Extracts from the best selling book "In the Garlic" by Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea Stay a while in Spain, and beyond the sunshine, fiestas, Rioja and laidbackness you may find yourself drifting in an uncharted ocean of unwritten laws, linguistic minefields and mysterious quirks. You need to be In the Garlic – en el ajo – in the know. Extracts from the best selling book "In the Garlic" by Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea Stay a while in Spain, and beyond the sunshine, fiestas, Rioja and laidbackness you may find yourself drifting in an uncharted ocean of unwritten laws, linguistic minefields and mysterious quirks. You need to be In the Garlic – en el ajo – in the know.
Hora The magic word. Life becomes so much easier when it clicks that hora is the correct word for appointment. If you want to make one, say: “Quisiera pedir hora.” However — and this is quite a big however — having an hora, even primera hora, while relieving you of fighting for a número and a place in the queue, doesn't necessarily mean you won't have to endure hours of waiting. Cita, a blanket term for appointments of all kinds, is also a date, so better not ask your hairdresser/doctor/dentist/osteopath/psychiatrist, etc. for one unless you really fancy your chances.
Hostia Communion wafer. And so much more. Used as a general sort of damn-and-blast exclamation, depending on the intonation, hostia can express everything from surprise and admiration to self-admonishment and pain. In a country where the Church has historically held great power, religion-related swear words and expressions are among the strongest — much stronger than the equivalents of our own “C” and “F” words. That is certainly the case with the surely very-difficult-to-manage me cago en la hostia (I defecate on the communion wafer).
Hueco When you're going crazy with toothache and are told there are no horas for the next three months, try saying in your most pathetic, grovelling voice: “Por favor, ¿no me puede encontrar un hueco?” That is, can't you squeeze me in? A hueco is a hole or gap.
Ikurriña The Basque national flag, consisting of a white cross over a diagonal green cross on a red field, patterned after the British Union Jack. The red represents the blood shed by the Basques in their fight for independence, the white is for the Catholic faith and the green for the oak tree of Guernica.
Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP) Officially translated as Protected Designation of Origin. To be awarded an IGP with its distinctive blue-and-yellow seal there has to be a link with the geographical location in at least one of the stages of production, transformation or elaboration of the product. Spanish IGP goodies include Mallorcan ensaimadas (so that's what's in those huge octagonal parcels you see everyone lugging off the planes and ferries from the Balearics), turrón from Alicante and Jijona, Asturian beans, apples from Girona, clementines from the Ebro Valley…
Interviú Spanglicised spelling of interview, and the steamiest mainstream magazine on the shelves. Apart from hard-hitting, exposé-type journalism, the rag offers a weekly flesh-fest of soap stars, Big Brother celebs, TV presenters and sports stars. You'll never see page-three girls in the Spanish newspapers, which tend to be dry and worthy to the point of tedium, but in Interviú full frontals abound. One of the curious hallmarks of a country that spent the swinging 60s and most of the 70s under a dictatorship is that censorship of any kind is seen as an inherently BAD THING. Hence the likelihood of finding your favourite Cooking with Tofu and Crochet Today titles sidled up to Bondage Babes and Perversions Monthly.
In the Garlic: Your Informative, Fun Guide to Spain is published by Santana and is available at all good book shops (ISBN 13:978-84-89954-59-5)
©Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea 2008
Hora The magic word. Life becomes so much easier when it clicks that hora is the correct word for appointment. If you want to make one, say: “Quisiera pedir hora.” However — and this is quite a big however — having an hora, even primera hora, while relieving you of fighting for a número and a place in the queue, doesn't necessarily mean you won't have to endure hours of waiting. Cita, a blanket term for appointments of all kinds, is also a date, so better not ask your hairdresser/doctor/dentist/osteopath/psychiatrist, etc. for one unless you really fancy your chances.
Hostia Communion wafer. And so much more. Used as a general sort of damn-and-blast exclamation, depending on the intonation, hostia can express everything from surprise and admiration to self-admonishment and pain. In a country where the Church has historically held great power, religion-related swear words and expressions are among the strongest — much stronger than the equivalents of our own “C” and “F” words. That is certainly the case with the surely very-difficult-to-manage me cago en la hostia (I defecate on the communion wafer).
Hueco When you're going crazy with toothache and are told there are no horas for the next three months, try saying in your most pathetic, grovelling voice: “Por favor, ¿no me puede encontrar un hueco?” That is, can't you squeeze me in? A hueco is a hole or gap.
Ikurriña The Basque national flag, consisting of a white cross over a diagonal green cross on a red field, patterned after the British Union Jack. The red represents the blood shed by the Basques in their fight for independence, the white is for the Catholic faith and the green for the oak tree of Guernica.
Indicación Geográfica Protegida (IGP) Officially translated as Protected Designation of Origin. To be awarded an IGP with its distinctive blue-and-yellow seal there has to be a link with the geographical location in at least one of the stages of production, transformation or elaboration of the product. Spanish IGP goodies include Mallorcan ensaimadas (so that's what's in those huge octagonal parcels you see everyone lugging off the planes and ferries from the Balearics), turrón from Alicante and Jijona, Asturian beans, apples from Girona, clementines from the Ebro Valley…
Interviú Spanglicised spelling of interview, and the steamiest mainstream magazine on the shelves. Apart from hard-hitting, exposé-type journalism, the rag offers a weekly flesh-fest of soap stars, Big Brother celebs, TV presenters and sports stars. You'll never see page-three girls in the Spanish newspapers, which tend to be dry and worthy to the point of tedium, but in Interviú full frontals abound. One of the curious hallmarks of a country that spent the swinging 60s and most of the 70s under a dictatorship is that censorship of any kind is seen as an inherently BAD THING. Hence the likelihood of finding your favourite Cooking with Tofu and Crochet Today titles sidled up to Bondage Babes and Perversions Monthly.
In the Garlic: Your Informative, Fun Guide to Spain is published by Santana and is available at all good book shops (ISBN 13:978-84-89954-59-5)
©Valerie Collins and Theresa O'Shea 2008
