by Domnall Óg
Home >> British Chefs and German Lovers
A policeman (is it my imagination or are policemen REALLY getting younger?)...anyway… a policeman came up and asked us all our nationality. Europeans to the right, Rest of the World to the left. I thought he was organising a spontaneous football game or something. We, the Europeans, entered first. And after all the paperwork the civil servant told me it wold be about a year before I get my new card.
Talking of Europe, do you know what European paradise is ? I’ll tell you.
And European Hell?
In my country we don’t have identity cards. Only criminals have to give their fingerprints. If a policeman stops you in my country and you don’t have any identification he has to make a choice. Arrest you or let you go. To arrest you he must have some evidence that you have committed a crime. If not, you can take HIM to court (un juicio). He has no right to know your name or your address if you haven’t done anything wrong. The Spanish system seems the wrong way round to me.
Another thing that seems strange to me is Spanish Omellete—tortilla de patata. Don’t you ever get BORED with it? Everywhere I go there are these big, yellow chunks of omellete.
Actually, there are quite a lot of things I find odd about Spain:-
Pigs’ legs hanging in bars. All films on TV are dubbed Everyone talks at the same time. Traffic police have whistles. – Why? They’re in the middle of the road!!! You can’t miss them!! Children are allowed to be noisy in public. Bank workers don’t wear ties. TV adverts last an eternity. People live with their parents until they get married. People who don’t go to church give their children a First Communion. Old women with umbrellas are not seen as dangerous weapons. Shopkeepers ask the customers ‘Hola ¿Que hay?’—(Don’t they know? It’s THEIR shop!) Books are criminally expensive. Schoolchildren have so many extra-curricular activities.
You like ‘The Benny Hill Show’ !!!
Tell me. Why?
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Posted on http://www.weeklyletter.com at 2006-07-19 19:00:00 +0200
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Hello Dónal,
Yes, I think we are odd or are least we are different from what you are used to. What do you consider not odd or normal?
When I go abroad, there are also certain things that attract my attention. For example, I like Germany very much. I find Germans very polite, organized and calm people, but thats only my perception.
Regards,
Cristina
What do I consider normal? Er…er…Irish tourists?
:-))
Well, I have lived on the Iberian peninsula for almost 15 years so you shouldn’t take my observations too seriously. There must be plenty of things I like about Spain too! That will be another Weekly Letter maybe.
What you say about Germans being quiet is true, I think, about all north Eurpopeans. Whenever I visit my family I am struck by how quiet everyone is on public transport.
Hello Dónal,
You know, Spain is different and we, the Spaniards, are odd people but that’s part of our magic, isn’t it? There are hundreds of English and Irish men and women living in Spain, there must be a good reason for that.
We’re crazy, we talk at the same time not bothering to listen to the others remarks, but when that happens on a saturday or sunday morning in a crowded bar just before lunch, you realise how wonderful it is, it’s our way of enjoying life. We love parties, we celebrate religious festivities , praying? I don’t think so, singing, dancing, drinking alcohol, that’s our way of understanding religion, we’ve changed Catholic Church till it fits our interests, going to mass every sunday is too demanding, let’s just celebrate the important dates, baptism, communion, wedding…. just for the party!!!
There are so many contradictions in our culture that it’s difficult to mention them all!!! Some you will find them intriguing but acceptable, others will be just absurd from your point of view. One way or the other, you’ll never get bored if you try to understand us.
Bye,
Paloma
I loved this article!
It’s so true! If you think about all the differences between the homeland and the adopted homeland…it makes your head spin!
For me:
Eating hamburgers with a knife and fork
Smoking wherever and whenever you want, even in front of the
No-Smoking sign ( and I’m a smoker!)
Parking on the sidewalk
Littering in bars
Driving like there’s no tomorrow, more or less, like maniacs
Men wearing socks that are really “stockings” for women
Spanish jokes, when you finally figure them out, you are still trying to find the punch line!
GREAT ARTICLE!
Cristina, Germany isn’t as organised as you think. They try to LOOK organised, but, in the end, they make things even more complicated.
The Germans aren’t as calm and polite as you think, either. Do not trust a country that has caused two world wars. Do not trust a country whose citizens like to go raving in love parades or vandalise beautiful Spanish islands.
And Donal… the Germans aren’t as bad lovers as you think!
I know when to defer to experience!
I like Spain. I am happy here. There are just two things I can never get used to: the never-ending “sobremesa” and the the never-ending “adiós.”
The ‘sobremesa’ (chatting while playing with breadcrumbs after a meal) is intolerable! If God wanted us to talk over empty glasses S/He wouldn’t have invented pubs!
