6/30/2007

in

Standing in a line - or the lack of one

John Neal

I went for churros this morning at the town plaza. Churros are sticks of fried dough, great for dipping in chocolate, coffee or sugar. When I got to the booth where the breakfast is made, there were already people waiting. I didn't say there was a line of people. Just people. Apparently, in Spain, lines don't exist. It's a phenomenon I noticed early on and never paid much attention to until recently. Coming from a military background where everything is neat and orderly I appreciate a good straight, organized line. What I see here is chaos. The churro booth this morning was a perfect example but you can find mob clusters everywhere: the medical center, the pharmacy, the butcher shop, the bus station--the list goes on. But as disorderly as it may seem, even the loosely held packs have some sort of system in place.When you come upon a group you ask "Who's last?" People will look around a moment with the dazed look of someone snapped out of a daydream and finally someone will raise their hand. The worst case scenario is an elderly lady who has decided to prop her frail frame by the counter and waits until you are ready to make your order, which she decides is the perfect time to remind you she was before you. Of course, by that point you don't remember if she was really there before you or if she strode up while you weren't looking. I know it's cycnical to think it, but it's true. Elderly ladies are evil. They look like sweet grandmothers but they'll steal your place in the mob better than anyone. Sometimes they won't bother with stealth. The other day I was ready to ask the butcher for chicken wings when some "abuela" shoved past me and told Manolo to cut her some pork loin because lunch was on the burner. Turns out she had enough time to also order a whole chicken chopped into pieces, some steak and sausages. I was about to argue it was my turn but I had learned early on it wouldn't do any good. Abuela would just argue while Manolo went on with her order. Just like the no-line phenomenon, some things won't change no matter how loud I cry.