In the “comments” to my recent blogs both Cybernest and Jocelyn mentioned Llanito – the national patois (or maybe it’s a language) of Gibraltar. I have also referred to it in my blogs and today I thought I’d bring you the current regular column, ‘Calentita’, that appears in the Gibraltar daily newspaper ‘Panorama’ (see link section for access).Dr Joseph Garcia mentioned in his comments here on the Genoese of Catalan Bay that ‘Calentita’ is the national dish of Gibraltar. Well the ‘Calentita’ who carries on a regular conversation with her friend on the hot topics of the day on the Rock is with doubt also a “National Dish”.
About 15 years ago when I was recording an episode of “If It’s In The Press, It’s Got To Be True” I gave a copy of ‘Calentita’ to Lola Castaños to read out during the show. As her name suggests Lola is Spanish but speaks English fluently, indeed she teaches our language in school. She studied the script intently and then looked very puzzled. “I know all the words,” she said “but what does it mean?” Well that’s Llanito for you, a mix of Spanish and English but with a Gibraltar twist.
You might think that is challenging enough but to fully appreciate the ‘Calentita’ column you also need to know what’s happening on the Rock as it’s very topical. Anyway, have a go, and enjoy!
“EL CLAIM TO THE CAMPO, LA PATUCA THAT NEVER WAS Y UNA BONBILLA
Blimey when I heard that the Bishop was trying to regain lost ground, I thought que he had joined our campaign to claim the Campo de Gibraltar, porque let's face it, el Campo must have belonged to our Gibraltar when it was acquired.
Que agudo, mi querida Cynthia. I was less ambitious, y me crei que the claim was for the Neutral Ground.
Pues mira, our claim should start with el Neutral Ground, although I don't know como queda eso después del airport agreement.
No me hables del airport, que mira lo que se armo en el Parliament entre el Chief Minestra y el Picapiedra when a question about el airport was asked.
Verdad, hablaron de unos spherical balls and who had the biggest ones. Yo pense que estaban hablando de la patuca de la Caleta y cosas de esa, pero me puse mas colorada que un tomate cuando alguien me dijo que it was something else.
De colorao nada, my dear, mira lo que le paso a un tal Fava, según dijo el ex yanito Minister of Defence quite frankly.
Piano, piano, or should we say piani, piani?
Speaking about matters of defence, el Shoemaker has now upset al Oh!Bama, saliéndose de Kosovo at full speed.
A lo mejor es que se entero que Gibraltarian soldiers have been there, y le ha caido mal, who knows.
It shows que nosotros estamos con NATO and if the Spanish Governation is not, I imaginate que that gives us some Brownie points, verdad?
Claro que si. If I were the Chief Minestra I would invite Oh!Bama to visit us, lo mismo que Eisenhower did during the Second World War.
That would be a great idea, porque after la princesa we need a President to come here, porque no?
Como se entere el SinLuce le entra un patitu, valiente tío otra vez he has been attacking our Gibraltar.
Yo le mandaba una bonbilla para que se ilumine, y una copia our plan to claim the Campo de Gibraltar.
Oh well, cómprate un military helmet porque no vaya a estallar el Third World War. Ta, ta for now.”
