How to say Chubby in Spanish using a Water Jug
Picasso's botijo, museums and its hidden meaning
Estás como un botijo
You are chubby like a botijo
Overindulging on fried tapas and tinto de verano or like in the cartoon above pizza, can lead to la gente unkindly whispering behind your back: “Se está poniendo como un botijo.”
The botijo, the round unglazed earthenware water vessel, a remnant of times past (with origins in Mesopotamia) is an engineering feat that actually cools the water up to 10 °C through evaporation. Essentially, it's like a portable, upside-down water fountain. You drink by pointing the pitorro (spout) towards your mouth, tilting the botijo over your head, and letting the water stream into your mouth from above. Easier said than done.
Botijo-like vessels are now a cool emblem of our country and its communal traditions. You can find a myriad of overpriced modern ones in the USA, UK and Spain.
As you already know, water in Spain is a treasured resource that appears in a multitude of receptacles from the ornate búcaro to the prosaic street fountain, with the botijo being the most primitive one.
Despite its renaissance in stylish shops and boutique hotels, owning one once carried clear socio-economic implications:
A father asks his son:
“Hijo bring me the botijo.”
The son responds:
“Why Papa are we moving?” (no accent needed in this pronunciation)
So yes, gente bien, or those pretending to be, would have rather died than be seen using it.
Any casual observer can easily imagine what all these varieties lead to: the elusive erotic specimen, mostly found in the treasure trove that is todocoleccion.
If you want to indulge in admiring this marvel in its many permutations: zoomorphic, glazed, made out of porcelain, three-spouted, etc. you need to get out off the tourist routes and head to the province of León to the town of Toral de los Guzmanes-a tiny place with more botijos (3000) than people (499). The second one and more accesible is in Argentona, near Barcelona, El Museu del Càntir, the only museum dedicated to the vessel.
La Casa de los Botijos in Plaza Redonda in Valencia, a store run by the same family since 1860 is fun place to rummage through a wide array of Spanish ceramics.
Any casual observer can easily imagine what all these varieties lead to: the elusive erotic specimen, mostly found in the treasure trove that is todocoleccion.
Botijos can cost anywhere from €12 to €20,000 - yes, that’s the price tag on Picasso’s version, which the French refer to as a pichet à glace. A subtle stab in the back in the ongoing cultural tug-of-war over Picasso’s legacy.
For true designer magic, seek Javier Mariscal’s gems, best known for creating the Barcelona Olympics mascot Cobi (for culinary geeks he also illustrated the classic cookbook 1080 Recetas de Cocina by Simone Ortega), priced at a not exorbitant €280 and are available in different hues.
Botijos can be both charming and useful in rural homes providing hours of entertainment for the little ones or even overseas guests. And remember this expression is best used with amigos intímos with viperine tongues about others and never to their face.
Next week: How to Tie your Dogs with Sausages?
can we have a t-shirt ?
Loved this! Thank you. And, funnily enough, seconds before seeing your post, I had been looking up the difference between a porrón and a botijo!