Paola,
After reading your post, I think that may be I got the wrong impression in my trips to Germany. Obviously, it is not the same visiting a country as a tourist than living there.
Anyways, there’s something about Germany I like…
Regards
Cristina
Very funny the letter!. You’ve gotten I started the day with a big smile!.
I like to answer some of the odd thing appears in the article and in comments because you need an explanation of a native.
Pigs’ legs hanging in bars., yes I prefer cut in a dish and with cheese.
All films on TV are dubbed, completely agree, that’s why Spanierds needs English teachers. I recommend to erase this comment in the letter.
Everyone talks at the same time, but it’s a Spanish’s gift!.
Children are allowed to be noisy in public, yes and the worst sometimes until 24.00
Bank workers don’t wear ties; yes to tighten with it!!! Because the EURIBOR has increased
TV adverts last an eternity, to have a nap
People live with their parents until they get married; take note because you live here!.
Gina I recommend you to put on the pajamas to end with sobremesa.
The worst for me is when we are in a plane to abroad and before the stop all the Spanierds are standing up.
Never forget: Spain is different!!!.
Hi Donal,
My office is just at the same building as the British Council in Madrid. My god!!! Queues and queues every morning. The poor people ( why most of them black or arab?) who are waiting at the street in Winter and Summer, because they are not allowed to enter the building until it is their turn. So, this must be an international rule…
Regarding other Spanish particularities, it makes me laugh, because seen with other eyes, it becomes more evident. Even being Spanish, I could add more things to your list:
To jump queues
To spit on the ground
To overrun and push to take a seat on the bus/train/metro
Littering everywhere, not only in bars, just beside a dustbin
I also think that happiness isn´t necessarily behind so much “fiesta�. Our climate has contributed very much to give us an open and vivid character and this leads in many cases to all of these contradictions. But despite all of this and much more, and don´t ask me why, how great it is being Spanish and living in Spain.
Regards, Marian
Hello, hello, hello. Great article.
Pigs’ legs hanging in bars. Ahh, nothing like black leg ham.
All films on TV are dubbed. Hey men! our actors need to work.
Everyone talks at the same time. Uhmm, really?. At any rate, we undertand us.
Children are allowed to be noisy in public. They are very happy, and noisy, yes.
Bank workers don’t wear ties. Me too.
TV adverts last an eternity. Oh, yes, It’s a big problem, TV adverts are cut for films, who wants to see films?.
People live with their parents until they get married. Why not?, are there another way?.
People who don’t go to church give their children a First Communion.
It’s not a joke, it’s a very problem for children, it’s an activity that make they friends, and our sons want to make it too.
Old women with umbrellas are not seen as dangerous weapons. Oh, I live in Las Palmas (Canary island) we haven’t this problem, when it’s raining, nobodies has an ambrella, everybody say: “Mierda, y el p… paraguas en casa”.
Shopkeepers ask the customers ‘Hola ¿Que hay?’—(Don’t they know? It’s THEIR shop!)
No, no, they ask, if the customer say the correct answer, they win a present like “un apartamento en Torrevieja Alicante, ó el coche”.
Books are criminally expensive. Books?, what is it?.
Schoolchildren have so many extra-curricular activities
NO, schoolchildren must be at school, for 8 to 22. Their parents must to go at Bingo, parties, cinema, etc..
All the best 4 U.
Children should leave home when they are eighteen and either get a job or go to a university far from their home town. How are they ever going to become mature, responsible adults otherwise?
If you can drive, kill for your country and marry, you can live on your own.
That’s why Spanish rock ‘n’ roll is so bad. You can’t sing about rebellion and then go home to your Mum. It just doesn’t work.
It’s right that Spain has a few shortcomings… but, have you ever compared them with those of your own country?. It is easy to criticise Spain, because Spanish people use to do it with its own country, they don’t use to hide their opinions about their country… If you want to make a criticism of Spain you should do first a comparison with what your own country does, without hiding the reality. That’s what the major of those countries called well organized done. Spain isn’t more unorganized than England or France… all of us have suffered bad experience abroad. That’s it.
I don’t like responding to ‘anonymous’ comments but…
Yes.
I have compared Spain with my own country. Many, many times.I have lived in Spain for 14 years and I lived in England for 31 years so I would say I am in a better position than most to make the comparison. Where have you lived?
The article is, of course, light-hearted and shouldn’t be taken too seriously.
If I had wanted to criticise Spain I would have talked about the treatment of gypsies, for example, and not Benny Hill.