(this was taken in a friend´s garden in mundaka.... she has a lemon tree....you know there are more....)
1. When Spaniards see you in the street they shout out, "Adios!" or "Hasta luego!" instead of, "Hola!"
2. There are over 240,000 bars in Spain. They provide jobs for 1.2 million people and produce 6% of Spain´s gross domestic product... 6%!!!
3.There are three types of coffee.
-Solo- which is an espresso served in a small cup.
-Cortado- which is an espresso with a splash of milk served in a small cup.
-Café con leche- which is an espresso with the same amount of milk served in a large cup.
4. Toilet paper in Spain is thicker than toilet paper in the US. Apparently, it´s because Spaniards fold their paper and Americans bunch it up into a ball... (I swear... it´s a fact in the Library of Congress of the United States of America...)
65 comments:
;)
Regarding the first point it has surprised me a lot, I've tried to obtain in vain an explanation from my colleagues: es una costumbre!
Regarding the coffee you've forgotten el 3cafe con hielo" which is so pleasant cuando hace calor ;)
oi! there we go with the clichés, you nutter.
they say that when they don't intend to stop. it's obviously a "greeting in passing". should they stop, then the conversation starts with "hola, ¿qué tal?", an invitation to chat.
bars. yup. shedloads. however, 19% unemployment at the mo (approx. 4 million people) so, obviously not enough bars.
carajillo, nena, carajillo. crucial one! ;P
it depends on the area. will post a pic of a fab café in málaga you may like.
not even getting into the bog roll one, mate. when I cried for cheekiness and scatology on my last comment I definitely wasn't expecting this one.
raspberry (o pedorreta :P)
Let's put it this way, I just experienced a resurgence of toilet humor.
Loved the lemons!
Funny, the adios greeting. I remember in Nepal among Tibetans it was 'where are you going'?, followed by 'where have you been'?.
Love Cafe Cortados, wish they made them like they do in Spain here. .
as a matter of fact, easier to send you their website
http://www.cafecentralmalaga.com/main.htm
than to find the pic I took back then. I love the last one "no me lo ponga", typical southern humour ;)
I follow la ninja.. The carajillo is an institution, especially in the construction business!! :D
:))
It's funny ;)
Love the photo.xo
Ok Regarding 1. YES! and it is the BEST. It left me a little upset at first, I must admit, but now I love the hasta-luego-hello.
It means: I've seen you, I acnowledge you, but I'm not going to talk to you.
Another of my favourites is the Spanish I've-finished-talking-to-you:
-"Venga!"...
All cultures should have these.
Really enjoying this post:) Love the photo, love lemons & toilet paper can never be too thick I think. Have a great Sunday!
let me get this straight, the 3 types of coffee in Spain are espresso, espresso with some milk and espresso with more milk.
That's not to hard to remember
I love the bars in Spain.. I met hubby in a bar in Spain....it doesn't get much better than that!!!
In South West England we say "all right?" as a greeting, kinda meaning how are you? all right? good.
um la ninja... you lost me!!!!
My husband is from Germany and he fold his toilet paper too, but I think he uses just as much as I do.
i love the spanish bar!! is great can out of the job and go for a caña!
the toolet paper was very funny!
Wonderful Spanish lesson!
One café con leche please o;)
Agneta, the swedish one
I really like these lessons about Spanish culture!
Since you are a U.S. ex-pat:
Happy Superbowl Sunday!
This is such a great picture! And I like your list. It took us a little while too to get used to the new vocabulary for ordering coffee when we just arrived in Paris...
No cappuccino? No frothy coffee goodness? You must move to Italy:)!
I can say that still amuses me the fact that italians say "Ciao" when they meet you as well when they say you Goodbay!
¡Hasta la vista, Jane!
Spanish paper is also harder, especially Scottex, I think its called, I really didnt like that stuff!
I want to live in Spain! Adios!
Thanks for the 'insider's guide to being Spanish' - great tips so we don't all look like tourists!! How lovely to have a lemon tree in the garden. Sadly the only lemon I found today was going green and dusty when I picked it out of the bowl - yuck!!!
God bless Spain !
i'll take a triple solo!
Well you learn something new everyday! Who ever knew there was an alternative to FOLDING?
I am colombian! toilet paper is "papel higienico" !!
i hope you learn so many words!
hasta luegito means see you!
kisses!
Thanks for the toliet paper info! I got a much needed chuckle out of that!
Hope all is well with you and your family!
i was once at a hens night party where everyone got a roll of toilet paper and had to take off paper as they'd do when visiting the bathroom. what a strange conversation that led too, but with lots of laughing :)
in denmark we'll say hi when we meet in the street and hi hi is like "see you". so passing by people in the street, not stopping, you'll say hi hi. D is still amazed with all this hi-hi-hi-hi going on :)
in israel they have this hand sign for "give me a minute". it totally pissed me off in the beginning when i'd talk to someone and then i'd get this hand sign, wihtout them even looking in my eyes or turning towards me. i felt so insulted. now i have realized how effective it can be that you don't have to interrupt what your doing with a polite smile and say "just a moment". (but is still think it's a bit arrogant :)
Not sure #4 is strictly Spanish 'culture' but made me laugh anyway...
