Machismo

While traveling, my companieros and I met a man from a town near the Brasil/Uruguay border, in the Pategonia. When he mentioned the name of the town, my colleague (also from the South near Uruguay) asked the man, "Are you gay?" "No, no!", the man proclaimed laughing. "I'm from 12 km south of the town. More laughter. I needed some translation. My friend explained that the man was from a town that was once famous and prosperous for cured meats. A company wanted to create the very best product in the world, so they hired a chef from Paris. A famous gaucho decided that from his flamboyant and demonstrative appearance, the Frenchman certainly must be gay. "The chef was not gay!"my friend insisted, "He was not gay! But since then, when you meet a man from this town, you must ask him if he is gay." "Hmmm. Perhaps it was the cowboy (gaucho) who was hiding a secret," I responded. Like John Wayne, the gaucho is an icon of machismo in the Pategonia culture. The gringo's attempt at humor to bridge a moment of cultural divide was received with much laughter. Phew! But then, I have spent a fair amount of time in Wyoming and Montana. BTW, the product wasn't successful and the once prosperous town's economy collapsed.