Originally Posted by jackytoo

Brits may have a distored view of spain as the spanish tourist office pushes the flamenco, sangria and tapas line. There were complaints in the media last week(andalucia). Some spanish still think that all the men wear bowler hats!

What about other sweeping statements. Some posters seem to think Brits living on the CDS don't inegrate, don't speak spanish and spend all their time in Brit bars. Some areas don't even have a British bar.

Originally Posted by agoreira

anyone in the real world knows that Spanish don't walk around dressed in flouncy polka dot dresses with a carnation in the hair!

Originally Posted by rachelk

Except during Feria, you mean?

Originally Posted by jackytoo

I don't think anyone over 40 should do the "flamenco dress"

Originally Posted by jackytoo

40 hips, 40 years old, whatever, they look shite

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

The afternoon siesta is as dead as a dodo. Of course there are people who do it, but it would have to be few. People working in the cities, where the vast majority of the Spanish workforce do, the siesta is a difficult thing to achieve. For many (if not most) they cannot get home and back in the alloted timescale. The age of the two or three hour lunch has gone. Yes, of course, small shops will still shut down middle of the day for a few hours but I would argue that they really represent a small part of the workforce. Waiters on split shifts might have 40 winks but this is outside the siesta window - so is it a siesta or a doze for someone who will no doubt finish past midnight?

Originally Posted by Fortaleza

I just want to slap some Brits sometimes who come out with the phrase: "Ya, so we're in Spain, so we only want to do what the Spanish do, eat in Spanish restaurants, eat Spanish food" yada yada bullshit yada. Firstly, no Spaniard says 'I'm off to the Spanish restaurant to eat some Spanish food' - he's in Spain FFS. He doesn't need the adjectives. Imagine some Londoner saying 'Right love, I'm off down the English pub to have some English beer and English food' (well if he's in the BNP he might say it but that is another thread!!!) Last time I went out with my in-laws, brother-in-laws and partners etc we ended up going to the mall, going to Pizza Hut, then off to the cinema to watch.........some hollywood trash I can't even remember. Drinks were cokes and some Belgian lager. Maybe they were just fed up of all the paella, vino, flamenco and bullfighting that they just fancied a change.....

Originally Posted by cricketman

Do you have to be so horrible about everything? Let them wear want they want. Better than a fleece and white trainers. And its only a bit of fun they do once a year.

Originally Posted by agoreira

Yes, no harm in it, this lady is obviously enjoying herself.
www.pbase.com/abwhitt/image/60962274

Originally Posted by Madridboy

My OH and I live and work in Madrid and both have siestas as do the people we work with. My OH works in a restaurant on split shifts and I work in a printing factory on a single shift. Most people I know have siestas and many buisnesses here in Madrid close for the siesta time as they did when I lived in Benidorm.


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Originally Posted by Fortaleza

If you want to bang on about language, go right ahead. It does, however, have nothing to do with what I said originally. Did I pick you up on language? No. Did I pick you up for a massive generalisation with no basis in fact? Yes.

While we're at it, lets address your other generalisation that you used to demonstrate your assertion that I was absurd to pick you on language (which again I did not). You used the age old 'Spanish love their siesta' line to demonstrate your point of how it is ok to use sweeping generalisations, presumably because you believe it is unversally understood that the action suggested in your example is a habitual trait of the Spanish. Now, I am not against using generalisations to describe a particular group etc based on common quirk. Yet it would need to be something that a great many people do. The afternoon siesta is as dead as a dodo. Of course there are people who do it, but it would have to be few. People working in the cities, where the vast majority of the Spanish workforce do, the siesta is a difficult thing to achieve. For many (if not most) they cannot get home and back in the alloted timescale. The age of the two or three hour lunch has gone. Yes, of course, small shops will still shut down middle of the day for a few hours but I would argue that they really represent a small part of the workforce. Waiters on split shifts might have 40 winks but this is outside the siesta window - so is it a siesta or a doze for someone who will no doubt finish past midnight?

It does make me smile how romaticised and outdated some people's perceptions of Spanish people are (and, please, I am not bundling you in here as I have no evidence of what your ideas are, save your godparents comment). Think for a second on how any Spaniard is usually portrayed on foreign TV. Usually lethargic, very dark, heavily accented, loves flamenco (there nearly always is a flamenco style Spanish guitar soundtrack) will put things off until 'manana' and is a macho, overbearing womaniser who adores his mum. Well, if you live in Andalucia, a lot of that description may ring true. If you live anywhere else in Spain, especially the north, it has nothing to do with them. Think of Fawlty Towers. "(h)I am Manuel. (h)I come from Barseeelona" How many Catalans does that sound or even look like. Yes it is a comedy, and yes it was deliberately designed to exaggerate the stereotype, but that is my point. The stereotype is wrong. A petty point, but it would have had more credibilty had Manuel been from 'Seveeeel'!!!!

I just want to slap some Brits sometimes who come out with the phrase: "Ya, so we're in Spain, so we only want to do what the Spanish do, eat in Spanish restaurants, eat Spanish food" yada yada bullshit yada. Firstly, no Spaniard says 'I'm off to the Spanish restaurant to eat some Spanish food' - he's in Spain FFS. He doesn't need the adjectives. Imagine some Londoner saying 'Right love, I'm off down the English pub to have some English beer and English food' (well if he's in the BNP he might say it but that is another thread!!!) Last time I went out with my in-laws, brother-in-laws and partners etc we ended up going to the mall, going to Pizza Hut, then off to the cinema to watch.........some hollywood trash I can't even remember. Drinks were cokes and some Belgian lager. Maybe they were just fed up of all the paella, vino, flamenco and bullfighting that they just fancied a change.....