¿Qué pasa, U S A?
This was one of my favorite programs growing up. It showcased what life was like for Cuban-Americans living in Miami in the late 70s. The bilingual nature of the program also helped me learn a lot of Spanish idioms and vocabulary. I am so glad there is a place online where I can see some of these old episodes.
¿Qué Pasa, U.S.A.? is America's first bilingual situation comedy, and the first sitcom to be produced for PBS. It was produced and taped in front of a live studio audience at PBS member station WPBT in Miami, Florida and aired on PBS member stations nationwide. The program explored the trials and tribulations faced by the Peñas, a Cuban-American family living in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, as they struggled to cope with a new country and a new language. The series was praised as being very true-to-life and accurately, if humorously, portraying the life and culture of Miami's Cuban-American population.
--Source: Wikipedia
Watch the first episode and tell me what you think.
11 Answers
Caminar con los codos - ser tacaño - muy divertido!
Gintar, thank you for this great link. The spoken Spanish parts are pretty clear and easier to understand than a lot of soaps, and would make a great recomendation for us who are trying to get from being able to read reasonably well to hear and speak better.
Speaking of which, what does the friend say just after "cheap" - un poco (algo) raro or algo que suena parecido?
Gracias,
J
PS, You had to like this, too, "El grupo (or did he just say group) de los coolisimos!"
What in the name of Sam Hill does it mean ," Caminar con los codos "
Walking on ones elbows but how does that translate as being stingy?
The best explanation I have heard for the origin of this idiom:
Generally, your elbow is pretty sensitive. If you get hit on the elbow, the thought is that you let go of whatever you were holding in your hand, including money. However, if you are cheap/stingy then you must have rough elbows because you're not letting go of the money when someone hits you there. To get the rough elbows, you must have had to walk on them frequently to build up calluses.
Speaking of which, what does the friend say just after "cheap" - un poco (algo) raro or algo que suena parecido?
Un poquito agarrado. - Basically the same thing as "tacaño".
Thanks for the info! I've never heard of it before, and I grew up in the States. I don't have time to watch any episodes right now,but I bookmarked it so I can go back later on and watch them. I grew up in Los Angeles so I've been exposed to the Mexican accent mostly, it will be fun to hear how different it is from the Cuban accent. These are great learning tools!
This is awesome. ¡Qué guay! Exactly like what I've been looking for. Muchas gracias.
They spoke a little too quickly for my ability.
What in the name of Sam Hill does it mean ," Caminar con los codos "
Walking on ones elbows but how does that translate as being stingy? 
but thank you so much it is vey interesting, and in time it will be a great learning tool,
as well as entertaining.
Gracias por el enlace, me gustó mucho ese episodio. Me encanta la expresión "Caminar con los codos".
Very interesting!
I'm still only able to catch a few phrases here and there though 
When is this show from?
Thanks...bumping this up for others to see!
I watched several episodes last night. I really enjoyed them and loved the confusion between the languages that sometimes occurs because the children are fluent...but not quite. Plus, it's nice to be exposed to the Cuban accent...I could barely understand the Spanish at all.
Is agarrado always an adjective?
