It’s not a foreign concept to my
person, as my appearance betrays me. I’m referring to that of being considered
a tourist in an island, where the typical stereotype of a foreigner is associated
with that of a wondering white blonde with blue eyes. Apparently I fit the bill
of a typical “gringo”, which is ironic since I’m completely Puerto rican from
my mother’s side and Cuban and Spanish from my dad’s side.
Nonetheless, I had to prepare my
performance to be able to encompass the role of a complete “gringo” to actually
be "othered" by my own people without their knowledge. Luckily I live near the Condado
area, which is probably the epitome of “touristy locations” in Puerto Rico
after Old San Juan, so picking my location was easy. I chose my character to be
that of a backpacking American who just woke up and went to Pinky’s in front of
la concha (since I frequent the one near the hospital) to get some breakfast. I
wore flip flops, shorts, a white t-shirt and brought a backpack that was
extremely full, with Off and
sunscreen on each side of the backpack. It would be an interesting experience
as they usually are very lenient and careless when they treat locals, I was
curious to
When I
arrived I entered as if I had never seen a sandwich place, appearing to be completely
estranged to the notion of ordering a sandwich at Pinky’s. With loud
exclamation, the girl at the cash registers quickly called to me: “Excuse me,
over here sir!. I approached and asked the woman for a menu, and read the menu in
front of her. I could hear some giggles from the kitchen, I assumed it
pertained to my appearance of my lack of knowledge. I continued to implore with
an intrigued yet frightful face about what were “maduros” and what did the
sandwich “porno surfer” consist of. At this moment the woman told me if I’d
like to sit down, she was very kind about it. She laughed at the porno surfer
question, but she was very calm when explaining how it just included more meat,
thankfully the menu was written in English, or this conversation might have
taken forever. I just gazed out and through the window overhearing what the
people in the kitchen were saying in spanish. At one point I overheard someone
say something about “maduros” and the word gringo following thereafter, which
was kind of condescending (even if this was an act, I felt empathy toward the
casual tourist). Next when the waitress brought me my sandwich I asked about some
words I heard a homeless person yell out to a cyclist (obviously I masked my Puerto
rican accent). These were insults mostly, but I acted as if I was faintly able
to remember them, she kindly acceded to translate, but she did soften one or
two of the words (probably trying to not scare me from the Puerto rican people).
Side note, while I was eating a local walked in and sat down and nobody came to
him for at least 5-6 minutes, which was a little bothering since I was given
attention quickly, but I remained quiet as I needed to continue my character. After
I was finished with my food I asked for the check, she kindly brought it over
and after I had paid she recommended that I should go to Old San Juan, la ventana,
el Yunque and to Flamenco beach if I was feeling more adventurous. I thanked
her for her kindness and said: “adios” in a crushed up Spanish.
In the end
it just seemed like a very hypocritical experience as I’ve been approached by
others as if I were a tourist, but I usually correct them. This experience was
enlightening to see that even though it seems that tourists are treated well,
they can be “babied” in a way that sets them apart and in some regards made a
joke of without their knowing, this being evident by the previously mentioned
term: “gringo”. All in all, it was a good meal and a fun experience.
Pinky's:
Sort of what I looked like:
Pinky's:
Sort of what I looked like:
Nice job. The way it was written makes it sound like you are right in front of me telling a story. I agree tourist are "babied" because we assume their lost or misinformed and that they don't know anything. Underestimating like that can be hurtful and hypocritical. The journey was short, but you played the part well with the way you dressed and acted and learned a lot it seems.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, tourist are often babied, I've noticed in some videos of American tourists in international places. Sometimes it is as you've said, to make the people seem more approachable than they would be if they acted like jerks and to maintain the picture of a tourist friendly atmosphere; Often times its also done in fear of offending said tourist. It is sad that sometimes better service is offered to tourist in an effort to get a good review from an "outsider" who will most likely not be able to come back again rather than offer as good a service to locals who have every opportunity to come back.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post from your day as a tourist. It was a fun read. I agree with you when you say that tourist are usually babied and sometimes get made fun of. Many times I've heard that in places where tourists go frequently they are treated better than the locals, just because people want them to leave with a good impression. I concur with Eva, locals should be offered a good service because they are the ones who have every opportunity to go back.
ReplyDeleteI think you did an awesome job going to Pinky's for this assignment, I go frequently and I always see tourists over their. I also liked how you felt welcomed and respected, made me proud of the people who work their. From all of it, it caught my eye the other tourist that had a long waiting which happens most of the time. Tourists deserve a good service for them to enjoy their trip and tell others about it.
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