Bar Tapas

29th November, 2012

What we ate: Boquerones Fritos, Mixed Bean Salad, Pollo Goujon and Alcochofas (artichokes) con Jamón.

What we drank: a bottle of house red.

Who we chatted with: the waitress – however, she was busy so we also analysed the atmosphere between ourselves.

Décor: the walls were covered with rustic murals of Cuba along with scarves, maps, taxidermy and flags from South American countries. The atmosphere was oppressive and stressful – even though we were the only customers in the restaurant.  

Music: The music was too loud, cheesy and touristy. The restaurant played songs that they knew that the people who came would recognise. The restaurant is primarily aimed at English people and so it sacrifices authenticity for familiarity.  

Food: The first thing that we noticed was that the bread was English. There is a very definite difference between the crusty bread of Spain and the bread in England (which is soft). Also, there was salt and pepper, which usually you have to ask for in Spain. The ham used for the alcochofas was sandwich ham. All of these facts, of course, could not be helped as it is a Hispanic restaurant in England – but of course did not add to a fully Spanish experience. As people that had lived in Spain, it made the experience fairly odd.

Drink: The wine was decent – however, overpriced and not worth the amount of money.

Service: The woman was bewilderingly busy, as we were the only people in there. She was also argumentative when we asked for a dish that she had failed to bring us.

In general, the restaurant felt less English than the chain restaurant, La Tasca. More authentic than that, but still it lacked a certain je ne sais quoi.  In a Spanish restaurant in Spanish, there would have been more of a welcoming feeling. We did not feel welcome, we think, mainly because we were more used to the Spanish way of presenting the service and the food.

La Tasca

7^th November 2012

Where we went: Don Pepe and La Tasca

What we ate: Olives (for starters), A Festival of Mushrooms, Calamares Fritos, Pollo al Limón and Paella Valencia.

What we drank: Sangre Del Toro wine.

Flo and I decided our next outing would be to Don Pépe, a Spanish restaurant that was recommended by the waitress we met in El Torero.

My first impression when we walked through the door was that I was in a standard English pub. The ceilings were low and the sofas had red velvet on them. The only thing that told us it might be Spanish was some tacky wall hangings of flamenco dancers and Picasso’s Guernica.

The landlady was Spanish, and cut a very matronly figure – and not in a good way! She brought us two very small glasses of wine which, apart from being very expensive, were not satisfactory in the slightest.

We quickly moved on to La Tasca, a restaurant we knew as being fairly anglicised. The food turned out to be very good; however the atmosphere was very English. The waitress was clearly English and it did not seem likely that she would know much about where the food and wine came from or Spanish culture.

We had a lovely evening in general, and really enjoyed the food. However, it was interesting to notice that the English restaurant was more Spanish than the well-known Spanish bar. I would venture to note that this is because the Spanish expect the English people to want to have the typical aspects of Spanish culture as they eat the food and drink the wine. The Spanish owners would try to make it seem as interesting and exotic as they could in order to attract more customers. The more English restaurant was more Spanish, possibly because of the food but also the tackiness was non-existent.

El Torero

1^st November 2012

What we ate: Patatas Bravas, Gambas al Ajillo, Pimiento al Poquillo and Champiñones con Panceta.

We drank: Two small glasses of house red.

We chatted with: Our waitress, who is in her early twenties and from Valencia. She has been living in Norwich for the past two years.

After chomping through our amazing tapas – noting with a smile that the patatas bravas were made with giant, fluffy Norfolk potatoes – we got chatting with our waitress about her perceptions of English culture and how different life is from Spain.

She seemed taken back at first when we produced our questionnaire but then she relaxed and talked to us very animatedly.

1.       What is your most popular dish? Why do you think it’s the most popular?

Paella [laughs] – People always want to eat paella! I suppose it’s very famous, they think we eat in Spain all the time. There are also some popular tapas dishes: patatas bravas and tortilla española

2.       Do you have more Spanish customers or English customers? Do you notice differences between them?

There are a lot more English people. There are some Spanish people, but I am used to serving English people! The English are quiet and easy – they eat then generally leave – The Spanish are worse! They’re so chaotic! When I am Spain I don’t notice how loud Spanish people are. Indeed, I’m probably loud myself! But here it’s very noticeable, the differences between the two nationalities.

