Why do the Spanish take their meals so late? A time zone shift could explain the late hours of Spanish meals.
Those who were lucky to spend a few days in Spain were able to realize that restaurants were closing much later than in France and that there were people set up until very late in the evening.
If it is tempting to associate this behavior with the more relaxed lifestyle of Spanish and the mild climate enjoyed by several regions, however, there is more to look behind this habit.
Time zone offset
It would seem that Spain has lived for a very large number of years in the wrong time zone! If you see a map of the world it is easy to see that Spain should be in the UTC rocket, that of the England or Portugal , country with which it is aligned.
In 1940, he decided to move from one hour (UTC+1) to align himself with Nazi Germany. The Spanish people do not change their habits at the same time find themselves taking their lunch from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. or their dinner from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. without a choice.
Spready evenings
The long Spanish evenings and this impression of extended time are explained by this time lag. This is how in this country the sun rises later and lays down later. The inhabitants enjoy evenings to relax, which may also push them to dinner later, allowing themselves an aperitif on the terrace at the end of the day to enjoy the last rays of the sun before returning to dinner.
Back to the UTC?
If the evenings are longer the nights are shorter. Spanish people are often in need of sleep due to this permanent hourly shift. The sun rises later it is sometimes more difficult for them to wake up naturally.
Government President Mariano Rajoy said in 2016 working on a new time plan for companies that could involve a return to the UTC rocket. This idea is likely to be a long-standing debate, especially among tourism actors who highlight late sunlight as a major advantage for visitors. And what do you think?
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