The Teruel town of Monroyo celebrates a day focused on reclaiming the role of bars as social spaces, especially in rural areas
Aragón has only executed 31% of the measures approved in the 2017 Directive against depopulation
“A closed bar guarantees that that town begins to be off the map,” summarizes Sergio Gil, anthropologist, coordinator of the ‘Citizen Science Day: Rural bars as protective ecosystems of social life’ and president of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation , the importance of bars in towns and in their development.
Gil is the “father” of ‘Gastropology’, which consists of the study of people’s behavior in bars, restaurants or cafes. “Unfortunately, when a bar closes, the people follow,” he points out, highlighting the importance of these spaces in rural communities. According to Gil, it is important to highlight the work of the hoteliers who, beyond the economic and personal effort they make, share the responsibility of maintaining these bars as a meeting point and social connection. These places serve to take care of people’s mental health, giving towns and small towns a place to feel alive, heard and part of a community: “When there is no bar there is no town and if there were no bars Spain would not exist.”
Depopulation is a threat to these bars; many of them close when their owners retire, as in the case of José Ramón Segura, who shared his experience as the owner of Bar L’espiga, which closed after his retirement. During the day, the problem of depopulation was discussed, since, since there are fewer inhabitants, there are fewer clients and it is more difficult to carry out the business. Participants noted that closing a bar can accelerate the depopulation process. “A closed bar guarantees that that town begins to be off the map,” warned Sergio Gil, president of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation.
Although the main problem that these establishments encounter in the rural world is economic viability. This is how Gil explains it, asking that institutions “take care of bars with the social importance they have.” He explains the case of the Castell de Cabras bar, the seed of his research on the anthropological component of bars. This investigation began in 2017 and today that bar is already closed: “One of the reasons is the regulatory requirements, they cannot afford them financially. It makes no sense that the demand is the same in a town as in the center of Barcelona and that there is no institutional support.”
It was José Ramón Segura who opened the conference ‘Rural bars as protective ecosystems of social life’ held in Monroyo on November 28. The participants of the round table, including hoteliers from towns such as Peñarroya de Tastavins, Cretas, Monroyo and Ráfales, agreed that they feel deeply linked to their towns, offering a service that transcends mere commercial service. For small towns and villages, the bar is the social epicenter and where people meet, meet and care. This day, apart from highlighting the work of the bars, also seeks to talk about strategies to avoid their closure. Different locations and speakers spoke about self-management models such as the one applied in Torre de Arcas or rehabilitation projects such as the one carried out by a mother and her daughter in Lledó. Gil values the day very positively to demand and seek solutions for the maintenance of bars, “which are the driving force of a town.”
‘Citizen Science Day: Rural bars as protective ecosystems of social life’
A day to reflect
The event brought together experts and tavern owners to analyze the role of rural bars in social cohesion, bringing together around 40 people. It also included other experts such as: Sara Anés, coordinator of the CIT of the province of Teruel, Jesús Contreras, emeritus professor of social anthropology at the University of Barcelona, Joan Ribas, doctor in social anthropology and member of the Alicia Foundation, Xavi Medina, UNESCO Professor of Food, Culture and Development and José Antonio Campos, director of the Sustainable Gastronomy Institute of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation. All this with the help of different bar owners in the Matarraña area to discuss and talk about the work they do from an anthropological and social point of view.
Sergio Gil highlighted the importance of having institutional support to continue holding this type of meetings, stressing that talking about depopulation without addressing the relevance of rural bars would be incomplete. This has already been highlighted in Congress, a proposal presented by Teruel Exist approved in March, which seeks to recognize bars, small shops and street vending services in municipalities with less than 200 inhabitants as social economy entities. This law would allow these establishments to access incentives and benefits that social entities such as cooperatives or insertion companies apply. However, there is still a way to go to make these institutions visible and give the recognition they deserve.
After the success in Monroyo, the days continued on November 29 and 30, with an event dedicated to the recovery of Fesol de Beseit in Calaceite. This meeting has the participation of restaurants such as Fonda de Alcalá and Fábrica de Solfa de Beceite, along with the technical team of the Sustainable Restaurants Foundation and the same anthropological experts who participated in the previous day. Gil highlights that both talks are organized with the aim of integrating the anthropology of the bar into the anthropology of food, and that together they show the relevance of their role in the construction of identity and the local economy.
Sergio Gil especially highlighted the testimonies of hoteliers and inhabitants of the region, since they are the basis of his research and his field work over the years. The day in Monroyo began with the testimony of José Ramón Segura, who presented his experience under the title “The bar was for everyone.” However, after the talks and the exchange of ideas, the conclusion was unanimous: the bar is for everyone.
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