What time do you have dinner of an evening?

Perhaps a classic example of this has been Yolanda Diaz, a ‘high up’ in the Spanish employment ministry, claiming that restaurants staying open until 1am in the morning is “crazy.” Indeed, it didn’t take long for the boss of the local restaurant association to claim that her proposal was a “nonsense” and, perhaps more importantly, “an interference” with their own locally based responsibility.

I suppose that both sides of the debate could make an effective case for their position - but, surely the local Restaurant Association might know just a tad more regarding local needs and habits of the people in their districts?

Anyway, I have to say that on a personal basis I rarely venture out to dine much after 8pm of an evening, as I am both English and a little on the ‘careful’ side too boot! However, I think that it’s great that locals and tourists alike can pick and chose - what, where, and at what time they wish to eat of an evening/night.

Funnily enough, this row has stirred a memory within me whereupon I once made a study of when tourists liked to eat of an evening. If you were German, Australian or American, I reckon that prime dining time was between 5pm (yes really!) and at a push if you were an Aussie perhaps a rather exciting 7pm. However, in support of the local restaurant association, from spring through to autumn here in Mallorca, sitting down to dine dark into the night, was and always will be rather sexy.

I will leave you with a tale of yesteryear, when the footballer David Beckham first signed for Real Madrid. The front page ‘story’ in the next day’s Sun newspaper was as follows “Becks seen out-and-about in Madrid at 2am in the morning eating and drinking with a group of friends.” Alas, those hacks seeking a scandal did not realise that in Spain it isn’t unusual at all at weekends to dine out rather late, to say the least! So perhaps Ms Diaz should live-and-let-live just a little, it’s usually for the best.