Traditional Spaniards place a great value on leisure time with their families -- an attitude toward life that extends throughout the year, not just at vacation time. When our family lived in Andalucia, all the shopkeepers in our seaside town would close their shops in the early afternoon to enjoy a siesta -- a time set aside for refreshment and rest with the family. Then, after re-opening in late afternoon for two or three hours, the shops would close for the day and the owners would retire to their favorite cafes to enjoy tapas with close friends and family members. Perhaps they would savor a caña of beer with some manchego cheese, thinly sliced jamón iberico, or a sizzling cazuela of garlic shrimp.

Later in the evening some would head home to join their families to stroll about town -- the traditional paseo. On a warm summer evening it seems as if the whole town is out on the streets walking about. I find nothing more affirming than to see three generations of a family walking together: a proud young couple with a baby in the stroller, "Grandma" holding the hand of her grandchild, and three generations in warm, pleasant conversation. This has been the traditional way of living for hundreds of years.

The long life-expectancy experienced by Spaniards more than olive oil and the Mediterranean diet. It is a life where conviviality is a virtue, not a luxury. It is a traditional life where the seemingly trivial human events of everyday living -- chatting at the market, dining with your family, visiting with your friends -- are given the respect they deserve.

In modern Spain and America we find ourselves part of a culture with competing values -- those of convenience and individual autonomy. The slow ritual of personal interactions is thought to be "wasting time." Today we can slip in our credit cards, pump our gas, and be on our way -- sometimes even when the station is closed! We enjoy the same type of efficiency with ATM banking, airport check-ins! We hardly need to see a person.

In many ways this automation is a wonderful advance. But, if we are not careful, we can allow electronic efficiency to replace the human interactions that make the traditional Spanish way of living so healthy. At La Tienda we make an effort to keep the traditional and technological cultures in a dynamic balance so that we can draw from the best of both. We are always improving our technology so that you will enjoy the convenience of our on-line site, yet we will always make time for you should you like to give us a call and talk together about Spanish products.