Urging Spaniards to dine quietly? Good luck!

The bustle of a typical Spanish bar is one of its main attractions… but not for those with hearing impairments.

When it comes to stereotyping Spaniards, there are a few hard and fast rules that are – because they’re accurate and generally non-offensive – essential: you have to label them passionate; recall their universal love for children; praise their footballing and culinary skills and, finally, admit that they can be, at times, rather loud…

It is a fact: Spaniards are gregarious, verbose and outgoing, which manifests itself in a cacophony of noise wherever you are in Spain. Be it the supermarket, the taxi rank, the bank, the post office or even a doctor’s waiting room – Spaniards love to chat, and to do so with the utmost confidence in their belief that what they are saying deserves to be heard.

And nowhere are Spaniards more chatty than when dining. Be it with friends, family, colleagues or even complete strangers, food and chit chat go perfectly hand-in-hand in Spain.

It is one of the country’s best-loved pastimes: to eat, drink, be merry, and put the world to rights all at the same time.

But one Spanish charity has, seemingly, had enough of this talking tumult, and has launched a new initiative called “Comer sin ruido” (Dine Quietly), which is aiming to encourage restaurant-goers to turn down the volume when they turn up at the bodega.

“Without a doubt we have a problem with noise here in Spain,” said Scante Borjesson, director of charity ‘Oir es Clave’, which is dedicated to improving the lives of people afflicted with hearing impairments, in an interview with The Local.

“Spain is the second noisiest country in the world after Japan,” he added. “It is noisy in the streets, in schools, in offices, hospitals, everywhere.”

According to Borjesson, the charity is hoping its Comer sin ruido campaign can remind Spaniards that those who suffer from hearing impairments require a peaceful atmosphere when dining out.

One of the aims of the campaign is to make people aware of the dangers of noise pollution, and its website already lists 20 restaurants across Spain where patrons can be sure that the noise levels are kept to a respectful level. The website also offers tips and practical advice for diners keen on keeping the volume down.

“It is not just a project for expensive restaurants, but for any restaurant that is worried about noise levels,” said Borjesson. “We would like famous food guides like the Michelin Guide to also take this criteria into consideration.”

Good ambiance is an important ingredient for any successful restaurant, and Spain’s plethora of brash and bustling venues are what makes them the delightful places they are. Whether Spaniards do heed this advice and dial it down a notch or two remains to be seen, but it does appear to be a good cause, so hopefully some sort of happy medium can be reached nationwide.