PODCAST: Catalonia's late eating habits - time for a change?

Curfew forcing new routines but timetable reform campaigners want permanent shift 

The carillon clock at Tarragona's central market strikes 12 o'clock, November 21, 2018 (Sílvia Jardí)
The carillon clock at Tarragona's central market strikes 12 o'clock, November 21, 2018 (Sílvia Jardí) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

December 11, 2020 11:38 PM

September 19, 2022 07:19 PM

 

Why do Catalans eat so late? And is it time for a change? Press play below to listen to episode 7 of Filling the Sink, or subscribe on Apple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts or Spotify.

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Have you ever tried to book a table for 7pm at a restaurant in Catalonia? Or gone to do some shopping in the afternoon, say around 3pm? You might well have run into a little trouble because Catalonia and Spain don't keep the same hours as the rest of Europe.

Campaigners for timetable reform – reforma horària in Catalan – have long argued that late meal times and long breaks in the middle of the working day are inefficient and unhealthy.

Lorcan Doherty, Natacha Maurin, and Guifré Jordan discuss the origins and effects of this day-to-day schedule, and whether the curfew in place since October might lead to more permanent changes in people's habits.