We had the pleasure of interviewing two local artists who have been making history in very popular musical genres, and who will share the main stage on October 16 at our Latin Music Fest. Erik Casanova, representative of regional Mexican music, and Chuchi Diamond, representative of urban music, faced off in a fun challenge of typical phrases from their countries, with which we continue to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month.
La Isla Magazine. We are very excited to interview you today. The dynamics of this interview is going to be different, the idea is that we share a bit of both cultures through traditional phrases from both countries. We want to put them to the test to see how well Erik from Cuba and Chuchi from Mexico know. Let’s start with Erik, what do you think the phrase “arriba la bola” means?
Erik. A/ “Arriba de la bola / Above the ball” is playing soccer (laughs).
La Isla Magazine. Chuchi, tell us what that phrase means.
Chuchi. A/ (Laughter) “Arriba de la bola / Above the ball” means like to be working all the time or taking care of something that is being done at the moment.
La Isla Magazine. If you were on the street and someone said: I’m going to “coger botella”, what do you think it means?
Erik. R/ Ah well, let’s have a party!
Chuchi. A/ (Laughter) No, “coger botella /take a bottle” or “pedir botella / ask for a bottle” is used a lot in Cuba when you want to take a taxi on the street.
La Isla Magazine. What would you think if someone told you: “ando a la my love / I’m going to my love”?
Erik. A/ I think it means something like, “ando a lo Guajiro/ I go to the Guajiro”, which is happy or relaxed.
Chuchi. A/ Yes, that is. It’s like in Mexico they say “Desmadre / turn it up.” Live the crazy care-free life!
Erik. R/ (Laughs) I hit one of three. We are making progress!
La Isla Magazine. Now we go to Mexico. Chuchi, what do you think the phrase “la carne de burro no es transparente / donkey meat is not transparent” means?
Chuchi. A/ (Laughs) I have no idea.
La Isla Magazine. Erik, what do they mean in Mexico with that phrase?
Erik. R/ Get away, you won’t let me see! Donkey meat is not transparent, in other words you make a better door than window! (Laughter).
La Isla Magazine. Let’s go with another phrase: “andar con el Jesús en la boca /walk with Jesus in your mouth”, what do you think it means?
Chuchi. A/ I think it’s like talking to Jesus, right?
Erik. A/ No, no, no! “Walking with Jesus in your mouth” means that you are very afraid or very scared of something (laughs).
La Isla Magazine. Chuchi, what would you think if they told you: “spe la bola/ the ball knows”?
Chuchi. R/ Maybe it is knowing some gossip.
Erik. R/ (Laughter) No, “sepa la bola / the ball knows” is like saying: “I have no idea”. For example, someone can ask: who dropped the ball?, to which one replies: “I don’t know, the ball knows.”
La Isla Magazine. We find that in Mexico they use the phrase “sepa la bola / the ball knows”, when a person does not want to get into trouble and has no one to blame. This phrase comes from the times of the Mexican Revolution, which is very interesting. To end this round, Chuchi, what do you think the phrase means: “estar hasta las chanclas / to be up to your flip-flops”?
Chuchi. R/ To have nothing?
Erik. A/ (Laughter) No, “estar hasta las chanclas / to be up to your flip-flops” means being “bien pedo / drunk as a skunk” or “very intocicated.”
La Isla Magazine. Thank you for this fun question session. Now, we want to know a little about the traditions of your countries. Let’s talk about coffee, a drink that many Latinos identify with. What does this drink represent in Mexico and Cuba?
Chuchi. A/ In Cuba, coffee is like an icon, because of the crops that were planted before the Revolution. Currently, there are many Cuban coffee beans that are very famous and worth a lot of money. I usually have my cup of Cuban coffee from time to time because it is super rich, the flavor is very pleasant. Cubans cannot miss coffee. I don’t like to drink coffee so often; I don’t know how Cubans can drink so many cups of coffee a day.
Erik. A/ In Mexico it is traditional to drink coffee at wakes when someone has passed, but it is also a drink that is widely used to start the morning or during the day to give energy.
La Isla Magazine. What is the favorite typical food of each country?
Chuchi. A/ Well, in Cuba we have the typical food which is rice, roast suckling pig, fried plantain and yucca.
Erik. R/ Tacos cannot be missing in Mexico!
La Isla Magazine. And finally, Chuchi and Erik, rum or tequila?
Chuchi. R/ umn! Once I “pegué una peda / got completely wasted” with tequila that was not good (laughs).
Erik. A/ Chuchi “se puso hasta las chanclas / even wore flip-flops” (laughs). I prefer tequila.
La Isla Magazine. Thank you both very much for sharing this great moment with us. We Invite all our readers to be part of the Latin Music Fest at Shelter Cove Community Park, where they can enjoy a day full of flavor and good music.
To see the full interview, you can enter our YouTube channel and our website
www.laislamagazine.com