2. What do you know of
Catalans?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrwiquIaZkk
The Catalan Borat
3. Poor PR in Southeastern
Europe
• Early 14th century: Catalan mercenaries had
revenge on the assassination of their leader
• They started killing and looting, almost across the
whole region, that today is Greece, from Thrace
and Macedonia to Thessaly and Central Greece.
They settled and formed the Ducat of Neopatria.
• The Catalan revenge and rule was so brutal, that
until today, the word "Catalanos" or "Catelanos" is
an insult in many regions of Greece. Similarly in
Bulgaria, Albania...
4. Some basic data
• Catalunya is a nation in the Spanish
state
• 4 provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida
and Tarragona
• Capital city is Barcelona
• Area of 32.000 km²
• Population of 7,5 million
6. Catalan, our language
• Used by 11 million Europeans in 4
states
• 13th most used of EU languages
• 10th in the editorial world
• Studied at 108 universities in the
world
7. Catalunya vs. Spain
Birthdate Age So...
Catalunya 988 1022 Catalunya is
not Spain
Spain 1492 518 Spain is an
artificial
state
8. • The Catalan religion is
called Barça, its Messiah
is Guardiola (coach), and
Messi (best player in
the world) is its Holy
Player
9. Latest fads for proving
you are a Catalan patriot
• A “CAT” EU sticker for license
plates (or scratching out the “E”)
• A donkey sticker of the unique
Catalan donkey species (which is
stupid, because in Catalan
“donkey”, “burro”, means stupid)
“barretina”,
our traditional hat,
for traditional patriots
like the Pope
10. National cuisine
Desert: “crema catalana”
• I proudly found it with this name in the
menu of Italian restaurants
Sauce: “allioli”
• Literally, “garlic and olive oil”; goes with
everything you can get your teeth on,
except sweets
• Either eat it or stay away from those who
have!
• Do NOT accept cheap French imitations
(the Spanish king lost Northern Catalunya
to the French in the 18th century and we
are still angry about it!)
11. Drinks:
“ratafia”
– Nasty herbs liquor made by
grandmothers to whom you cannot say
“no” when they offer it to you
“cava”
– Catalan sparkling wine, better than
“champagne” (ok, enough French-
bashing)
12. Drinking contraption: the “porró”
• Please do try to drink from it and soil your
shirt
Foods for adventurous palates:
snails, grilled rabbit showing its shape, sweet
sausage, raw onions with salt, pig’s feet
– Easy to spot and avoid in restaurant menus, not so
when invited to someone’s home!
13. Do’s in communications
with Catalans
• Tell us you know that “Catalunya is not
Spain”
• Speak a few words in broken Catalan
before saying you need to switch to
English or (agghh!) Spanish
• Women: kiss twice on the cheek when you
are first introduced to male or female
Catalans
14. • Pretend to understand the Caganer*
(shitting man) and Caga Tió (shitting
log) traditions
• Try snails at a Catalan restaurant
and say you like them
– My favorite dish!!!!!
*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTrzewFNlSk*http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTrzewFNlSk
15. Don’ts in communications
with Catalans
• Do not wear a Real Madrid
shirt in Catalunya!
– will get nasty looks and people
thinking of scratching your car
• Do not say Catalan is a mixture
of Spanish and French!
– likely to get nasty replies about
your own language
16. • Do not ask if we like
bullfighting!
– it will be banned in
Catalunya beginning
1/1/2011
• Do not make any
positive comments
about the Spanish royal
family!
– we are 300% republican;
the so-called “royals”
are really parasites
Who are these two men?
17. Top 10 reasons to come
to Catalonia
10. See Barça play!
9. Food, food, food
8. Wine, cava...
7. The weather!
6. The Pyrenees, the Costa Brava,
Barcelona, Girona…
