Does Moving To Spain Make You More British?

As I sit here in Almerimar with a glass of Faustino VII Rioja in hand, enjoying some excellent Manchego Cheese and Chorizo for Tapas, watching the sun drop into a perfectly still Mediterranean sea, with the cats stretched out on the balcony enjoying the last of a perfect October days sun, I must confess that I feel extremely Spanish indeed.

However ……… I have just concluded a conversation with Sands that ironically determined that since moving to live in Spain in many ways I have become far more British than I ever did at home!

Maybe the Rioja has gone to my head, or I have had too much sun, or the split personality has finally surfaced, but I find myself doing more traditionally British things now we live in Spain than I ever did when we lived in England.

Now in part that is because we had a particularly Un British lifestyle in many ways when we lived in England as my work took me away a lot. In part it is probably also a natural consequence of living a expat style life, and there is certainly a case of absence makes the heart feel fonder, but the overriding reason I think is the fact that when you are not submersed in a lifestyle it makes you appreciate certain aspects more, and there can be no denying that the Spanish culture and attitudes make certain things far more appealing!

Here are five things that I have found myself doing more frequently now that I live in Spain than I ever did in England:

1. Eating Fish & Chips: I was never a big eater of Fish & Chips in the UK, and despite the fact that we had a very good chippy in our Village, and they were on pretty much every pub and British restaurants menu, I just never ate them. I am still not a big consumer of them at all, maybe 3 or 4 times a year, but when I do eat them I find that I enjoy them far more than I ever did in the UK. Maybe because in the UK they were a convenience food whereas when I do eat them here in Almerimar they are part of a planned lunch or evening out. There are a couple of places to eat them in Almerimar, Mac Gowan’s and Leo’s Variety Bar & Restaurant
2. Eating a Full English: Apart from the occasional hotel breakfast or the Sunday Brunch at home I can’t recall ever having gone out for a Full English breakfast in the last 10 years in the UK. Sure when I was younger and worked in the City, but in recent times nope! Again, not a huge consumer of a Full English but every now and again I meet up with some friends who want one. We have a number of great places for a Full English here in Almerimar, and I have eaten and enjoyed them at The D-Bar, Ankara, La Plaza and for a Full Irish we have Mac Gowan’s. I haven’t eaten one at Mario’s but as Anna from the D-Bar is now in his kitchen I have no reason to believe it wouldn’t be equally as good.
3. Going to a Bar to watch England Football/Rugby: I never and I mean never went to a Pub in the UK to watch England play either Football or Rugby. I am not sure I would dare to be honest, and the thought of having pints and who knows what spilt over me while pushed and jostled has no appeal at all. In Spain though I don’t mind at all. We sit down as a group, have a few drinks and tapas, enjoy the match and when it is all over generally turn away from the TV and carry on talking. Very much the Spanish way I wouldn’t say I do this for every game, but the important ones for sure. So if England get to the semi-final in South Africa next year you know where you will find me. Mac Gowan’s, Ankara, D-Bar, Marios, Leo’s, Stumble Inn all show the Football, as do many of the Spanish bars
4. Cooking a Sunday Roast: Sunday Brunch and a Takeway was our typical Sunday but here in Almerimar we tend to have a smaller breakfast in one of the many cafe’s and then cook a lunch around 5pm, very often based around a Traditional Roast. Not something we go out to eat though, but I do enjoy a good old fashioned roast about once a month, which is far more than we did in the UK!
5. Going to a Night Club Music Bar: my clubbing days are long gone, and in the UK it must be 1999/2000 that I last got remotely close to a club, but here in Almerimar we have a host of really good music bars especially during the summer, and in the winter El Ejido is the place to go. Again not a regular event, maybe 4 or 5 times a year, but that is 4 or 5 times a year more than when I was in the UK!

It is weird, but maybe living away from the UK for so long has awoken a Britishness in me that I never knew I had. Perhaps the fact that the expat lifestyle is very much dominated by keeping the British traditions alive. I don’t know. It hasn’t been a conscious effort on my behalf, and I wouldn’t want to go back to the UK to live at all (as you read this I will be driving back after a very brief, unplanned and unwanted trip back to the UK), but as I finish this red and head to the Kitchen for another bottle to go with the Sailors Clams and Habas con Jamón we are having for dinner tonight, I have a wry smile on my face that an unexpected bonus of living in Spain, is an appreciation for a few British traditions!

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