Spain, Land of 10 P.M. Dinners, Asks if It’s Time to Reset Clock

Dipping into a bucket filled with Mahou beers, Jorge Rodríguez and his friends hunkered down on a recent Wednesday night to watch soccer at Mesón Viña, a local bar. At a nearby table a couple were cuddling, oblivious to others, as a waitress brought out potato omelets and other dinner orders. Then the game began. At 10 p.m.

Spain, Land of 10 P.M. Dinners, Asks if It’s Time to Reset Clock JP-SPAIN-1-master675

Spain, Land of 10 P.M. Dinners, Asks if It’s Time to Reset Clock JP-SPAIN-1-master675

Which is not unusual. Even as people in some countries are preparing for bed, the Spanish evening is usually beginning at 10, with dinner often being served and prime-time television shows starting (and not ending until after 1 a.m.). Surveys show that nearly a quarter of Spain’s population is watching television between midnight and 1 a.m.

“It is the Spanish identity, to eat in another time, to sleep in another time,” said Mr. Rodríguez, 36, who had to get up the next morning for his bank job.

Spain still operates on its own clock and rhythms. But now that it is trying to recover from a devastating economic crisis — in the absence of easy solutions — a pro-efficiency movement contends that the country can become more productive, more in sync with the rest of Europe, if it adopts a more regular schedule.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/world/europe/spain-land-of-10-pm-dinners-ponders-a-more-standard-time.html

Spain, Land of 10 P.M. Dinners, Asks if It’s Time to Reset Clock

Spain, Land of 10 P.M. Dinners, Asks if It’s Time to Reset Clock

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