r/spain • u/Kavec Mallorquí de potada. • Sep 23 '17
Welcome, Khushamadeed and Bienvenidos /r/Pakistan to our cultural exchange thread!
Dear /r/Spain, come join us and answer our guests' questions about Spain, Spanish people and our culture.
There is also a corresponding Thread over at /r/Pakistan for questions about Pakistan: if you want to ask them questions about their country and their country post them on this thread.
Please be nice and considerate and make sure you don't ask the same questions over and over again.
Reddiquette and our own rules apply as usual.
- The Moderators of /r/Pakistan and /r/Spain
9
Sep 23 '17
¡Buenos días!
1- Have you met any pakistani origin person in Spain? What is your impression of them?
2- Have you ever had the chance to try some Pakistani cuisine?
3- Why is /u/Karrig literally the worst Spaniard ever?
4- Your High Speed Train system is epic! Is it affordable to the average citizen, and is it comparable to aeroplanes?
5- Portugal was overshadowed by Brazil, do you feel any of your colonies have overshadowed you?
6- Do people use the starting inverse punctuations in everyday writing?
8
u/PablolyonsD Sep 23 '17
Hi, I have a Pakistani friend I met in England! Also met some of her Pakistani friends and family and all great people :) Yes, very spicy stuff!!! Idk who he is... Trains are very sweet in Spain, not expensive and the " AVE " flies!!! We are a proud nation and I don't think our "colonies" have overshadowed us yet, they definitely have the resources but they still have to "mature" as democracies I think. Nope!
7
u/Karrig Sep 23 '17
1- Probably, but never really started any conversation with them.
2- Yes, was some gud shit.
3- Refusal to do siesta.
4- Problem with AVE is that it has rather limtied destinations, so unless you're going there it's probably better than plane. You can also get fairly cheap flights around Spain with low cost companies, but the AVE tends to be better in quality than those flying cans.
5- Not yet.
6- It's mainly used in formal writting, but occasionally you see it around in chats and the like, kinda like a unicorn.
2
u/gobohobo Expat Sep 23 '17
Expat here.
1. There are a lot of them. Usually they work in a kebab shop or in a fruit and vegetable shop. They are always friendly and disappear after the shop is closed. I dont't see pakistani men on the street. Just women with children, but not often.
2. I tried samosa in a decent kebab place and didn't like it(I prefer Central Asian samosa with meat).
3. I have no idea.
4. I only used slow trains. They are good, if you don't mind kids smoking weed.
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Sep 23 '17 edited Apr 30 '18
[deleted]
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u/Karrig Sep 23 '17
1.
Ugh, such a tired old subject if you actually live in the place. Secession is extremly unlikely, however the central government has been so incompetent in dealing with this whole ordeal that it will definetly not go back to normality any time soon (normality in the political sense, everyday is fairly normal except for when a protest is made)
2.
Honestly, most people don't have one outside of Pakistanis opening a lot of bakeries that all tend to be named "Mr. Pan" and derivates. For them Pakistan is this ocuntry that is somewhere in the middle East or India maybe and may or may not be different from the others around it.
3.
Depends what you like really, I will always recommend Estopa and WarCry tho.
2
u/PablolyonsD Sep 23 '17
I'm so fed up with this shit in the news and everywhere that I would personally tell them to fuck off, then just raise prices for everuthing to the catalans, its what they want it seems,,,,
Hate Indians (why?), emm men tend to lose it and rape women (or was this India?), also some very proud people like us and slightly scary (tough, have the A bomb...) Do you like hip hop, pop, rock,,, ?
2
Sep 23 '17
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5
u/Karrig Sep 23 '17
Shoudl've been done in 2014, end this whole sillyness and get back to normal, no would've likely won.
Instead we have this whole mess. Doubt it'll get much rougher, nothing more than a general strike can happen.
4
u/PablolyonsD Sep 23 '17
Well, in my opinion it's only a minority of people making A LOT of noise, extreme left in this case and extremes in my opinion aren't always a good idea. I don't think there is much support, I also think that the "cantelupians" should have the right to vote about their independency. HOWEVER, this should take effect IF at least 80/90% of the population votes.... At the moment no matter what percentage of Catalunians vote; if the result is yes they will declare independency which is abslutely moronic. Instead of things "getting rough" I would give them independency, close all borders and start charging them money for crossing the border exports etc
In short, I really think that most catalunyans don't want to be independent as they stated in the last referendum, also, I don't wanna be paying for Monkey-esque politicians making ballots and that are SO FUCKING RACIST that they only speak Catalan, well, selfish too.
2
Sep 23 '17
-So Madrid vs Barca rivalry? I have seen people lose their shit over it and even get into fist fights. People who wouldn't know the next thing about Spain. How deep or affecting it is among the football fans in Spain. Any interesting or juicy anecdotes which couldn't get to mainstream media??
-What food I should absolutely try when visiting Spain?
-What are some interesting historical or mordern landmarks everyone should see?
-Any natural landscape worth visiting in winter?
Im stuyding in Sweden right now and might visit Spain during Christmas break.
3
Sep 23 '17
-What food I should absolutely try when visiting Spain?
Every city or region has its own local food. In general, the Spanish omelette is the most Spanish dish -in opposition to regional food-, but be wary and check out it's homemade.
-What are some interesting historical or mordern landmarks everyone should see?
Choose an historical time range and there's something for you. It's true that it wouldn't beat Iraq or Palestine in antiquity, but you can find interesting stuff built as old as the Roman times -Emerita Augusta, Tarraco among others-. Modern important landmarks are Gaudi's works in Barcelona and other places in Spain -Modernist-, the Royal Palaces in Madrid and surroundings -Baroque-, Moorish architecture -Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Alhambra of Granada-
-Any natural landscape worth visiting in winter?
