And now they call me FAT

Among the things that I was reminded when arriving to South America (Argentina/Uruguay specifically) is that people call you fat to your face as the most common thing.  Like when you say to someone "oh, you got a haircut", well with the same non mean spirit people have told me "oh you've gotten ridiculously fat, your face looks like a ballon, good to see you."

Even though I was raised here and should know better, I was taken back the first few times my healthiness was pointed out to me.  Then I remember how when I was a kid, until I was 5 years old I was not simply fat but morbidly obese and went by the nick name of "fatso."  Kid you not, a true story.

I was so fat as a baby that when I was 6-7 months old and could not be bother to move (you make the Micheline baby move) my mother took me to our pediatrician extremely concerned.  She said (as she loves to tell this story to my friends) to the doctor: "he doesn't move, he doesn't do anything, not even follow me with his eyes, does he have down syndrome?" We are not even going to discuss the validity of that question as some of you might still wonder that, but the doctor said:" no ma'am, he's healthy, he's just really, really fat."

So I was also reminded of the strategy that ones take when people call you a blimp.  Few days after I was here I went to eat with some long lost friends (that upon seeing me commented how fat I was) and proceeded to not want to eat much saying :"well look at me, I am a rhino, I can't eat or I'll explode." Of course they went ahead to tell me how I am not really fat (duh!) just have a "full face" and I have "grown into my frame", blah, blah, blah.

All along I was laughing inside.

Bottom line: who cares? and exactly because that's the healthy attitude in most people in this parts of the world it's why they can look at you and say: "god, you are fat."