How Europeans see Spaniards

One of the most common conversations with any foreigner tends to revolve around comparing cultural differences between countries.

In general, say you're Spanish and everyone thinks: parties, food and beaches. But those aren't the only topics that come up.

For the past couple of months one of the big talking points has been the Spanish revolution. Everyone asks, intrigued, what's happening in Spain. Everyone seems surprised that Spaniards are actually taking to the streets to demand change.

My impression is that outside Spain the movement is being given more coverage and importance than within our own borders.

What's striking is that, as a rule, everyone agrees the level of corruption in their own country is similar or worse, that everyone complains and protests about it — but they argue their character is colder, which is why they don't go out into the streets. Sound familiar? It's exactly what was being said in Spain just a few months ago. The only difference was the excuse: laziness.

And that actually brings us to something else people praise us for (not the laziness, which they do take the piss about) — they love that Spaniards run hotter. Being Spanish, people assume you're going to be more extroverted, that you'll want to go out every night, and that you can dance. And the thing is, in many countries, even if you can't actually dance you're still miles ahead of almost everyone else.

Lots of people are curious about the food, the wines and sangrias, the nightlife and the bars. But a fair few also ask about nationalism — especially Catalonia, which is considerably more well-known abroad than the Basque Country.

Once the politics are out of the way, the next burning topic is football. And not just among the men — women ask too. Almost everyone is in awe of the national team and FC Barcelona.

Bullfighting comes up pretty often as well, with strong opinions on both sides. People ask about animal rights organisations, whether people really go to watch animals being killed, whether younger Spaniards are against it.

But the one thing everyone — absolutely everyone — asks about is fiestas. The whole world has heard of the San Fermín festival, but it's La Tomatina that really travels: practically everyone abroad has heard of it, and sometimes it feels like it's more famous outside Spain than it is at home.

One thing is certain, though: right now, being Spanish is very much in fashion.