Hi pete_l !

As you realise, I have been dealing with this at some length, in effect in 2 threads.
Not only in the UK is the realtime evening meal early - so it is in Spain!
The normal lunchtime (and Siesta) is also early in Spain - at 2:00 to 2:30 pm.
It doesn´t make pre-school children fat to eat lunch at that time - but if they eat it at 12:30 HOP in Summer that is 10:00 to 10:30 am in realtime!!
They continue to be able to have "merienda" at about 5:00 HOP - according to Liz Parry, Editor of SUR-in-English, Malaga.
In other words, such unfortunate infants are consequently much hungrier then than the schoolchildren - who appear to finish school here about 2:00 HOP - thus missing the ultra-early lunch! .

The pasting below is the relevant EXTRACT of an article in an English language, Cadiz & Seville version, of "The Oracle" - which should have a new monthly edition out today (Friday, 6 June).

Extract from start of recent article!

An article in “The Oracle” Cadiz & Sevilla, p.11, May 2008. (No stated Author)

Andalucian Children among the Fattest !

Andalucia has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in Spain – according to the Action Plan to Address Childhood Obesity in the region. Only children from the Canary Islands, Cantabria and Murcia are fatter. Other data show that in Andalucia the prevalence of overweight and obesity combined is 32% in boys and 31% in girls: however, it is much higher among younger children (especially pre-school children?) than older children and reaches 40% and 45% respectively in boys and girls who are aged 6 - 9 years old.

This suggests that there will be an even greater problem in the future.
(my emphasis!)

END of Extract.

While Big Business policy holds sway, I doubt if any Spanish (or, indeed, foreign resident) dietary expert will dare to think of a solution which to me seems the first one to consider !

Here is a TINY extract of my submission to the Comision Nacional, Madrid, January 2006.

(Article No.3 The LATER SUCCESS of the NEW CLOCK REGIME of "Double Summertime" in Spain.

As the years progressed from 1918, there was greater development of industrialisation and commercialisation in Spain. Companies and organisations insisted that their work-force start work at the times common to those in Western Europe (but on the clocks in Spain that means VERY early in the morning in realtime :curse: ! ).

I believe that the Government of Spain in 1918 succeeded in one of its aims
- to get the population to get to work earlier than previously, and perhaps, longer over the workday!
In addition, while schoolchildren were being familiarised with the new times of events in the day, and rather more slowly, their parents, the population as a whole forgot about the times (if aware precisely, anyway*) at which they functioned prior to the early 1900´s. Any verbal protest(?) faded away rapidly, but, on the whole, the population were actually behaving as if the Sun was controlling the rest of the day and evening.

END of Extract.

The basic reason for not knowing the times at which they activities prior to 1900 could be stated as:

In Madrid, or elsewhere in Spain, there was no Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
stating suspects alibis. Authors in Spain, other than Cervantes, prior to 1900, are rather rarely read today - of those that are read now,
they were not too concerned about timing which was well-enough known to readers at that time. Now-a-days, many Spanish readers see translations of foreign works, which to them, relate fantastic, peculiar times for the activities in other countries! Little do they realise that the alibis collected by Sherlock Holmes in London were just as relevant for the equivalent in Spain in those days!

* That comment relates to my continually reinforced impression that, in the general course of the day, many Spanish people seem to have a very "laissez-faire" or "lack-a-daisical" attitude to official time - especially as noticed on many a clock in the cities. Currently, the Cathedral bell in Cadiz chimes out the time in BST, i.e., it chimes 12 o´clock at 13:00 HOP!

Cheers.

Well scarletplumblossom, (are you really related to Bob Gledorf???)

we are fascinated by your extremely comprehensive scientific explanation of why Andalucian children are some of the fattest suggesting it is all to do with time.

You may be right but someone said to me once that no fat people came out of Belsen. Sorry nasty quip but true.

Surely it is more a question of what goes in that makes the difference against when it goes in? Here in our part of Andalucia, I suspect the problem is created more by the fact that nearly every meal is deep fried, has lots of olive oil, and is accompanied by chips, also deep fried and smothered in oil. Check out any Macdonalds in Spain and you will also find it full of families - more so I think than the UK. Check also what each meal consists of - meat, normally Pork, potatoes, bread, olive oil but very few veggies which if you get them are also deep fried and swimming in olive oil.

I am no expert but if you have breakfast of a ´media´ half a roll, olive oil and tomatoe paste, - lunch of ´menu del dia´, pig and chips, and dinner of spanish omelette, tapas - lots of things swimming in oil - deep fried fish and more chips, I suspect this is all going to pile on the pounds.

Mind you the time business is wierd but not necessarily wrong, if it works for the Spanish.......

cheers (oh yes I forget the 0800 cognac and beers during the day -ok not for the kids but the truckers love it!)

Steve

Hi finca steve,

Grateful for a masterful response (one of rather few, to be sure).
I couldn´t agree more with your ideas about the nosh you describe (some dietary experts might say a more balanced Med diet than that would work well).

Just absorb this point in all the mess that I write, please.
The explanation here I think is clearly demonstrated by the facts (remember that the article in the paper is nothing to do with me - and repeats the Cadiz newpapers strong statements previously on the matter in the province in that the numbers and girth are the worst in the country).

This is the basic point:
Normally attending schoolchildren are not so fat as preschoolchildren - the reason is plainly the time because the schoolchildren eat much the same nosh some two hours later than the nippers at lunchtime. The nippers eat lunch at the Big Business stipulated time of 12:30 HOP, say some 5 hours before "teatime", while schoolchildren are only out for lunch at 2:30 HOP, just 3 hours before "teatime" (as I said, that is corroberated by Liz Parry). That is what you might call a stressful change for the infants - and their parents - who seem to have much the same problem, too !

I wouldn´t be surprised to learn that the most rotund schoolchildren are in the first year at school - and slowly reduce their weight!

Cheers.

Jesus H Christ...........


There are two threads like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I find that I want to eat whatever time of morning, noon or night.... whether it is sunny, cloudy or rainy.... Maybe that`s why I`m fat or am I thin? ... and I wear sunglasses in winter and my fur-lined coat in summer.

Most Manc strippers ive met where a fur lined coat's in the summer too

Just as well I`m neither a stripper nor a Manc then isn`t it Andy... ???

Meet a lot of strippers Andy? You need to find a `nice girl` really

Another Fanatsy out the window of love then

Latin Girl, thats all I want

When you meet your own girl then you will have fantasies together. Don`t tell her you want a stripper or you will be on a hiding to nothing! Latin or otherwise.

Is this on topic? CBA reading the thread from the start.

Its a quality Hijack, but im not to blame im sure, its that Debs, anyway LB you hve your own fish to sniff

There's some seriously boring shite going down here!

We been waiting all night for you thats why, where you been man !!!

no Xtreme = no entertainment

Ahem

Been busy the last few days Andy....getting pissed about by spermguzzling bottomfeeders playing the poverty card.
God...am I sick of that ****ing speech! When you get here you'll be hearing it too!