Uruguayan Culture

Gestures

• I don't know- brush your chin with the back/top of your fingers
• Fast- shake your hand and make your index finger clap against your other fingers
• F*** you- the American sign for ok, your thumb and index finger make a circle and your other fingers stand up 

Food

• Empanadas- hot pockets with meat, usually beef or ham and cheese

• Arroz con leche- rice pudding, it's a common dessert
• Yogurt- liquid and more like sweet milk than the thick yogurt in the States
• Milk in a bag- milk comes in a bag here
• Chivito- beef, bacon, ham, mozzarella, a fried egg, lettuce, and tomato on a bun

• Mayonnaise- it's a big deal here
• Gnocchi- noodle balls traditionally eaten at the end of the month because they are cheap and easy to make once funds and food have run out
• Pancho- it's a hotdog, a regular old hotdog

• Pascualina- spinach pie with eggs in it
• Pizza- dough with sauce and mozzerella
• Torta frita- fried dough sometimes served with powdered sugar

• Alfajores- dulce de leche sandwiched between 2 cookies, can be covered in chocolate or rolled in coconut

• Dulce de leche- carmel 
• Bizcochos- pasteries that can be sweet or savory
• Maté- green tree special to the area

• Asado- bbq

Greeting

• Chau- bye
• Kissing- everyone kisses each other next to one cheek (normally the right)
• Greet each individual- it's rude not to individually greet everyone in the group
• ¿Cómo anda?- commonly asked right before kissing

Language

• LL or Y- they pronounce this sound more like a combinations of /sh/ and /j/ 
• Vos- you, "sos" is the vos form of ser
• Acá- here
• Muchachos- you're an adolescent until 30 so even in college you're a kid

Clothing

• Platform shoes- They're right out of the early 2000's 

• Scarves- Uruguay cold is not cold, but they bundle up anyways. Scarves are common even when it's warm outside
• Shorts- Girls don't usually wear shorts unless they are going to the beach. I wore mine to school and other places, but I definitely stood out.
• Ball caps- Girls don't wear these hardly ever. Again just be prepared to stand out and pay higher prices at the ferias.

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