My Friend Diego
Alex was shopping at the local market yesterday trying to find some fresh vegetables for his dinner that night. The market is in the neighborhood, and it is not one of the giant, national, big-name stores. It is a small store with only a few locations around Los Angeles. Alex likes these types of markets so much better than the super stores because there are real people running them.
Alex knows the guy that runs the fruits and vegetables section at the market. His name is Diego, who was born in Tijuana, Mexico, about 120 miles from Los Angeles. Diego always lets Alex know what is a good buy at the market. “Hola Diego,” Alex said in Spanish. “Hey Alex, how are you,” he answered in English. This happens every time Alex talks to Diego. Alex speaks to him in Spanish, and Diego answers in English.
Spanish is spoken a lot around L.A. The city has the largest population of Mexicans anywhere in the world, except Mexico City. Alex likes to show Diego how much Spanish he knows, and Diego also wanted Alex to know how much English he knows. It’s so funny to hear a conversation like this. They sometimes get strange looks from people.
Today, Diego got some beautiful oranges. They were big and plump, and were at the right price, too. “These are great, Alex. You will like them very much,” said Diego. Alex responded with “Muy bueno, Diego,” which means “Very good, Diego.” He also told Alex about some tasty cucumbers they had today, and Alex ended up buying a few of those too. When Alex left, he said, “Buenas tardes, Diego,” which is a Mexican farewell phrase, and Diego said, “See you soon, my friend.”
