Los estereotipos de los gallegos: texto en inglés sobre el tema

Galicians: what we´re really like

Being Galician, as happens with everything, has both a negative and a positive side. On the one hand, it´s generally believed that Galician people are yokel, boring and bored folks with nothing better to do than watching cows in the fields or fishing in the sea.

Actually, it´s true that fishing and farming have always been most people´s ways of earning a living. But this doesn´t mean that all the inhabitants of Galicia go to work on "cowback". It´s like saying that nobody drinks water in England, only tea, or like thinking that everybody in Spain likes bullfighting, paella and flamenco.

Sadly, as a result of being regarded as the folkiest hick ones in Spain, lots of Galicians feel ashamed of themselves. Obviously, there´s no big difference between XXI century Galicians and Germans, Italians or any other nacionality.

On the other hand, we are also said to be hospitable, nice, good cooks and trustworthy. As a matter of fact, we don´t like our invitations being rejected and if a pilgrim needs anything on his/her journey to Santiago, there will always be somebody willing to help.

Another thing that everybody knows about Galicians is how delicious our seafood is, especially when we are the ones who cook it. Apart from this speciality, we are also experts at making ham and turnip tops.

If you need somebody to talk to, look for a Galician person. All your secrets will be safe with him/her.

To sum up, stereotypes don´t exist by chance, there is always a reality on which they are based. However, this reality is usually more complex than the one depicted by the stereotype.

Stereotypes exist because of our need to make generalizations, to give unity to a complex reality, so as to feel safer.