Is the Mediterranean diet in danger?

Save your money, expand your waistline

For our intercultural seminar's final project, I am hoping to investigate the topic of health as it relates to children and schools. This is something I find extremely interesting, as we have discussed the effects of globalization and the U.S. many times in class. The link between Spain and our homeland is easily visible and seldom forgotten, as we are reminded of America every time we pass McDonald's or are served french fries for lunch. While many families succeed in preserving the traditional healthy Mediterranean diet, others succumb to busy schedules and picky eaters, following the example of their American counterparts. The question is, is the Mediterranean diet really in danger of extinction? And if so, what can we do about it?

Recent studies and statistics that I have found point to the tendency of children to follow the Americanized diet, shunning the Spanish trend of high consumption of olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, fruits, and vegetables; moderate consumption of dairy products, fish, and wine; and low consumption of meat. Instead, they reach for sugary drinks, snacks with a higher fat and calorie content, and processed foods. I know that in my own household, I was surprised at the amount of hot dogs, hamburger, french fries, and fried food in general that my host mother offers her children. Additionally, more and more children and adults in Spain are becoming obese or overweight, thanks to the acceptance of an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. Sound familiar?

A model of the new food pyramid, which includes exercise as a key component

To me, it seems obvious that if measures are not taken to reassert the Spanish culinary identity, the Mediterranean diet may become a thing of the past. Although we have heard from our professors here that places like McDonald's are "for kids" and that in general Spaniards don't take such companies seriously (that is, as an actual component of Spanish food culture), who do you think is going to form the next generation and be responsible for feeding their own children? That's right - those teenagers you see chowing down on Whoppers at Burger King across the street.

Learning a Culture

Learning a language is difficult; few would disagree. The disagreements come with the answers to the question of what is the most difficult part of that process. If we start from the position I am in, a native English speaker learning Spanish, one might say that the subjunctive is most difficult because in English grammar we use it without realizing it. Others have said that it is impossible to be fluent because there are so many verbs and so many uses for some the same verbs. One of the most frustrating things I’ve encountered in my experience with learning Spanish has nothing to do with grammar. It’s laughter. That is, being in a room with Spanish speakers and understanding what is being said when all at once everyone begins to laugh and I have absolutely no idea what’s funny. These are the typical awkward situations in which I’m not sure whether to laugh pretending that I understood the joke, discretely ask for an explanation from the person nearest me, or cock my head to one side showing my obvious lack of comprehension, which is what usually ends up happening. This is frustrating, not because I’m the only one not laughing, but because I’ve reached a level of language comprehension that I can understand the words being said yet still miss the joke. Why? Based on my reflections of humor in English, I’ve decided that it is because most jokes are funny because of the context, not the words. In the 20 years I’ve spent in the United States I’ve unintentionally collected enough cultural knowledge to understand references made to famous people, important historic events, successful movies, popular foods, etc. At least one good thing has come from the many missed jokes: I’ve discovered that it takes more than vocabulary and grammar to really know a language because to be truly fluent you have to learn the culture.

The Sun has returned to Malaga!

In recent weeks, the weather has been getting better and better. Even the Spanish, who frequently complain about how cold it is, have been shedding their winter coats. On weekend days, the bars and restaurants near the beach are packed with people enjoying the weather and free tables can be hard to come by. Cruise ships are a normal in the harbor and tourists beginning to flock here. On the beach, a few daring individuals can even be seen soaking up some sun. With all of this, there is an upbeat atmosphere in which it is nearly impossible to be anything but happy.
At the guardería, we have been taking advantage of this gorgeous weather to take the kids outside to play. Normally they need a bit of prodding to gather up the toys discarded all over the floor. When they are told that we are going outside as soon as they clean up, they need little incentive more and quickly get to work. Cooped up inside, they often become cranky and pick fights with the other children over toys or other minor issues. As soon as we go outside, all the children’s faces light up with smiles as they run around cheerfully. There is little bickering and everyone enjoys a nice afternoon in the sun. It’s amazing what a difference the sun can make and the happiness that it can bring.

The Differences between American television and Spanish television

When I watch television here with my Spanish family, it reminds me of when I would watch the television with my family in the United States. But I notice some differences. I can count three differences between the movies and the television programs from Spain and the US: more nudity, more informal language, and the different movie rating systems. Based on what I have seen on Spanish television, the actors and actresses seem less modest and more sexual by making their nudity public. Also, it seems that there isn’t a limit in the language content. Sometimes they use words that aren’t necessarily appropriate in television programs. The concept that coincides with nudity and the informal language is the movie rating system in Spain. The different levels of ratings are appropriate for the general public. For example, adults (older than 18) and S (pornography or extreme violence). These ratings are more general than the specific ratings in the US. There five levels in America: X (pornography), R (older than 17 or parental guidance), PG-13 (at least 13 years old or with parental guidance), PG (parental guidance) and G (appropriate for the general public). In my opinion, there is a certain paranoia that exists amongst the Americans about what the youth is learning from watching television. Because of that, there are more restrictions and more age limits to see a movie in America.

