1. BY: Roberto Sami
STEREOTYPES

2. THE SPANISH ARE LAZY AND LOVE TO SLEEP
THE SIESTA.
In the European Union, the
Spanish have the longest
working hours and they work
very hard. Many people now
live in the suburbs, quite far
from where they work, and do
not have time to go home for
lunch, what with the traffic. So
they cannot sleep the siesta.
They probably sleep the siesta
on weekends, when they can.
The Spanish also have less
vacation than their other
European counterparts.
The Spanish also sleep less
than other Europeans.

3. SPAIN IS THE LAND OF SUNSHINE AND
BEACHES.
Spain has more sunshine than the
rest of Europe because it is at the
southern tip of Europe. Yet its
geography is very varied. There are
the central plateau, the
Mediterranean coast, the Atlantic
coast, and the Pyrenees.
Andalusia. Of course the north can
be colder and has more rain
throughout the year than the south.
The beaches in Spain have a very
wide variety, from the
Mediterranean to the Balearic
Islands and the Canary Islands to
the waves along the North coast.

4. SPAIN IS THE LAND OF BULLFIGHTS.
The bullfight is no longer considered
a sport in Spain, but is described as
a cultural tradition. Yes, there are
bullfights in Spain, but their
popularity is decreasing every year.
The majority of people who go to
bullfights are middle aged and older
people. This tradition is entering a
crisis because fewer people attend
the bullfights every year. There is
now a growing and progressive
majority that wants to get rid of the
bullfight because it considers the
bullfight as something cruel,
something that is irrelevant to
modern life. Time will tell!

5. SPAIN IS THE LAND OF FLAMENCO.
It is said that the majority of the
population do not know how to
dance flamenco. Flamenco has its
stronghold /(bastión)in
Andalusia, especially in Seville.
Flamenco dancers are very
dedicated people because of the
difficulty of the dance, and it
requires constant practice. Every
region of Spain has its traditional
dance, but definitely the flamenco
is the most dramatic dance. There
are famous flamenco schools in
Spain now that attract a large
number of foreigners from
Europe, the Americas, and the
Orient.

6. ALL SPANISH PEOPLE HAVE DARK HAIR, DARK
EYES, AND DARK SKIN.
This stereotype is not true.
These two tribes were
Germanic tribes and they left
their genes in Spain. dark skin
is not natural, and people who
live in the South or along the
Mediterranean coast may have
a deep tan, but that is because
they may spend a lot of time
outdoors while the sun is
shining. Also among all of the
Spanish, a deep tan is a status
symbol, meaning that one has
the time and money to be
vacationing on the beach.

7. SPAIN IS THE LAND OF PAELLA AND SANGRIA.
Yes, this is true. The Spanish love paella
and in almost every part of Spain one can
find some sort of paella in the restaurants.
The paella has many different forms and
the most famous one is the paella
Valenciana. The sangria is not so popular
with the Spaniards, as it is with tourists.
Red wine is drank with everything in Spain.
In other countries there are rules, such as
that with fish one drinks white wine, but in
Spain they prefer to drink red wine.
Wine making is one of the principal
industries in many parts of Spain, such as
in La Rioja. In the south of Spain, such as
in Jerez, they produce sherry ( a fortifide
wine).

8. SPAIN IS THE LAND OF FIESTAS.
Yes, this is true. Every
city, town and village has a
fiesta once a year. Many times
it is to honor their patron saint.
People in Spain like to have fun
and the fiesta is the time to
have it. of the fiestas are very
colorful events, when the
Spanish put on the costumes
of their region and cook the
food their region is famous for.

9. THE SPANISH LOVE THEIR HAM.
This is true. The most appreciated
ham among the Spanish is the “pata
negra” from the province of Huelva.
The pigs from this region have black
hooves, and that is the meaning of
“pata negra”. The ham has a slightly
nutty taste and is considered a
gourmet item in Spain.
Many other people in the world have
visited Spain and tried the ham and
now have a taste for it. Spain is about
to start exporting this ham to all parts
of the world. One Spanish company
has won approval to sell its ham to the
U.S., a very big potential market. Spain
is also trying to sell ham to China, a
country that loves pork products.

10. THE SPANISH MEN ARE LATIN LOVERS.
The majority of Spanish men do not
meet the stereotype of the latin
lover. However the latin lover is alive
and well in Spain. One just has to
look at national TV, which loves to
report on the exploits of many
famous playboys. Because of the
mixture of races, one can say that
the genes Spanish have are very
strong and vibrant, and they produce
very beautiful women and handsome
men. One has to just sit at a
sidewalk café and observe the
people passing by to see some
physically very beautiful people
passing by.

11. CONCLUSIONS
There is much more to Spain
than what the stereotypes
paint. Spain is /was a
modern, industrialized
country, with a high
economic growth rate. The
Spanish are determined to
improve their standards of
living. They also want to
project a new image to the
rest of the world because
some of the stereotypes
about them are negative and
are not true. They will keep
the positive stereotypes.