CROSS-CULTURAL ENQUIRY
SPAIN-IRELAND
Written by Noemi Gomez, Patricia Barbero, Anabel Caballero, Ana Hidalgo, and Beatriz Rocher.
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CROSS-CULTURAL ENQUIRY SPAIN-IRELAND Written by Noemi Gomez, Patricia Barbero, Anabel Caballero, Ana Hidalgo, and Beatriz Rocher. |
| MEALS In
Spain, we have four different meals: | Well…
in Ireland the meal-timetable is very much influenced by the weather and
the daylight hours. The main difference between the Spanish and the Irish meals
is in the quantity of food, more than the time they are eaten. In workplaces,
people have only a short break for their lunch so it must be light meal, something
to eat quickly. Thus, the Irish dinner is the heaviest meal of the day due to
the number of hours between lunch time and dinner and because it's the time to
be at home at relax yourself. On one hand, some people think that the time of Spanish meals is the healthiest one because of the number of meals they have. On the other hand, others prefer eating to the Irish timetable because they have enough time to digest their dinners before going to bed. However, it must be said that depending on the individual way of living in each meal country, each timetable will best suit its own culture. |
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BARS In
Spain, young people usually to go to bars about 10 p.m. for a drink and to get
a free "tapa" (i.e. chips, hamburgers, sandwiches, …) with it.
Afterwards, we go to a pub to meet | Why do Irish people go out earlier than the Spaniards? Certainly,
the reason why people go out earlier in Ireland is because pubs close at 2 a.m.
If they want to have some pints, they also have to have dinner earlier than the
Spanish . As well as that, we can say that the weather conditions influence the
habits of every culture. |
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OPENING & CLOSING TIMES What
are the opening and closing times of the shopping centres and shops in Ireland? | |
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COFFEE TIME Irish people in pubs seem to be very astonished when Spaniards approach the barman or the barwoman to ask them for a cappuccino at 4.30 p.m. Spanish people are used to having a coffee or a cappuccino just after having their lunch, sometimes at home and other times in bars. Why don't people here ask for a coffee in bars? |
Well, some people prefer going to a restaurant or a café to have a coffee or a tea since it is more usual to have alcoholic drinks in bars. However, if you want to drink a coffee in a bar, you can. Nowadays, it is possible to find some pubs that serve food and coffee. It is a new trend because ten or fifteen years ago pubs only served alcoholic drinks and women were not allowed to enter them especially because of the dirtiness of the toilets. |
| PLUGS
In Spain, we have plugs in all rooms including the bathroom. Is there any reason why plugs are not allowed in the Irish bathrooms? | In fact, there is a law that prohibits the installation of electric plugs in bathrooms since it is considered very dangerous. There have been many electric shocks in the last few years, so this law takes into account people's safety. Many people have died of these electric shocks. |
| SHUTTERS In Spain, we have shutters in every room of the house in order not to be waken up by the first daylight hours and to keep us warm in winter. Also, they prevent us from being disturbed by the noise coming from the streets. Why don't you put shutters on your windows? |
Because there is not really too many sunny days so people prefer the light coming through the window to keep them warm without using the heating. They are used to sleeping, and can sleep, in the sunlight. |
| TAKING RUBBISH OUT Due to the warm weather we have in Spain, especially in summer, we are accustomed to taking rubbish out every day, except Sundays. How often is rubbish collected from every house in Ireland? |
It is collected once a week because people have a wheelie bin in each house. There is a blue bin in some houses for recycling paper and it is collected every two weeks. Although the weather is cold, some people think that it should be collected more often. |
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