October 15, 2005
Restaurant Name Stirs Trouble
There is a vinyl banner displaying the words "El Carajo" in front of a new restaurant in West Miami. The banner has been hanging for three weeks, but come Monday the owners will get a fine of $250 a day if it does not come down. West Miami residents are angry, because the word is most commonly used in a saying to mean "go to hell." It's also listed in some Spanish dictionaries as male genitalia. The owners argue that carajo is not a curse word, rather a 15th century term for a crow's nest on a ship. Yolanda Aguilar, West Miami City Manager said it best in Saturday's Miami Herald, ''That's not what my dictionary says." We took the liberty to drive by during lunch and El Carajo was packed. If they continue to draw that kind of business owners might just pay the fine and cash in on the buzz.
Photo Credit: J.R. Biersmith