what think americans of spain?

[Bellflower]

When I think of Spain I think of Velázquez, El Greco, Goya, Picasso, Miró, Dalí, the fantastical Antoni Gaudí, the virtuoso Andrés Segovia, the beautiful faces of Penélope Cruz and Antonio Banderas; the characters from Carmen, the Barber of Seville and Don Quixote; the great Spanish Catholic mystics and some of the most splendid churches on the planet; the fabulous cities of Sevilla, Barcelona and Granada and towns like Toledo and Segovia where time seems to have stopped. And, of course, flamenco, ferias, fiestas and, oh, the food! Paella, gazpacho, jamón serrano, manchego cheese, tortilla, Spanish olives and oils, churros and flan. And sherry!!! Seriously, what's not to love? (Aside from bullfighting and the Inquisition).

Signed -- a member of America's * gasp * working class.

[mikopaka]

Inquisition was fun in its time, a real show, so is bullfighting and "tocineras", green vans that were stuffied with commies after bumping their radical heads a little..But the country is loosing typism, not typical anymore.

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by franciscoac

I last visited Spain in the late 90s. I thought a very insulated cultured. They have their routines such as the siesta and month long vacations. Not too many foreigners. The food was unique but, honestly, did not like it. Preferred to eat at McDonalds or Planet Hollywood or other American places. Some of the women were beautiful. Most of the people seemed uptight and hot tempered. However, some were super nice and easygoing too. I learned that Flamencos were gypsies and not Spaniards. Bullfighters were often from the lower classes. The only places I would consider visiting again are Barcelona and maybe Ibiza. Not really interested in Southern Spain like Granada/Extremadura/Madrid.

[Meyerland]

I think of sunshine and olives.

Spainiards are friendly and welcoming to others. They have an interesting mix of architectural styles that are unique in Europe. I also think of delicious tapas and paella with some very nice wine.

[coolgato]

I think it is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, but one that I have yet to visit. I've only seen Spain through movies, magazines, pictures in books, and thankfully, videos on the Internet. I think of the fountain in the courtyard in the Alhambra (?); the one with the animal faces; Spanish villas, villages, and of course, the food, especially paella in those huge large skillets. One day I will visit, hopefully.

[ABQConvict]

Originally Posted by Jay100

The food was unique but, honestly, did not like it. Preferred to eat at McDonalds or Planet Hollywood or other American places.

No offense, but this says more about your palate than Spanish food. If you found fast food burgers preferable to anything but the goopiest tourist paella, you just weren't trying very hard.

[PacoMartin]

Originally Posted by gwillyfromphilly

Americans have a tendency to lumped Spain with other Latin American countries as if Spain is part of Latin America. The main stereotypes Americans have of Spain is that everyone flamenco dances and Spanish women have feisty tempers.

The cultures of Guadalajara in Mexico and Seville in Spain are known within each country as something unique, but are the cultures that are representative of each country to much of the world.

Spanish food is not well known to many Americans. It is considered a delicacy by most educated Americans.

My grandfather moved to America from a small town outside of Salamanca in 1920. But Americans who were born in Spain at that time were a very small group (1 in 281 of the foreign born). My grandmother was Hungarian, a nation whose foreign born outnumbered Spanish by 8 to 1.

Since the European ethnic heritage of the ancestors is the source of so much knowledge, the relatively small immigration levels from Spain mean that there is no general knowledge.

[Jay100]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

No offense, but this says more about your palate than Spanish food. If you found fast food burgers preferable to anything but the goopiest tourist paella, you just weren't trying very hard.

well I ate the food for a few months but just wasn't for me. oh well.