Finally, there are the tendencies of both countries when watching television. From what I have heard from other students in class, the Spanish turn on their televisions and don’t turn them off until it’s time to go to bed. Sometimes it’s the same in my Spanish house. But I think that it seems more like an addiction for some people in the US. Depends on the person. Also, the Spanish seem to express more of an interest in the news than the Americans. But, once again, depends on the person. Sometimes depends on the location in the US as well.

After watching the television in both countries, one can conclude that each country’s values are different.

Football: The Great Unifier and Divider

The semi-inebriated running flag man, the oversized floppy flag man, and a hyper-agitated screaming adolescent, what unnatural force has brought these three seemingly unrelated Spaniards together today? The answer is simple; they are all fans of the Malaga football club. Few institutions evoke such unbridled and blind passion. Football unites people from every social level, members of the conservative Partido Popular, the socialist PSOE, rich, poor, young, and old. Overwhelmed by the roar of the din and the frenetic yet synchronized movement of the crowd; I sat and thought. Fractures spread across Spanish society: differing political viewpoints, differing views on the past, and an overall lack of patriotism. The pride and sense of national identity that I have come to associate with the United States is conspicuously absent in Spain. Football has the power to bring people together and to unite them in a common cause. Alarmingly though, the common cause is the shared disdain for the opposing team and their fans. Looking across the rows and rows of blue clad Malaguenos, it was a true cross section of society. They moved as if they shared a single collective mind. Each foul was protested in flamboyantly exaggerated fashion, and each missed opportunity was followed by a chorus of shouts and jeers. They were possessed by the love of their football club and their hatred of the opposing team. On this afternoon Malaga played their Andalusian neighbors, the dreaded and hated Seville Football Club. Across the stadium a small undulating section of red bodies stood out in the sea of blue. Brought by the same mystical, allegiance producing football addiction; they were a body apart. They ran against the grain of the unified Malaguenos, becoming an object of wrath and venom. It became clear, as Seville related vitriol poured out around me, that football is the great unifier and divider of Spain.

Intolerance

(The Spanish basketball team before their participation in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing China.)

The words “racist” and “intolerant” are sometimes used to describe a certain percentage of the Spanish population. Spain like many other Western European countries has seen the biggest influx of immigrants in its history in the past few decades. As with many other countries in the world, when there are increases of immigrants a negative perception can be created by the residents of the host country. Unfortunately for many immigrants this negative mentality seems to be widespread in Spain. We have seen charts and graphs showing us the amount of intolerance there is in Spain towards certain groups. Experiencing it first hand can be shocking. I have heard all the negative commentaries about how immigrants are poor or they are “just different”. They don’t want to be Spanish and they only bring crime and drugs to Spain. When the subject comes to race in Spain there are no politically correct answers. On more than one occasion I have been left with my eyes wide open and thinking; “did they just say that or am I dreaming”. But even in all this negativity there are lots of organizations and people that have devoted their lives here in Spain to combat these perceptions. These growing efforts will hopefully stifle the widespread intolerance I see today in Spanish society.

Hollywood

The way movies depict American life has always interested me because to a large extent, they are very accurate. For example, last semester when my host mom, Dori, and I were talking, the subject of my childhood came up. Having never thought I had an “American childhood,” I was surprised at how familiar she had become with it just by watching American movies and television. In her long string of questions, she asked, and I had to confirm, that I had played baseball and soccer as a child and practiced with my dad in the front-yard, went fishing with my family, was part of a carpool in middle school, had sleepovers, sold cups of lemonade at a makeshift stand to passing cars, and to this day my mom makes pitchers of iced tea and bakes pastries for no reason. By the end of it, Dori could hardly stop laughing and I blushed in a stupor of astonishment.

The same thing happened again after I talked with Carlos, a friend of my current host mom. He asked if the atmosphere of a typical American high school or college party matched what was shown in movies. I had to concede that they are often very similar to what he sees in American movies. Then, he described what he thought an American party would look like, based off of movies he had seen. His description was characterized by a keg in the middle of a room packed with people drinking from red, plastic cups while a group of people chant as their friend chugs a beer.

Obviously, not every childhood or party is identical, but there is definitely a convergence. Looking back on high school, I see how movies may have influenced my own mental image of a party. With that said, it's safe to say that Hollywood has a very strong influence on how our culture is interpreted by the rest of the world.