What would you think “the gringo way” means in Chile? Would you guess that it means not wearing any underwear?
One of the more mysterious phrases I hear in Chile is “andar a lo gringo” which is roughly, “to go the gringo way.” This common expression means to go without wearing any underwear, it’s what in the US we would call “going commando” or “free-balling.” I have no idea how this phrase came to be, but it is an odd thing to hear associated with my country.
This phrase leads to being asked some funny questions. Chileans want to know, “Do people go not wear their underwear a lot in the US?” “How often would you say people typically wear underwear?” Or my favorite, “Why don’t gringos wear underwear?”
See this for a great story about the phrase andar a lo gringo in action.
Pelo de choclo 