Culture Clash: What does weight mean?

x-posted at my livejournal:

I just HAD to record this conversation (and remember this is all taking place in Spanish):

Today I was sitting on a very, very tiny child's chair today at the day-care for mentally disabled children and one of the employees looked at me and said, out of the blue: "Sarita, I like your thighs."

There was a long, long pause, as I tried to sort out what I had just heard. "What?"

"Your thighs."

Awkward smile. "I don't understand. My thighs?"

"Yes!"

I looked down at my jeans. My legs looked like...legs. Normal. "...what about them?"

"I like them."

"You like my thighs. Um. Why?"

She beamed at me. "Because they are so big and round! My thighs are so skinny, it's terrible. I wish I had thighs like yours."

"Uh, thank you? You know, in my country, it's much better to have thighs like yours. Only skinny is pretty."

"Fat isn't pretty??????"

They were truly surprised. Now granted, being huge isn't attractive here, but there is definitely the mindset that a little meat on your bones is a good thing. This is why, when I first arrived in Ecuador, my host family used to exclaim: "Eat more! You're too thin, you look sick!" and months later, when they saw me again and I had gained at least 10 pounds, everyone had to say: "You gained weight! You're mas gordita! How wonderful!" and pinch my stomach.

(And here I'm inserting the obligatory clarification: I am not fat, or overweight. I am a nice, normal size, which in America means I could stand to lose 10 pounds, but in Ecuador means I'm skinny as hell. Except, I guess, for my thighs.)