EnglishisEasy/Elinglésesfácil

What? Food? Did you say food? There is not a direct translation of MICHU, MICHU in English.  MICHU, MICHU is the way we call cats in Ecuador, or at least in Guayaquil. Sure we have names for our cats but whenever we need their attention,  MICHU MICHU is what we say. In the USA, when you call a cat you say : "HEY, KITTY. KITTY, KITTY..." If you're uncertain, don't worry. Just put some tuna in your hands and say whatever onomatopoeia: regardless of what you say, the cat will come.

  Does it look like a Skeleton to you? A SKELETON KEY is basically a master key, one that has been modified or created to grant its possessor passage to all the rooms in a dwelling. The reason why it  is called a "SKELETON" KEY is due to its shape that somewhat resembles that of a skeleton. Well, at least it resembled a skeleton to those who used those keys.  In Spanish there is not an equivalent to SKELETON KEY, or Passkey as it is also called. But a Master Key is called LLAVE MAESTRA.

For one of those super hot afternoons! A GRANIZADO is an iced soft drink which initially was prepared with lemons or oranges but these days you can use pretty much any soft drink. In fact in some countries there are GRANIZADOS  made of coffee. All you need to prepare a GRANIZADO is crushed ice and a non-alcoholic beverage. In Guayaquil you can find GRANIZADOS everywhere, especially in our hot sultry afternoons. There are street vendors who go up and down the streets selling GRANIZADOS which are prepared with crushed ice and flavored drinks such as mint, strawberry, also fruit juice and even sodas. If the GRANIZADO is prepared with Mint or Strawberry liquor, you can even ask  your GRANIZADO to be topped by sweetened condensed milk. All depends on what the customer wants.  It is called Raspado de Granada or Granita in Spain, just Raspado in Mexico, and even Piragua in Dominican Republic. In Ecuador it remains just GRANIZADO and in English it would be SLUSH. Do not confuse with

"I have another with the words I Love Nicknames" SOBRIQUET is just another way to say NICKNAME. The original spelling of this word includes a U (SOUBRIQUET) but the pronunciation is the same. It is another example of a word that was taken from French and incorporated to the English bank of words. SOBRIQUET in Spanish is APODO or SOBRENOMBRE. There are differences though. NICKNAMES can be offensive, but SOBRIQUETS not necessarily. Another thing: SOBRIQUETS are never shortened forms of a name, e.g. Robert is the name and Bob, the nickname but not the SOBRIQUET. Finally, SOBRIQUETS take the shape of epithets. Here is an example of a SOBRIQUET: because of its vast cultural baggage, Cuenca is appropriately called "La Atenas del Ecuador". (The Athens of Ecuador).