305
- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
All-day sessions at the village bar
Bars, particularly in small towns and villages, remain
central to the daily routine for many. Retired gents will
happily pass a whole day – and most of the night –
sitting chatting in the bar. A ubiquitous telly, showing
sport or, not infrequently, porn, drones on largely
unwatched in the corner. Women are more inclined to
visit the local café. In the city, bar life tends to unfurl
later on, lasting well into the small hours. In all cases
social interaction, rather than drink, guides proceedings.
Tipsy teens
In 2004 Spain’s health
ministry reported that
44 per cent of 15 to 19-
year-old Spanish males
regularly get drunk.
The percentage is halved
for females, but for
both sexes the figures
doubled in just two
years. A schools
programme aimed at
reducing teenage
drinking was duly
launched.
The legal age for buying
alcohol in Spain is 18
(except in Asturias
where it’s still 16) but
parents usually give their
children wine, maybe
mixed with water, well
before this.
Breakfast bar
Most Spaniards slurp
a hot chocolate or coffee
at breakfast time.
However, a number
still adhere to the old
tradition of swigging
something stronger in
preparation for a day’s
graft. Brandy, sherry and
Patxaran are all taken as
morning liveners in
different parts of the
country.
Drinking and driving
The drink drive limit in
Spain is 0.5mg of alcohol
per millilitre of blood.
By comparison the legal
limit in the UK is 0.8mg
of alcohol. Anyone
caught automatically
loses their driving
licence for a minimum
of one year. Despite the
rigour, government
figures still blame 30 to
50 per cent of road
deaths on drivers over
the limit.
