Stereotypes about Catalonia – People, Music and Food

The Catalan Electoral Campaign is over. Catalans will soon have a new president, Artur Mas, the leader of centre-right party Convergència i Unió. The foreign press has already reported on his victory in the 28th of November elections. Usually, international newspapers and TV channels are the only way foreigners get information about Catalonia. The Catalan News Agency is reviewing the stereotypes, myths and ideas that foreigners have about Catalonia and calling on experts to challenge them. First and foremost, it is important to explain what Catalans are like, to satisfy the curiosity of some foreigners such as Sarah, from the United States.

'I would like to know more about Catalonia. I really do not know that much', she confesses to the CNA. Theatre director Sergi Belbel tries to explain it to here with two simple concepts, 'seny' and 'rauxa'. ''Seny' is the more cold, responsible and rational part of people, mixed with the 'rauxa', which is the more wild and passionate side', he says. Catalan music is also hardly known abroad. For Lucy, who is from Glasgow in Scotland, Catalan music is something of a rarity. The first thing Lucy thinks of is “cheesy salsa music, a bit of passionate flamenco dancing and Latin dancing”. The singer of Els Pets, Lluís Gavaldà, responds. “Salsa? Lucy is not entirely misled, because here in Catalonia we have great ‘salsas’, such as romesco sauce and allioli sauce”. The singer stressed that the fact that Lucy imagines salsa music when thinking about Catalonia is understandable because in Glasgow you cannot listen to Catalan music that much. He adds that Catalonia “has a very extensive musical richness, with traditional, classic, jazz and pop music in Catalan…'. 'Here in Catalonia we are stubborn, and now, especially lately, we do not have any type of complex. So instead of singing in English, we sing in our native tongue”, he says. Food is also a main defining factor for countries. A Parisian, Laura, has discovered tapas, which she finds quite strange. She thinks that this kind of food, as well as paella, is what citizens in Catalonia eat daily. 'Good paellas, tapas, patatas bravas and bread with tomato. We are not used to that here in France. I think that this food reflects the life-style in Catalonia and Barcelona', she says. But Catalan chef Santi Santamaria, describes how tapas is not really what locals eat in the country. 'I always say that tapas are for tourists because we locals know that if we eat so many tapas before lunch or before dinner we won't be hungry anymore. And we love to eat proper meals around a table together', he explains. Despite the stereotypes, if a European talks about Catalonia this week, they would discuss the election results. Or maybe not, as the 'Classico' match between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid was played this week as well.