Gringo potatoes

[Axixic]

Even on that site most of the posters say it came from "Green Go" which was to tell American soldiers who wore olive drab green uniforms to go home.

What I found the most interesting is the celebration of the Saint Patrick's Battalion, Irish conscripts in the U.S. Army who found out why the U.S. was fighting Mexico so they deserted and fought with the Mexicans. Mexico celebrates them every St. Patrick's Day with marching bands playing the bagpipes. Listen to them play Mexican music on bagpipes. Not bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsdNnPHqGug

[ddsack]

Great video, not what you'd expect to hear from bagpipes! Wish they had noted what town they were playing in.

As to the other, language is not static, uses and meanings change all the time, especially in young and mobile populations. If a group co-opts a formerly offensive term into daily usage, it soon loses it's sting and becomes just a generic descriptive term, which I believe is what has happened with "gringo", probably due to the highly profitable and transient tourist trade areas where it is a form of shorthand to class all non-Mexicans as gringos rather than to try to guess what country they are from, which is irrelevant as long as they bring money!

We made a brief trip to Ajijic a couple of years ago, what a great climate for growing gardens! You are very lucky and smart to live there.

[Axixic]

Dee, I think almost all the St. Patrick's parades are in Mexico City.

Here are more on YouTube as well as odes to the Irish leader of the battalion.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...battalion&sm=1

You are right about the Lake Chapala climate. I think that is the one reason I stay here.