[It was interesting to note that in a certain culture, people are expected to behave in a certain way; if they don’t, like the Spanish in England, then it is obvious]

3.   What made you start working at a Hispanic restaurant?

A lot of people think we are a big family working here! I didn’t start working here in order to speak Spanish all the time – in truth I’d rather speak English! But I needed a job and I like working here.

4.       What is it like having a Hispanic restaurant in England/a culture that is not Hispanic?

The restaurant is definitely aimed at English people…. Look at the opening times! In Spain nobody would eat so early! You wouldn’t go out until eleven or midnight – here people eat at six, seven in the evening and then go to the bar to get drunk. Spanish people would be happy to spend an evening in the same place, chatting, eating and drinking, but here we have to close early as the customers just don’t want to eat late. They’d rather go to a bar and get drunk.

5.      What do you think of the English attitudes towards food and drink?

The English have a terrible attitude toward drink! I’ve had customers who have been so drunk I can’t understand them. They just slur, it’s embarrassing! In Spain this would not happen, the English don’t know when to stop!

As regards to food, the English eat a lot of famous dishes [as mentioned before] – they are quite interested in trying new things. I am not impressed with fish and chips and all that rubbish! It’s such a strange food – and yet I suppose that it’s a culture thing. It has to do with the weather. [laughs]

The interview was really fun. It stopped being an interview somewhere around the second question and we all learned something new about each other and about what the other thought of cultural differences between Spain and England. It helped a lot that both Eliza and I had lived in Spain and had experienced Spanish attitudes. The restaurant was simple – brown stone walls and pillars with decorative plates and paintings. It was a nice setting to enjoy tapas and to reminisce about Spain. 

Interview

QUESTIONNAIRE OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

Interviewer: Eliza Piano

Interviewee: Rene Torin

Date: 12/10/12

1.       What did you expect before you came to England?

I expected the weather to be cold, and the people as well. (laughs) I also expected the people to be organised and very polite, like the stereotype.

2.       When you got to England, was it different? In what way?

It was cold – obviously. But not as organised as I thought it was going to be. The people here say thank you a lot and are way too polite. I was a waiter when I first moved to England and every time I gave someone a coffee, they felt the need to say “thank you” for everything – when I gave them the cup, when I poured the milk, for the change. Everything.

3.       Do you feel the need to reconnect with your own country and culture? How?

At the beginning, yes. Even though I am from Venezuela, I had adapted to Spanish life and was used to working in that culture. But now I feel comfortable here, before I didn’t. I sometimes wanted to go back to Spain, sometimes I wanted to go to Venezuela. But I now have a life here.

4.       Do  you like it here? Better than your own country? In what ways?

When you say “Better than your own country”, I am not sure if you are talking about Spain or Venezuela. I lived so long in Spain, I feel more Spanish than Venezuelan. But, to answer your question, the three places are very different. I like all of them differently, for different reasons. The one similarity between Venezuela and England is that people drink a lot more than Spain. There is more “binge” drinking – the Spanish respect alcohol more.

5.       Do you find that you are accepted here? Why and how?

I have adapted. I know how to work with people here now. Although in Spain, in two weeks, I made a group of friends. Here it took my four months to get one friend! Only one! People here are much less accepting.

Introduction

The stories of Spanish meals that last for days, full of red wine, cheese and lively conversation are true! The English do actually go to the small, local pubs and enjoy hot food anda game of snooker!
In this blog, a blog started as a project for university, Flo Lilley and I will explore the differences between two particular cultures - Spain and England- focusing particularly on the culture surrounding food and drink. Ever wondered if Spaniards  sit around and have a pint or do they really only have a glass of wine at meal times? Do the English constantly drink, as everyone says, or do they enjoy a calm, exotic environment as well? 
This blog will explore the different ways that people enjoy food and drink together in different cultures. There will be first hand experiences, comparisons of recipes from each country and much more!