The Lovely Arrogance of the Spaniard

(And by ´lovely,´ I mean, ´occasionally irritating.´)

One of my companions here is a man possessed of the haughty pride that can only be had by one who is raised by a country that believes it is where the world began and everything else is a cheap imitation of her purity and perfection. Try to explain to such a patriot the difference between a tortilla here (a frittata, for all intents and purposes), and a tortilla in Mexico (a divine vessel for meat and cheese), and they whip out their Spanish flag and shackle: ¨No es una tortilla! THIS is a tortilla!¨ Obviously Mexico took a beautiful thing and promptly destroyed it in their xeroxing fashion. Típica.