It often seems that Mallorcans, along with many Spanish nationals, have been blessed with an inordinate amount of patience, which I can only compare to that of a cat waiting patiently for hours at a mousehole. However, stick the average local behind the wheel of a car and that laid-back demeanour often falls off the radar, and it’s every man/woman for themselves. Once in a car, the inherent Mallorcan patience often dies a noticeable and instant death. Yet once back in the real world, the average islander displays the truly impressive patience of a Saint!
Of course, there will always be exceptions, but in general, locals will happily sit at bars and restaurants for ages, waiting patiently for their orders to be delivered. They will soak up the ambience, chat contently and hardly notice that the coffee or ‘Pa amb olis’ haven’t arrived yet. Sadly, some other nationalities are more vocal after a very short wait, and shamefully complain about service after only a few minutes, often quite loudly. I have even heard visitors shouting at staff and storming off after a mere 5 mins wait! Bit harsh, and certainly NOT the way to behave as a guest to our beautiful island! What’s the rush? You’re supposed to be chilling on holiday!
Patience is however, not only the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting! And this philosophy is what the Mallorcans are so brilliant at practising, and something visitors could learn a great deal from by adopting the same, patient vibe! A Mallorcan in a queue is an example of perfect control.
Whenever I think of Mallorcans queuing or waiting patiently, I immediately think of the ‘farmacia’ (chemist). Here in Mallorca, you can almost guarantee that for every person inside the chemist you must calculate an average waiting time of around ten minutes. For example - in our small, local farmacia, with only one person serving behind the counter, 6 people ahead of you could easily represent a one hour wait! And I’m not kidding. The culture here in Mallorca happily embraces lengthy private and personal conversations across the counter which at times can interrupt the serving process. But interaction, along with a good gossip, is a great part of local culture, and customers seem more than happy to just wait, eavesdrop, then wait some more; for here in Mallorca they are blissfully graced with the ability to sit around, seemingly doing nothing while enjoying the moment.
The actual prescriptions themselves in the farmacia also seem to take forever to process and dispense, especially if there is a customer involved with a long list of medications. Each prescription requires a bar code to be cut physically from the packaging with a Stanley knife, which is then sellotaped to a printed form and signed off. Considering 2024 embraces a digital world of advanced technology, one might assume a bar code could easily be scanned and recorded on a contemporary device. But then this is Mallorca and they still like to do things their way, patiently!
But it’s not just the farmacias where you might expect to wait in line for hours. Both banks and post offices are also great places to camp out in for the day! Our local post office in Inca has a digital ticket system (like most), so you work out roughly how long it might be from the current number displayed above the counter, then go and do a bit of shopping, and come back in time to buy a stamp. However, if you are holding number 200 in your hand and they are only displaying numero 20, then you might as well go to the beach for the day, and still get back in time to post that annoying letter!
A local bakery is another great place to waste a morning. There is no urgency whatsoever to serve customers with their ‘pan Mallorquin’. Having a good chin-wag and sharing a bit of local gossip is a priority over any pastry on offer. And the majority are delighted to do so as they wait their turn, often chipping in with their own version of events. The Mallorcans specialise in turning simple, everyday events like banking, posting a letter, shopping etc into a social gathering. So next time you find yourself in a long queue, do what I’m going to do in future - take sandwiches and a flask. But above all, BE PATIENT. Happy waiting!