…In Spain, that is.

While living in Madrid, I frequented many tapas bars where it is customary to eat bite-sized portions of a variety of foods while sipping small glasses of local beer called cañas.  While snacking away, it is also common to throw your paper napkins on the floor.  As an American, where this is far from normal, I thought the place I was eating was headed for a health department closing.  How wrong I was.

To the Spanish, the mounds of napkins, toothpicks and straws on the floor are a sign of just the opposite.  They don’t signify that the restaurant is a bad place to eat, but instead, that it is a great place to eat.  And depending on the amount of discards on the floor, will tell you just how good it is.  If there is good-sized mess, they probably have some really great food and drink prices, whereas if the place is spotless, it probably is subpar and hasn’t seen customers all night.

Filed Under: Food Talk