Ben Pawlowski
IN a summer overshadowed by anti-tourism protests across Spain, no one appears to be safe from ridicule – not even Spaniards themselves.
Disgruntled locals in Galicia and northern Spain have coined an ‘unflattering’ nickname to describe the hordes of Madrileños who flock to embrace the temperate weather on the nation’s northern coastline in order to escape the sweltering sky-high temperatures in the capital and increasingly overcrowded holiday destinations elsewhere.
The moniker – ‘Fodechinchos’ – translates literally as ‘fish thieves’, and stereotypically refers to Madrid residents who holiday in Spain’s northeasternmost corner during the summer months of July and August.
“A fodechinchos is a visitor who is a bit of an idiot, basically a cocky tourist from Madrid who doesn’t respect local traditions”, said Miguel Vega, a Galician teacher of English in Barcelona.
Although the term can be used for anyone from outside Galicia who is deemed as ignorant, Madrileños are the main target for the word – similar to how Brits are often labelled as ‘guiris’ although the term refers to all northern Europeans.
Typical actions of a fodechincho may include getting their car stuck on a beach at high tide, insisting on a free tapas with a drink (a tradition in Andalucia but not in Galicia), saying the sea is too cold and wavy, or complaining about signs written in Gallego, the commonly used local Galician language which is easily understood by Castilian-speakers.
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One bar in A Coruña, called O Kan de Mera, has even resorted to installing a sign which reads: “You are entering a sector free of fodechinchos. No ordering of two rum and cokes and four glasses and a plate of olives”.
The word fodechinchos originates from a now-outlawed practice of throwing a net close to the seashore to catch small jackfish, known as chinchos – the net would then be taken to the beach where local fishermen would allow tourists to take a few home for a meal.
However, tourists soon started to take advantage of the practice, abusing the hospitality of the local fishermen by bringing large buckets to help themselves to the catch.
Galicia is not the only region of Spain to coin a nickname for domestic tourists. Catalans refer to some Spaniards as polcaos (Poles), Cantabrians refer to visitors as papardos, named after a fish that devours everything then disappears, whilst Navarrians refer to Basque visitors as robasetas (mushroom thieves).
Some rural Catalans even label Barcelona residents as pixapins, or ‘piss on pines’, for their apparent tendency to relieve themselves on the roadside.