After Ninja, no words to add.
Carajillo my love.
I must bring you to a little coffee in the old part....
right, what a carajillo is (for anyone interested or... lost, mcgilli)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carajillo
where I come from we have carajillo (called "cigaló") and "trifàssic" (which is basically espresso+milk+shot or, in other words, a cortado/carajillo hybrid)
I am partial to the baileys one, me(with or w/out the extra milk.)
really. worth a try :)
Ha,Ha! In my mother's village in Rioja Baja (80 inhabitants) they don't say "hasta luego" or "adios", they just make a gutural sound, life hasn't changed much there in the last 100 years ;-) Besos
You seem to have researched number four very well. Does that include number one and number two?
thanks for teaching me
Thank you for the lesson my friend. xo
American's ball up their toilet paper??? Okay, so I grew up in a dutch household (in America) and have always folded, but my 6-yr old son wads it up into a ball. I did NOT teach him that! Some "American" must have shown him how. So funny.
Also, glad that I now know how to order coffee (if I ever get to Spain). Thanks for the tip. :>)
And, have a great day.
I'll remember these when we're in Barcelona!
I don't know if you "do" awards or not, but I gave you one today, just because I enjoy your blog so much!
These are great facts - particularly the bar and toilet paper facts!
Super fun! Happy to have discovered your blog.
LOVE this shot!! I don't think there is a shot you've taken that I haven't loved!
Happy Week, Jane!
There are lots of more types of coffee than three. You have also the "cortado corto de cafe", "manchado", "nube", "sombra" and probably lots more that I don't know of...all are variations of coffee with milk. Each name indicating the quantity of milk.
I just had to add to you wonderful facts about Spain :-)
Hihi! You're so right! I didn't realize that saying Adios, o Hasta luego didn't make sense! :) And the coffee that I miss here is cafe con hielo! I tried to order it a couple of times, and oh, the looks I got, but I guess, we don't have a proper summer here, so we don't need it!
Thank you. A lot new I learned today.
heheheh...so great to know! l))
Fun reading -love your 'spanish lemon'! Love//Eva
i love tidbits of culture like that. :) and to be able to grow lemon trees, or any kind of citrus, in my yard is a dream of mine.
solo is my cup of coffee...and yes, 6% is a LOT!!!
I especially like the 4th point and these multi-culti secrets! I experienced one day a misunderstanding regarding cafe con leche vasso. I felt like lost in translation. Have a nice day!
ooh ooh love your culture Jane thicker toilet paper...!!
and you can talk about coffee anytime!!
hi hi, good facts to know, especially the last one;)
hugs!
Thank you Jane for your nice words. I love yours, too!!! And I can't wait for more :) xoxo pia
toilet paper in ireland is even thinner than in america, even the 4-ply-stuff....
these are great - more facts, more facts!!!
hola! (he, he)
anyone know this week's corner view? i never know how to find out any more if it's not on jane's blog!!!
and by the way - i'd take the cafe con leche!
And if you fold it into a ball?
This was so fun to read! I like the things you come up with.
never mimd - got it - repurposed - thanks
(over my funk by the way!)
Time for an afternoon cortado---
I like the sound of Spanish coffees, must be delicious!
Hope you're having a great day.
Whose job is it, do you suppose, at the library of congress...
N.4, Toilet paper, I absolutely agree, my husband is american and he bunches it up into a ball, while I fold it. Man, I thought he was special, but you just taught me it's something normal...
Ojú! I was going to add the "manchao" (manchado...mostly milk with a "stain" of espresso), but see somebody beat me to the punch. It's how my cousin drinks it in Cádiz. 'Ta hora. :o)
Thanks for dropping by my blog :)Hehe, your post brings back lots of memories! Like when I got home from studying in Spain cafe latte tasted like dishwater, it was so weak compared to what i was used to!
These posts on spanish culture are great.
I loved my Spanish cafe con leche... The warmed milk made all the difference.
Hola signora.
Cuando vivi a Minorca, la isla blanca, Nosotros tenemos un arboles de citrons.
Mas agnos tarde yo los vistos a Chypre. Aqui, en Suiza, nos aye en el jardin.Es un pequeno frio !!!.
Meillor de escribir en engles. Verdad !
when I use to live in Minorca, we had a lemmons tree. What a pleasure to go to and pik up a fresh lemon for the salad.
Then, I have seen many more in a friend' garden, in Chypre.
It is to cold to gr... pour les faire pousser ... in Switzerland.
Un petit coucou de Lausanne en Suisse.
Just one more comment !!!
What I like very mutch in Spain is la *hoschata*. Not the one in cans, the fresh one, almands drink.But you cant found it every vhere, they must be lot of almands.
In Menorca they are.
I love the picture - reminds me of "The Syrian Bride". Thank you for sharing a little bit of the spanish culture.
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