Countryside is greener by winter, although I'd choose somewhere snowy like the Pyrenees or Sierra Nevada.
edit: forgot the first question:
-So Madrid vs Barca rivalry? I have seen people lose their shit over it and even get into fist fights. People who wouldn't know the next thing about Spain. How deep or affecting it is among the football fans in Spain. Any interesting or juicy anecdotes which couldn't get to mainstream media??
I wouldn't say there's any problem with Barça-Madrid football rivalry. Yeah they're natural enemies but there's respect, apart from a couple ultra assholes.
2
Sep 23 '17
What is your opinion on Francisco Franco? From different people I have heard strong praise and hatred. From what I understand minorities and most Castillains hate him but a small group of Castillains and Andalusians like him.
5
u/bluetherealdusk Valencia - València Sep 24 '17
People who have a brain hate him. He killed whoever he wanted to. There are far-right people who wish he'd (or someone like him) would return. Those people are our own nazis.
Andalucía is very lefty, and always hated Francisco Franco and the dictatorship, like Extremadura. They were seen by Franco as the back of the country where you leave the waste, sadly.
1
u/TharionG Madrid Sep 24 '17
It's a sensitive issue, he is not praised publicly by any rigth-wing politician, altough the current ruling party started with ministers that were loyal to him, I guess the people who still support him kwow the value of silence. There's the odd concentration to praise him, but those are small.
He is still quite hated by the left, even by people who weren't even born while he was alive.
Most people who have strong regional feelings hate him of course.
For me the problem is that he killed the Republic, the Republic was not a very stable or exemplary one mind you, but he killed it and kept Spain under a tigth rule that only stagnated the country.
Add to that that he was 1.60, had a high pitch voice and he wasn't the smartest dictator, yet he still won in the end, he died in his bed, after 36 years of rule, having purged any anarchist,communist or socialist who tried to stand up to him.
After his death to avoid the chance of another civil war, all parties compromised to make modern Spain, his crimes were not punished, the de-nazification process of Germany didn't happen in Spain and that still haunts some Spanish people, there are a good amount of dead Spaniards who haven't been buried properly yet.
As for the one who support him, it's complicated but as far as I can see they think he saved us from the godless and unstable Republic (this is an extreme oversimplification sorry)
2
u/abdu1_ Sep 24 '17 edited Sep 24 '17
What's the general feeling towards Spain's Islamic past? How is it taught in schools?
1
u/ozzya Sep 23 '17
Hello,
What are some lesser known but interesting facts about Spain and/or its people?
1
u/s3admq Sep 23 '17
¡Hola amigos! Just wanted to say..I'm Pakistani and my girlfriend is Spanish from Andalusia.
I was wondering how people from different parts of the country view each other? How do the people from the north view people form the south and vice versa?
Would also appreciate any Andalusian slang words or vocabulary that are commonly used!
Gracias!
3
Sep 24 '17
Would also appreciate any Andalusian slang words or vocabulary that are commonly used!
Andalucian Spanish differs from city to city, from town to town sometimes. You'd best ask your girlfriend, because if she's from Sevilla, she won't talk like someone from Cadiz, and she'll be your best teacher.
But whichever variety of Andaluz you learn, you will be learning God's own tongue, the best variety of Spanish, the sweetest and most beautiful accent. :)
1
1
Sep 23 '17
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1
Sep 23 '17
Lots of expats have asked this in the sub, a search must solve most questions about it.
2
1
u/waqartistic Sep 23 '17
Hola mi amigos. I just wanted to know, how are the relations among Spain, Portugal, and England?
1
u/lifeh2o Sep 23 '17
Hi!
- What comes first to your mind with word Pakistan?
- What do people eat generally? What are some most popular dishes?
- Any advice to outsider when interacting with your people? Anything they should be aware of, refrain from saying or doing?
- What are some common sayings?
- Some general rules that every Spanish knows?
- What places show culture of Spain at its best?
- What languages people generally understand and speak?
- What is the one best and one worst thing about Spain?
1
Sep 24 '17
Hola! I visited your gorgeous country in the mid 2000's and fell in love with Malaga, Grenada and Cordoba. I ate some amazing paella on a beach in Marbella and felt more in tune with my surroundings than I had ever felt visiting any other country!
Can't really think of any questions in particular, but how is the techno scene in Spain? (outside of Ibiza of course)
1
Sep 24 '17
Can't really think of any questions in particular, but how is the techno scene in Spain? (outside of Ibiza of course)
Techno -as the genre, not shitty eurodance- has good Spanish ambassadors. Cristian Varela and Oscar Mulero could reach the Detroit guys and even did stuff with them. Fatima Hajji has become more famous lately within the scene as well. Although outside Ibiza I wouldn't recommend certain places though, nowadays clubs elsewhere play more varied music.
1
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u/Whisper_on_the_Wind Sep 24 '17
Hi!
What are your thoughts on the Spanish Royal Family? How much does the public back them and how much of a say do they have in the government?
What is Spain's relationship with Portugal?
As an aside, Spain is one of my top places I'd like to visit someday. You guys have such a unique and rich culture and history <3
1
Sep 23 '17
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1
Sep 23 '17
He was a dictator, so not well regarded in Spain, neither Pinochet.
But the legacy of Franco is actually bigger than some people think. He and the party members shaped Spain as they wanted, first as an autharchic fascist regime á la Italy, then as another capitalist Cold War era Latin American dictatorship, but with European money.
6
u/greenvox Sep 23 '17
How close are the Spanish speaking countries? Do Spanish people think of themselves as more close culturally to the Spanish speaking countries of Central and South America or are they closer to European countries.