Sobremesa: The Spanish Word for Chat At the Table After Meal
A great opportunity to enjoy life
Spain is a Mediterranean country. The first most widely known thing about Mediterranean culture is the Mediterranean Diet, and the second is that they love to socialize. Italy, Spain, Turkey, Greeceā¦ Consider the people in these nations. They have one thing in common: they like chatting and connecting with others. Also, eating.
This unusual term, which combines the pleasures of eating and talking, is also of Spanish origin. Sobremesa.
The word Sobremesa has no equivalent in English as a word. It reflects more of a culture.
Sobremesa means to talk and have fun with the people you dine with at the table after meal. In Spanish culture, delicious tapas and wine are offered with late-night dinners, and Siesta is a tradition. So, a term like sobremesa would be lacking in a society that places such a high priority on enjoying life.
If you've read Malcolm Gladwell's best-selling book Outliers, you'll be familiar with the Roseta Phenomenon.
Roseta was a New York neighborhood with a largely Italian population. The uniqueness of this area was that illnesses like heart attacks, which were widespread in the 1960s, were not seen until a very old age among Roseta residents. Many medical facts about the Roseta people were researched by experts. Their eating habits were far from healthy, and they also smoked cigarettes and cigars. At the end, two scientists, John Bruhn and Stewart Wolf, investigated the secrets of Roseta residents' longevity and found that socializing is what enables Roseta residents to live longer.
The people of Roseta were always interacting with their neighbors, on their walk to the market, at their front door, and in any situation they encountered. They protected family ties and shared their joys and sorrows rather than keeping them to themselves. Individuals felt peaceful and pleased as a result of their social participation, and this spiritual happiness was mirrored in their physical health. In this scenario, the nervous system control mechanism was social cohesion. It provided a sense of safety.
Roseta's population were of Italian heritage, belonging to the Mediterranean culture. It's not far from Spain.
One of my favorite leisure time activities is to eat good meals for an extended period of time, followed by table chats.
After all, I live in the Mediterranean.
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