What it means to be Dominican?

Mr. Lu said:

I''m a Dominican who lives here...there are a few Dominicans on the board, they just don't post as regularly...

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You have indicated previously you are Dominican, and living on the island to boot?????:ermm:

No correcto.....

Mr. Lu said:

For you Dominican Yorks, Dominicans either born or raised in the US, what do you identify as Dominican?.

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Correction: "Dominican Yorks" was "invented" (by someone with wayyyy too much time in his/her hands, btw) for those Dominicans living in the 5 New York state boroughs......Even if MANY think that Dominicans living in ALLLLLLL 50 States are called like that.

Almost like saying: "I am going to visit my relatives in Santo Domingo", when in fact your relatives live in El Seybo and NOT in SD..

Being Dominican to me is loving and defending my nation NO matter how bad people say it is or how poor we are, being Dominican to me is getting that nervus and sentimental feeling when I feel the Plane touch down in AILA or STI, is loving Platano even if bitter, is loving my people even if they disfuncional, is loving that Barrio were I grew even if is falling apart, being Dominican is NEVER, NEVER allow anybody to disrespect that flag!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Being Dominican is holding your friend's hands or walking hugging your friend without being called PAJARA.
Is visiting somebody when they are about to eat and being offered food.
Is watching your neighbor's child without expecting pay.
Is having 10 cups of habichuela con dulce on your table in Semana /santa from 10 different neighbors or having 10 different plates on Christmas or New Year on your table.
Is to see how angry a neighbor will be if you do not call him at midnight when you had an emergency.
Is passing por el patio a plate of food to your neighbor.
Is waiting for the aguacate boy or woman in your house.
Is to laugh with the ROBA LA GALLINA in semana santa and the DIABLO CAJUELO.

I think this is more a question for the Dominicans outside of the DR, if you are Dominican living inthe DR, it doesn't make much sense to answer the question.

My list of Dominicaness;

1.I have a Dominican accent when speaking spanish/even though it a little neutral at times.

2.My parents came from the Dominican Republic.

3.I cook DOminican food.

4.I stay connected with the Dominican Republic/visiting, helping out friends and relatives.

cont...

Mr. Lu said:

... name 10 things that represent Dominicans, and Dominicaness.

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1. Music (merengue, bachata)
2. Baseball
3. Food (platanos, rice, beans, etc.)
4. People (friendly, warm)
5. Natural beauty (weather, beaches, etc.)
6. History (colonial times, buildings)
7. Rum, beer, cigars
8. Carnivals
9. Beauty pageant contestants/winners
10. Politics

One more

Entrepreneurs, especially Dominicans living in NYC.

cuas said:

Being Dominican is holding your friend's hands or walking hugging your friend without being called PAJARA.
Is visiting somebody when they are about to eat and being offered food.
Is watching your neighbor's child without expecting pay.
Is having 10 cups of habichuela con dulce on your table in Semana /santa from 10 different neighbors or having 10 different plates on Christmas or New Year on your table.
Is to see how angry a neighbor will be if you do not call him at midnight when you had an emergency.
Is passing por el patio a plate of food to your neighbor.
Is waiting for the aguacate boy or woman in your house.
Is to laugh with the ROBA LA GALLINA in semana santa and the DIABLO CAJUELO.

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Love your list. One more:
It is knowing that it takes a village to raise a child.

Then:

Our history
Our colonial architecture
Our sense of religion
Our language
Our food
Our friendliness
Our relationship (bad or good) with Haitians
Our merengue
Our palmeras
baseball

You are Dominican when...
You already KNEW the power of the incredible edible egg and is the rescue of all meals -
boil an egg and is a snack
Fry and egg and you can do wonders!
con platanos
con tostones
con maduros
con pan
con arroz blanco
con arroz de cualquier color
when re-heating any type of rice, throw an egg in there and automatically it becomes better
for breakfast
for lunch
for dinner
with aguacate (and then leave the room!)

Do you want things that only Dominicans do, get away with or THINK they do?

Example: Very straight men who wear VERY tight clothes and jeans that look like they should hurt?

Mr. Lu said:

Fair enough Cuas, those are characteristics of Dominicans, but what does it mean to be Dominican, what represents Dominicans? If I asked people on the board to name 10 things that represent Dominicans, and Dominicaness, would people be able to name 10 things? Granted baseball and booze would be top on the list, but what else? Here's an example in the US there are certain things that represent us, the Constitution, the Statue of Liberty, "hamburgers and hot dogs" apple pies and a host of other things, but can we come up with this for the DR? Please, only serious answers.

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Ten that I can think of at the moment:

Being Dominican means.....
Oscar de la Renta
merengue
Rafael Leonidas Trujillo
mangu
Casa de Campo
Sammy Sosa
Altos de Chavon
A-Rod
Punta Cana
Hermanas Mirabal

ahh what it means to be Dominican, well 1) Rum and Beer 2)Dominoes 3) Platano, aguacate yuca, huevo, salami!! 3) friendliness 4) hangin with neighbors and sharing, 5)cannabalization of vehicles(make them work no matter how old!) and well unfortunately 6) Politics. Oh! and 7) Language, culture and slang!

