It's Peru, Baby.

Today the family remembered the twentieth year anniversary of the passing of Tito’s grandmother by attending a special mass at seven am. By 8:30 we were back at the house, scoffing a special breakfast of pork, fresh cheese, olives and garbanzos, and listening to Tito’s uncle (nickname: Pig). He certainly likes to talk. As usual, it was tough for me to follow the jokes and racy stories, disappointingly, as they were met with much laughter. Occasionally Tito or his sister Perla translated for me. Sometimes I wish they hadn’t... “He’s talking about his cousin, who had to go to the doctor about his prostate gland. The doctor, a large man with big hands, told him he’d have to have a rectal examination. ‘Oh no!’, exclaimed his cousin, ‘I’m going to lose my second virginity!’. Anyway, the doctor snapped on some plastic gloves and inserted his thick middle finger. Twisting it around, he asked ‘What do you feel?’. ‘That I love you!’ cried his cousin!”. Everyone found this highly amusing. It must all be in the telling, I reckon. I couldn’t help but think how this joke would be met in England, at a gathering under the same circumstances. Perhaps somewhat differently, methinks. An interesting cultural note – in Spanish ‘dirty’ jokes are known as ‘green’ jokes, and this term totally lacks the negative implications of the English designation.