Criada

I was a peripheral part of a discussion on TOB. It began with a query about maids' wages, but also included some discussion of what to call a maid. This is actually a problem. If you look it up the first term that comes up is "criada." I remember being told a long time that this was not a good word. I said so and some brief discussion ensued. None of my research helped, so I wrote a good friend who is both Mexican and an academic linguist. He explained that the root of the word is "criar," to raise, as in a child. So?

In the old days of the haciendas campesinos were like serfs in feudal days. They would give their children to the landlords to be raised, criado, and those children would become servants, and the term for them became criados. It was, as my friend says, virtually slavery, and therefore the word is to be avoided.

Better choices are sirviente, or, what I like, ayudanta, or I sometimes use la mujer que limpia.

Anyway, thought it was interesting.

I say "mi assistante" because I didn't want to use "criada" either.

You are over-analyzing things. "Criada" is the standard Spanish word for "maid", an "asistenta" is a maid who does not live in the house.

Here's what my frind the linguist wrote:

Criada has a very bad bias. Like slavery. People being servants. Even living in the house most of the time. They are supossed to follow exact instructions without questioning. Criada refers to "criar" raise.

Historically poor people gave their child to rich people to be raised (criados). In exchange, they were servants.

ME: so it's the association with slavery that is a problem. My maid agreed that criada is not a good term.

I have always addressed my maid, gardener, pool guy, electrician, plumber, etc. by their first names as I wish them to also address me.

Agreed. That's what I actually do as well. Though I can't get them to use my first name.

I address the lady that works for me as, Don(y)a Fulana, and then she knows that a "shithouse request of a job", is coming.

Canada_Mike wrote:Agreed. That's what I actually do as well. Though I can't get them to use my first name.

That seems a little ironic in a country where so many are named Jesus.
Back in parochial school I was taught to bow my head each time I uttered the name "Jesus". I bet that would drive the locals crazy!

mattoleriver wrote: ...in a country where so many are named Jesus.
Back in parochial school I was taught to bow my head each time I uttered the name "Jesus".

Me too. Took me years to break that habit.

With the Spanish fondness for "Jesus" and the Islamic fondness for "Mohammed" I suspect in the MMA World we will one day have the "Battle of Heaven". It's Jesus versus Mohammed! Let's get ready to RRUUMMBBLE!

They battled for 700 years on the Iberian peninsula.....Jesus finally won.

I've never heard the word criada used locally.

But I've never used the word maid either, since I've never had one. Not here nor in the US. (I still think of "maid" as someone who lives in the house, cooks, takes care of children, maybe even wears a uniform....like Hazel on TV!)

I have had housekeepers, but that's a different words. These days I just avoid the topic and use a cleaning service.

Personally I wonder call helpers.. Remember if it's a job you you personally wouldn't  do yourself you shouldn't ask someone else to do it.

I understand not being able to do something because of disabilities.. But ask yourself would I have done this?

I always help even though I hire people unless I'm a hindrance to them.

Also my helpers/ workers, I refer to them by their names. Ask yourself would I do that job for that amount of money?

espíritu del lago wrote:Personally I wonder call helpers.. Remember if it's a job you you personally wouldn't  do yourself you shouldn't ask someone else to do it.

I understand not being able to do something because of disabilities.. But ask yourself would I have done this?

I always help even though I hire people unless I'm a hindrance to them.

Also my helpers/ workers, I refer to them by their names. Ask yourself would I do that job for that amount of money?

Disabilities?
Couldn't it also be lack of time, lack of expertise, work you could/would do but rather hire someone else, and other reasons.
I don't like cutting my own hair.

My then husband could fix pretty much anything on our car. As soon as we could afford it he began taking it to a mechanic. He would tell them what was wrong with it and what they needed to do to fix it. He happily paid someone to do something he was perfectly capable of doing himself because he could afford it and had so many other things to do. These things included relaxing and having some fun rather than working at something every waking moment of his life which he had been doing since he was 16.

The lady that takes care of my house, does it so much faster, efficiently, and effortlessly, than I could ever even imagine doing it.
Maybe with a lot of practice and experience, I could get there.  She even does windows. I never did windows.

Your post deserved 10 thumbs up Slainte. Sorry I could only give it 1.