Is it customary to dress up for dinner in Spain. We are trying to travel light and we are trying to decide what kind of clothes to take.

Depends on the girl and the place, some girls never do; some, sometimes; and some almost always.
In places like the beach, almost never....

Who's "we" in your posting? All men? All women? A mix? Most people in Spain DO dress for dinner unless, as Miguelito says, is in a beach atmosphere. Pants, button down shirts, leather shoes for men. For women, a dress or pants and nice shirt, and leather or other dressy shoes.

When we went to dinner it was part of a tour with a group that had been either on the road or sight seeing all day. We never got to go back to the hotel to change, so we went to dinner in whatever we had been in all day. That may very well not be the Spanish way, but we did it anyway and no one threw us out of the restaurant! If you are traveling right now you have the summer to your advantage...it is often too hot to dress up anyway, and Spain will be filled with tourists who, like us, didn't dress up. NOW, if you are one of those who is planning a dinner in a place where someone expects you to sniff the wine cork, you WILL need to dress up!

MM has just about got it right, as usual. Lots of polos around too, for us boys who are casual, but smart (as long as we remember to tuck the back of it in to our trousers). One thing I can't get away with is not wearing socks with shoes. You have to be Spanish to be able to handle that, I think!

Interesting that you mention about the wine, maestra, because not a lot of people know that not only is it customary to sniff the cork from the bottle here in Andalucia, but it is not frowned upon to have a nibble and lick it too, in order to appreciate fully the richness of the Rioja. Some wine waiters may feel offended if you don't, in fact.

Anchovy (In mischievous mood, before he knocks off for the day and goes home)

Anchovy, I'm always glad to pick up tips on proper restaurant etiquette! So after I nibble on the cork, is it appropriate to spit the cork out or should I remove it from my mouth with a fork?

La maestra (who lives in a place where "dressing up" means wearing clean jeans and polished cowboy boots.)

I suppose cork counts as roughage in our daily nutrition charts? Like la maestra, I'm glad to have any tips that will help me pass muster in elegant settings, since I'm happier in t-shirt and shorts than in an evening dress. :p

One tip I learned a long, long time ago on dressing in Europe: basic black can't go wrong. Or is it that you should never wear white tennis shoes?? Oh, heck, I don't remember now.

picara, who hails from a place where dressing up means combing your hair. :p

We found that most people in Spain dressed according to the type of restaurant it was. In fact, it wasn't all that much different than we do here in the States. But what we did see was fewer men wearing neckties, even with their suits and sports coats then we do here in the States (Colonies for the benefit of Anchovy - ).

We only ran into one place that offered a cork to sniff, since most actually proffered a glass to the male in our group that asked for a specific wine. After checking the bouquet, and doing a taste test... and approval, the wine was served.

I'm tempted... if offered a cork... to dab it behind my ears, and then smile approvingly at the waiter just to see his reaction. There are just some opportunities that you can't pass on.

Wolf (Who threw convention out of the window the same day he quit using Grecian formula on his hair.)

Thanks for all the input on this one (and to Wolfgang for his usual humor). I'm glad to know I don't necessarily have to have a coat and tie.

dw,

Being from Tennessee, as ya'll are (please excuse me, I just had to do that... :), one of the big things you'll want to try is their pig roast. I was fortunate enough to have attended one near Knoxville many years ago, and it was fantastic! The only thing I ever had to compare it with is the suckling pig roasts in Spain, and even though different, both are really great!

If I was to make one suggestion... if you really enjoy eating like I do... , expect that you're going to end up wearing some of the food as well. I found that neck ties, when I wore them, ended up as bibs anyway, and I had to throw them away.

Wolf (Who now carries really big handerchiefs with him in Spain, and isn't shy about putting one on his lap, and tucking it in his shirt too.) No DW, they ain't farmers hankies!

[ 07-27-2001: Message edited by: Wolfgang81 ]

Picara, your comment on roughage got me thinking...do you suppose the serious Andalucian wine connoisseurs that Anchovy Front described float?

La maestra (who is more likely to be seen with a bottle of water than a bottle of wine!)

LOL LOL LOL Stop people !! My stomach hurts from laughing so much after reading this topic !!

Ok. feel better now. carry one please !!

you guys are all so funny. when warren and i went to madrid, he packed light and i didn't. he only brought tennis shoes and sandals. i on the otherhand brought something for every occasion. warren and i had a few dinners where everyone, except him was dressed in nice clothes (slacks and a button down shirt or a dress for females). people in madrid dress very nice... you can easily tell an american tourist. they are always in their house clothes. anyway, warren wasn't able to attend certain events with me because he didn't have the appropriate attire. so my recommendation, at least always bring one nice outfit with you... and hey, if you want to just go there and have a good time doing tourist stuff, don't bother. it's nice to have choices, but in the end, it's summertime and you are on vacation... so leave the shirt and tie at home . have a great time...roses.

[ 08-03-2001: Message edited by: roses ]