What is duffel bag?

What Does duffel bag Mean

Petate is a notion that comes from a Nahuatl word ( petlatl ). It is a kind of mat or carpet that is usually made by hand in Mexico and in various Central American countries. The mat is woven with the fibers of a plant whose scientific name is Leucothrinax morrisii .

The mats are usually rectangular and large enough for a person to lie on their surface. Typically, the duffel bag is placed on the ground when the subject wishes to rest and, for the rest of the day, it remains in storage (usually in the form of a roll).
Although its shape is usually square, the duffel bag can be made in different sizes. Palm fibers are used to make it , the same material that is used to make toys, masks, baskets, hats, dolls and handicrafts (called duffel bags to distinguish them from the rest). In some regions where temperatures are very high, the duffel bag is used for sleeping outside.

To this day, due to the large number of people who have emigrated in search of new job opportunities, less than a third of the artisans who made this product continue to do so. It is important to note that the manufacture of a duffel bag requires hard work, which consists of following the following steps:
* cut the reed or palm leaves in the desired quantity for the total product;

* leave them in the sun to dry, on a flat surface to avoid arching;

* once the sheets have dried, it becomes necessary to choose the most suitable ones to begin the weaving process;

* Optionally, it is possible to dye the leaves with pigments of vegetable origin. Although this is a purely aesthetic issue, it can increase the chances of sale, especially among tourists.
A duffel bag, however, not only serves as a bed or mat. On this fabric you can also expose various things that you want to dry with the sun's rays. In this way, if someone intends to dry grains or seeds , they can use a mat so they are not placed directly on the ground.
In many parts of Mexico, the petate is used to dry pumpkin seeds with the intention of eating them roasted once they have been dehydrated; the name given to the finished product is pumpkin seed , although in the north of the country it is known simply by the name of seed and it is sold on public roads.

The concept of backpack is also used, in informal language, to name the bags and suitcases or suitcases that a passenger carries on a trip. In this sense, duffel bag is equivalent to luggage .
For example: "The boy took his duffel and got on the train, heading for the unknown" , "Don't neglect the duffel bags that there are many robberies in this terminal" , "I arrived in the city with my duffel bags, looked for a hotel and, at few hours, I was already looking for work ” .
It should be noted that, in some countries , the verb petatear is used as a synonym for dying. This is because, in ancient times, the mat was used to cover the dead.
There is a long list of expressions and colloquialisms that use words from the petate family, such as the following: petate flare , which refers to an event or an emotion that lasted less than it promised, probably because they were not so deep or important as they seemed at first; smells like burnt mat , when it is perceived that someone is smoking marijuana; rolling the bag , which means moving , changing house .