To be Dominican

1. To know all the corruption going on around you and do nothing about it
2. To have no participation in government decisions
3. To have a president that travels around the world with a long list of so called "delegates" spending millions on private flights and luxury dinners and claiming we need more taxes and cannot afford to pay for public education
4. To see politicians sell out your fatherland, your goods while you drink a beer at the colmado
5. To have 2 parties always in power, each just waiting to climb aboard the grand theft of the dominican people
6. To know what 50% interest rates are like, to understand true destruction of purchasing power and to know it will happen again and still we are in the colmado drinking beer....
7. To have a completetly destroyed public transportation system while politicians travel in the most luxurious gas guzling "jeepetas"
8. To have laws in our constitution that can be broken by the president,the ministers, but not by anyone else
9. To have so many high rises worth US$1MM or more per apartment built with drug, tax evation, and all ways of illicit forms of money, some use drugs and metal to be constucted, and what do you know, there is always a politician with a couple of properties in these super luxury towers.
10. To live with this every day and still have the energy to go to work, keep your mouth shut and be a pendejo.

cuas said:

Being Dominican is holding your friend's hands or walking hugging your friend without being called PAJARA.
Is visiting somebody when they are about to eat and being offered food.
Is watching your neighbor's child without expecting pay.
Is having 10 cups of habichuela con dulce on your table in Semana /santa from 10 different neighbors or having 10 different plates on Christmas or New Year on your table.
Is to see how angry a neighbor will be if you do not call him at midnight when you had an emergency.
Is passing por el patio a plate of food to your neighbor.
Is waiting for the aguacate boy or woman in your house.
Is to laugh with the ROBA LA GALLINA in semana santa and the DIABLO CAJUELO.

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I like

calmonte said:

1. To know all the corruption going on around you and do nothing about it
2. To have no participation in government decisions
3. To have a president that travels around the world with a long list of so called "delegates" spending millions on private flights and luxury dinners and claiming we need more taxes and cannot afford to pay for public education
4. To see politicians sell out your fatherland, your goods while you drink a beer at the colmado


Calmotne, Welcome to American. lol you think it's much different aany place else ? not so my friend , the grino's are just better at hiding it. Good luck
5. To have 2 parties always in power, each just waiting to climb aboard the grand theft of the dominican people
6. To know what 50% interest rates are like, to understand true destruction of purchasing power and to know it will happen again and still we are in the colmado drinking beer....
7. To have a completetly destroyed public transportation system while politicians travel in the most luxurious gas guzling "jeepetas"
8. To have laws in our constitution that can be broken by the president,the ministers, but not by anyone else
9. To have so many high rises worth US$1MM or more per apartment built with drug, tax evation, and all ways of illicit forms of money, some use drugs and metal to be constucted, and what do you know, there is always a politician with a couple of properties in these super luxury towers.
10. To live with this every day and still have the energy to go to work, keep your mouth shut and be a pendejo.

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It's no different in the good old USA, we're just better at hiding it. Good luck

US born and raised, Dominican mom -- didn't grow up around many Dominicans (except for my close relatives) and still these things are like 2nd nature.
-respecting and taking care of our elders
-saying "Bendicion tia, mami o papi" no matter how old you are
-perform the sign of the cross when you pass by a church
-to eat habichuelas con dulce during Easter
-to be met with excitement every time you arrive in the DR (even though this is your 4th trip this year).
-to be treated like a sibling by all of your friends
-to have everyone that visits you (in DR) show up with fruits, platanos, food, limoncillos (all the things they know you like)
-to have your friends and relatives want to clean & cook every time they visit (even in the states)
-to always send you a birthday card (to the USA) even though they are dirt poor
-to dance to the old merengues
-to have your aunt always stuff your bag with queso de geo and now you have to wash your clothes
-menthol ayy menthol (vivaporu)
-morir sonando and a ham n melted cheese sandwich for breakfast
-a midday snack -ensalada de aguacate con aceite y vinagre
-white rice wiith ketchup (when i was a kid)
-el sancocho de la Tia Fresa
-Mamajuana
-Majarete for Christmas
-galleticas Martin
-Nuezmocada in your coffee

And to answer your questions: Some people are definitely more Dominican than others (especially more than me).
For example those that live in the country and how about Dominican politics (something I will never involve myself with).
You can't buy or sell being Dominican. You have to live the culture, the day to day life to be it, understand it.
Being Dominican is something either in your upbringing or picked up from your surroundings.

Things you should know how to do if you are a real Dominican:

1 - To peel a coconut
2 - to peel a green plantain
3 - to peel sugar cane
4 - to peel a pineapple
5 - to peel casaba ( yuca)
6 - how to freeze water in plastic bags
7 - to drink water and coffee in aluminum cups
8 - to spend hours every day seating on a plastic chair under a shady tree playing Dominoes
9 - spend time on the streets socializing with people on a daily basis
10 - going to 'El colmado' every day for your groceries
11 - to have conversation with other people when taking a ride on public transportation vehicle

Sh**t !!! I know so many things that make us Dominicans different than the rest of the people around the world!

JJ

Bachata,I do all of the above; I think I am 100% Dominicano