Mind your language

[John Arton]

First trip to sea (a tanker, 11 months) all the crew were Spanish and working with them all the time soon got a good working knowledge of Spanish and afterwards used to spend leaves in N. Spain with them for free. Great bunch of lads and that Spanish came in very handy except when I tried speaking Spanish to a stunner in Portugal, she slapped me across the face and told me in almost perfect English did I not know the difference between Spanish and portugese.
Felt quite humble after that.
rgds
JA

[leratty]

Paying for rounds in foreign climes, many of you would recall the 'shacks' in B.A. where BSL would come alongside? Well one of them as they knew us having been on the coast for 9 months would let us run a tab & pay with cheque at end of time there, seriously! Funny thing is as far as I know no one dudded him either.

[Louis the Amigo]

Hi shipmates, As seaman we can talk/communicate to anyone in every part of our world, for our needs were simple? and knew by everyone in every port. Hi John Gill done many { Tarpaulin musters'} in my time, Have not hear that one in years nice one.

[John Albert Evans]

I guy I worked with in the insurance business was ex RN and told the story of going into a Spanish port and the skipper announced over the tannoy for anyone speaking spanish.My pal went up to the bridge to report for interpreter duty.When they were coming alongside he was told to tell the shore hands to take the mooring line so he shouts across"hey,you on shorio takio ropio"Was thrown of the bridge and got jankers
john sutton

John, what memories you stirred, I actually witnessed that, HONESTLY. In BA on a tanker, I was galley boy. Ive got a photograph of the bloke who said somewhere. He was an AB from Preston, Lancashire. He wasn't on the bridge but on the poop deck and we were tieing up opposite the three bars, Tankers Joes, Mira Flores (Not quite sure thats spelt right) and the American Bar. Tanker Joes is very well known to all Eagle Oil and Shell tankermen who went to BA in the 1950s. I'll dig the photo out and put it on here. Well well well. An urban myth destroyed for once. Hooray.
Jophn Albert Evans

[Keith at Tregenna]

Mind Your Language (Season 1) Episode 03 [A Fate Worse Than Death] Before the PC Brigade:

British Comdey (1977-1979), ITV TV Series Mind Your Language. [Ranjeet asks Mr. Brown for help to escape an arranged marriage.]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgk3pWrnUY

[cappy]

tanker joes now that was a seamans bar went on a shell tanker .....avery long bar and birds in the back room .......bodies flaked out along the jetty....oh to be young again ....ba boots leather jerkins ...steaks bigger than a horses saddle with eggs and chips and fresh milk regards cappy

[Jim Brady]

When my son was cadet I dont know if it was on his CV that he could speak Spanish,he actually had an O.Level in Spanish.They were in some port and there was two Spanish guys at the top of the gangway looking for a job and nobody could move them.Go and get the cadet said the captain he speaks Spanish.My son arrived at the gangway and was told of the situation and to get rid of them,in his best Spanish he called out Vamoose Vamoose and off they went!!!
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Jim Brady]

tanker joes now that was a seamans bar went on a shell tanker .....avery long bar and birds in the back room .......bodies flaked out along the jetty....oh to be young again ....ba boots leather jerkins ...steaks bigger than a horses saddle with eggs and chips and fresh milk regards cappy

Cappy we used to say "Beefy de lomo completo" and we got the works as you say.Any good Spanish speakers on here that can tell us what we were saying.What ever it was we said we were understood and got the giant steak with the trimmings.
Regards.
Jim.B.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Eating Bife de lomo in Buenos Aires:

Argentinan steaks are famous throughout the world. See this video of how to eat 100 % meat in an Argentinian Steak House.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsS1rO_XMB0

[john sutton]

translation of lomo is "back"
On my trips to BA we used to ask for "biffo y wavos y papafritas".If they asked how we wanted the steaks cooked we were buxxered.