, again.
I’m pretty sure the lemon ice-cream is referring to the Guadalquivir Valley, rather than the muddy old river, but I reckon you already knew that… 😜. Jx
Jon:
Oh there you go confusing things with the truth!
Never a dull moment!
Kelly:
I complain that there’s never a dull moment and then, when there is, I’m immediately bored.
Of course it is clear, ^&*#()*&^ *()#(. #(()(. )#)_(#&^*(&*& ((!!*^$&)(&, what is not to understand. The older they get, the more fun they will be.
David:
Well, if YOU could read it. It must be lawyer speak.
I think every couple has a vocabulary that only they really understand. Or, mainly try to understand.
I believe that sign was in Alien.
I also believe that Harry Belafonte probably could have danced like Bad Bunny if he’d let himself go. I would pay to see that.
Sigh.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
An old friend wrote a poem for my 40th birthday. One line was: “Who translates Jerry when others despair to?” I got hooked on old Harry Belafonte videos last night. Oh, sigh!
Most definitely sigh-worthy.
Ms. Moon:
I immediately thought of you when I sighed.
So what is Ines Rosales? Bread with olive oil? That’s the craziest language. What sound does ? make?
ellen abbott:
Ines Rosales makes hand-pressed olive oil tortas. Here’s a link to a previous Ines Rosales post that explains it. https://movingwithmitchell.com/2025/03/05/hodgepodge-lodge/
Question mark makes the same sound in Spanish as it does in English… To know the sounds, you might want to check out YouTube and Victor Borge’s Phonetic Punctuation.
I believe the sign is a message from space aliens on their way here to rescue us from the insanity if Earth.
I will be looking for a similar sign in Camden.
Beam me up!!!
Bob:
But my Google Translate doesn’t have this language. How do we know when to be prepared to get beamed?
I believe long-term couples develop their own language that only they understand…..sometimes.
Jim:
Yes. And the keyword is “sometimes.”
Ooh ooh I know. Alien message of encouragement US.
Life is a dick.
Sometimes it’s up. Sometimes it’s down.
But it won’t be hard forever.
Jssw:
It sure is. But I was hoping it was instructions on how to get beamed up.
My parents had a Harry Bellefonte record when I was growing up and I remember that song well. Every time I listened to it I thought of Yogi Bear’s sidekick Boo Boo, even though as a kid I knew the song wasn’t about that.
Kirk:
I, too, grew up with Harry Belafonte on the stereo. My parents saw him in person a number of times. (My mother clearly had a crush.) We even had calypso design curtains in our den until we moved in 1964.
“Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil”! Food based translation, I can navigate!
Rade:
Nothing else matters.
I really enjoy Ines Rosales they are so nice, but we cannot get them here, for whatever reason.
larrymuffin:
We had never even heard of it until moving to Córdoba. They must have been all over Sevilla given that’s where she started the business.