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Criada

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Post by Canada_Mike Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:43 am

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.
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Post by JayBear Wed Feb 21, 2018 12:15 pm

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

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Post by Ricardo Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:43 pm

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.

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Post by Canada_Mike Wed Feb 21, 2018 2:53 pm

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.
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Post by kiko Wed Feb 21, 2018 5:30 pm

I asked the people in my employment what their preference was. They each asked to be called by their first name and I have done so for the last 11 years. At times that may confuse my gringo friends but that is their problem. I don't try to explain it. My employees are happy and that is what matters.
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Post by CanuckBob Wed Feb 21, 2018 6:19 pm

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

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Post by Canada_Mike Wed Feb 21, 2018 8:03 pm

Agreed. That's what I actually do as well. Though I can't get them to use my first name.
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Post by slainte39 Wed Feb 21, 2018 11:37 pm

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. lol!

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Post by mattoleriver Thu Feb 22, 2018 11:59 am

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!
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Post by Axixic Thu Feb 22, 2018 3:47 pm

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!
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Post by slainte39 Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:25 pm

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

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Post by Rosa Venus Thu Feb 22, 2018 9:24 pm

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. Very Happy
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Post by espíritu del lago Fri Feb 23, 2018 7:47 am

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?
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Post by slainte39 Fri Feb 23, 2018 10:24 am

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.

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Post by Lady Otter Latté Fri Feb 23, 2018 11:39 am

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.
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Post by slainte39 Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:02 pm

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. Very Happy  She even does windows. I never did windows.

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Post by ferret Fri Feb 23, 2018 6:21 pm

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