Country Gentleman Hats

This happened many years ago, I met a man in a bar in Barcelona in England whom I asked if he considered himself as Spanish or Catalan. At first the man seemed surprised by my question I told him I had always heard that some groups in Spain are regarded as more of a given region, then the country. For example, some in the Basque Country not feel Spanish, but only Basques. I even mentioned how it seemed a little weird for me because I would never say when asked that I was not British but Scottish.

Once I have explained my question the gentleman whose name was Jorge, he told me that the case was not so easy. Yes, he said he was Spanish and was proud, but then he wanted it clear that his country was part of a different culture, then the rest of Spain. For example, he mentioned how in Catalonia, the sport of bullfighting is not one that has been practiced, as this was not a part of their culture. This since there was not even a single track is bullfighting throughout Catalonia.

Jorge also made to include in his argument that, although Spanish is his native language, he spoke as his own, he also spoke Catalan and would not forget the language that appears to be a part of his ancestry . I even detected a tone of dignity in his voice as he made clear that Catalan is not a dialect as many might think, but a language that must be respected as such.

Many were the subjects of this man from Catalonia and I discussed this evening, however I found a particularly funny and it was then that Jorge told me that many tourists went to Spain looking to buy a Mexican Hat known as a charro. These hats are often called sombreros if this word is in Spanish simply means hat, which could apply to anything you put on the head. Jorge found it strange how most American tourists came to Spain looking for something that is basically Mexican, but he could not understand was that the money offered by those tourists who made them available. This despite the fact that these hats big enough has nothing to do with the culture of Spain.

In all I would say that this man showed me how they can both be proud of those region while at the same time do not forget the country where one was born in.