Translate

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Tia Nosh



This is a completely frivolous blog entry, that will mostly be of interest to people who understand both Spanish and a little bit of Yiddish. There is a restaurant along the main highway in Guatemala, CA-1, also known as the Pan-American or Interamerican highway, on the stretch of road between Huehuetenango (the city), and Xela (i.e. Quetzaletenango), called Tia Nosh. 

The name has always made me chuckle, because as someone who speaks Spanish and who knows a little Yiddish, the name seems funny. Tia is the Spanish word for aunt. Nosh is undoubtedly a K'iche' equivalent or nickname for some female name in Spanish (I say this authoritatively because Posh is the K'iche' equivalent of Sebastian, so it stands to reason that Nosh is the K'iche' equivalent of a female name).  

So a Guatemalan would read this as Auntie So-and-So's restaurant. However, nosh is also a word in Yiddish. It means "to snack or nibble". 

As in, "I noshed on the leftovers." It is also a noun, referring to the snack itself. "Would you like a little nosh?" So, in my view, this is a perfect name for a roadside eatery: Auntie Snack.  I should add that I have never eaten at this restaurant. I am generally in a rush when I traverse this stretch of highway and unless I am really, really hungry I also don't like eating by the side of the road, especially with all the diesel fumes in Guatemala. So I cannot recommend the cuisine.

No comments:

Post a Comment