Spanish timetables

One of the most shocking aspects of the Spanish way of life is our different day schedule. We share the Greenwich Meridian Time (GMT) with many other European countries (all the 15-European Union but United Kingdom, as they always follow their own path, Portugal, willing always to do the contrary as Spain, Greece and Finland). But the use we give the 24 hours a day has is slightly different.

Concerning lunch time, we have lunch later than Europeans, normally at two or three o’clock. Our lunch is also supposed to be more abundant and it takes us at least one hour (without considering the “siesta”, not very much into fashion in current days), since we consider lunch mainly as a social activity. In my case, I currently have lunch at work at one o’clock (just to avoid big crowds between two or three o’clock), but when I was at university I used to have lunch at four o’clock!

The abundant lunch has afterwards a negative effect on our bodies, meaning that we feel sleepy (here the origin of the “siesta”) and our productivity dramatically tends to zero. It may be the cause why we stay at work until late in the evening, later than any other in Europe. Keep in mind that staying at work is not the same as working, as productivity statistics show us regularly. Working until late in the evening is something somebody can be proud of when talking with friends, as it may imply he has an important and challenging job but, normally, nobody is happy with it. It may also be just because some selfish managers want all the staff having their working time. Lastly, we should not forget those who prefer staying at work than at home.

Now, we are at dinner time, which is usually between 9 pm and 10 pm, going further into the night in summer. These late dinners mean that we need some time for the digestion and, therefore, we do not go to bed before 11 pm under no circumstance, which also means that we sleep, on average, one hour less than our European colleagues, who take dinner before 8 pm.

That is a brief description of the Spanish timetable. Then, what happens to me when I am abroad? How do I get used to European timetables? Well, it is not easy, mainly at night. Having dinner at 7 pm or 8 pm is difficult for me, because then at 10 pm I am starving and I must have dinner again! If I do not have my “second dinner” I may be hungry late in the night at 4 am or 5 am. About lunch, I do not have problems with time, but with quantity, as it seems a bit scarce to my Spanish point of view.

From a rational point of view, Spanish timetables are worse than European’s, as they imply we sleep less, we stay longer at work and we eat more. But, as not everything in life must be based on rational principles, Spain still has a strong consideration among Europeans as a country where life is nice and beautiful. Due to our weather?