@ebrown p,
ebrown p wrote:There is also a "negro" (someone with dark skin; negro is simply Spanish for the color black and doesn't have the offensive weight it has in English), a "flaco" (someone who is very skinny) and a panzón (an older gentleman with a expanding gut).
I was brought up in European-American family. This took a little adjusting to.
It has made for some awkward moments for me too. It is oddly familiar to see people referred to by their physical characteristics. In Brazil if you are big and you are black you will be referred to as "negão" (big black) and I want to second your point about how common it is throughout Latin America to see people referred to by their race, hair color or some other physical characteristic without any intended offense.
