An expat in Spain has issued a warning to tourists visiting the European nation that a particular habit will “annoy the locals”. Stuart, who runs the Spain Speaks YouTube channel, opened up about the lesser-known rule in a recent video about tourist habits, titled ‘Annoying things tourists do in Spain that locals can’t stand’.
He pointed out everything from tourists expecting locals to speak English to people not dressing appropriately. Yet, he admitted to breaking one specific rule himself, revealing that he was actually “told off.”
Stuart explained that the habit comes into play when tourists visit Spanish markets and do something that might not be viewed as unusual in a British supermarket but isn’t appreciated in Spain.
He said: “Now, another thing that will annoy the locals here, especially local shopkeepers, is touching fresh produce at the markets. If you go to one of the many produce markets in this country, don’t pick up the fruit like it’s yours and squeeze it to see if it’s ripe.
“That is the responsibility of the person serving the fruit or veg, and also, and this is something that happened to me just last week, if you go into a supermarket and you look at all of the different types of cold meats, all of the chorizos, all of the salchichones, the hams and things like that, don’t touch those either.”
Stuart, who has more than 89,000 subscribers, went on to reveal that he “got told off” for doing this. He explained that you’re supposed to wait until they offer you a sample to try, and they “quite often will.”
He added that if you’re buying cheese or ham, ask the staff member if you can try them first; don’t simply pick it up and look at it, as this will also “annoy” the people behind the counter.
Stuart’s advice comes after a series of travel experts told The Telegraph about the best places to visit in our favourite European hotspots to avoid the crowds of tourists.
In addition to Umbria in Italy and Thassos in Greece, the travel experts recommended the less-frequented Extremadura region in Spain, home to Cáceres, Trujillo and Merida.
According to Spain’s official tourism website, Extremadura features three sites with UNESCO World Heritage status and boasts scenery that will appeal to birdwatchers.
It also highlighted the Monfragüe National Park, the Jerte Valley, and pastures used for grazing pigs, which are used to produce a well-known ham from the Dehesa de Extremadura.
