A public scolding, a dressing-down or embarrassing rebuke in front of others. In Venezuela and the Dominican Republic getting a boche means being called out loud and clear.

Venezuela's national dish: rice, black beans (caraotas), shredded beef, and sweet plantain slices. Pabellón isn't just food — it's identity on a plate. Every Venezuelan abroad feels its absence, and every homecoming starts with ordering one.

Black beans, the cornerstone ingredient of Venezuelan cooking. Without caraotas there's no pabellón, and without pabellón there's no national cuisine. They're seasoned with papelón (raw cane sugar) and cooked slow until creamy and irresistible.

A very skinny person, especially one with stick-thin legs. In Venezuela and Colombia, 'canilla' is a vivid, slightly teasing way to describe someone with a lean build — the image is of a leg that looks like a little rod. Often said with affection.