Pastel
Note: This page is a work in progress and is not yet done.
Disclaimer: When it comes to understanding the spanophone community anywhere it is important to situate the variety of Spanish which dominates that particular community, especially when there are a minority of Spanish speakers who do not share the same perspective on same words as the group in majority which holds the dominance. In the case of the spanophone community at Northwestern it is crucial to place its context within that of the Chicagoland area. Despite Northwestern being located in Evanston, IL, Chicago’s Latino immigrant population greatly influences the university’s approach to the Spanish speaking community. Chicago’s largest Hispanic/Latino demographic is made up of primarily of Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans. The university is a reflection of this as it displays a Mexican Spanish interpretation for all things regarding the spanophone community. Below is an example of this situation compiled by my personal experiences, coming from a Salvadorian background, as well as from the feedback collected from my consultants, also Northwestern undergraduate students, which come from Mexican and Dominican backgrounds.
Part of Speech
Noun
Pronunciation
pastel ['pa ss tel]
Description
“Pastel” can be translated to meaning cake. However, in Puerto Rican Spanish another word for cake is “bizcocho” which in Mexican Spanish refers to a females genitalia.
Usage
Pastel is most commonly used within the Latin American community to refer to the dessert in Latin American culture. Anyone can use it is not restricted.
Example Sentences
They finally served pastel at the birthday party. This tres leches ("three milks") pastel is really good.
Note: In order to convey the different interpretations of the word the example sentences and the caption of the image uses code switching between Spanish and English.
