Canutito learns el Procedimiento

La Grama Cuca estaba looking at the calendar una mañana after breakfast, and she flipped la página del calendario as she commented: “Hoy es a Cinco to Mayo.”

“What is so important about the Fifth of May, grama?” Canutito asked as he served himself otra bowlful de otemil.”

“Ay, m’hijo,” Grampo Caralampio remarked, joining the fray, “es un día muy importante.

“Don’t they teach you nada en la escuela? Es el Mexican Independence Day.”

La Grama Cuca glanced over de les dijo, “No it isn’t. El Día de la Independencia Mexicana isn’t hasta en September. It falls on September 16th.

“Oh, that’s right,” grampo said. “I forgot. Maybe we should call together una junta para anunciarles a los otros,” he smiled. “Falta que me hagan nominate para presidente.”

“I would nominate you para presidente, grampo,”

Canutito said.

“And just what you say para hacer esa nominacion, m’hijo?” Grama Cuca asked.

I would say: “Yo hago nominate a mi grampo to be the president,” he retorted.

“That’s not the way to do it, m’hijo,” Grama Cuca said. “Primero tienes que levantar la mano en la junta and announce: ‘Yo tengo el honor de postular en nombre de mi grampo para el puesto de presidente.’”

“That’s mighty fancy Spanish,” Canutito remarked. “I’m not even sure qué quiere decir.”

“Eso es como se habla en un junta, m’hijo,” Grama Cuca said. “That kind of language se llama ‘procedimiento parlimentario,’” she continued. “Es la manera de que todas las personas elegidas to an office have to speak, muy formalmente. It shows not only respecto para los elected officials pero también respect for the office que they are going to hold.”

“Pero just how do todas las personas en una junta know cómo suponen de hacer behave, grama?” Canutito asked her, un poco confuso.

“Hay unas reglas que se llaman ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’ que explican todo so that a meeting can run smoothly and not con todos arrebatando out of order,” said Grama Cuca.

“I think que we should have parliamentary procedures aquí en the casa también,” Grampo Caralampio said. “That way, we won’t be grabbing at everything cuando estemos comiendo at the table. Es bueno tener parliamentary procedures especialmente when we are hungry.”

“Bueno, grampo,” Canutito added: “Vamos a observar a las ‘Robert’s Rules of Order’ de ahora en adelante and we’ll run a toda la casa como un meeting and we’ll start con la cena, tonight.”

Esa tarde when it was time for dinner, el grampo y el Canutito sat down as soon as they entered a la cocina. Just as they were getting ready to eat, Grama Cuca said: “According to las ‘Robert’s Rules of Order,’ siempre es ladies first y los hombres have to remain en pie hasta que the lady sits down. Grampo and Canutito nada más se miraron at each other y esperaron.

Canutito estaba haciendo fuerza de observar the rules and so he asked, “Madam Chairman, ¿me puede pasar las papas por favor?”

“Sí, Señor,” she said, “The chair reconoce al Canutito,” y luego she passed him the potatoes, saying, “Ahora the chair recognizes al grampo.”

Grampo Caralampio said: “Yo quiero tortilla,” pero la Grama Cuca replied: “Motion denied.” So he said, “Yo hago una mucion that we adjourn esta junta right away.”

“Motion carried,” grama said, y se puso la tortilla on her own plate…