BRITISH citizens living on the Costa del Sol are now more Spanish than the Spaniards themselves, they have confirmed.
Residents say stories about English-speaking enclaves of egg and chips are nonsense, with expatriates among the most dedicated connoisseurs of the country’s cuisine, literature, and wine.
58-year-old Tom Booker moved to Spain from Essex 30 years ago because of his love of the novels of Cervantes and the poetry of Federico Garcia Lorca, which he used to borrow from Dagenham Library.
He said: “You’ll have to excuse me, it’s such a long time since I spoke English.
“What’s happening over there now? Is Ron Greenwood still England manager? Is Minder still on?
“I wouldn’t know. I spend my days listening to the music of Manuel de Falla and watching bullfights.”
Pensioner Norman Steele said, “Don’t be deceived by my prominent bulldog tattoos. That was the old me.
“Nowadays whenever I’m not cooking authentic tapas, I’m running flamenco workshops specialising in ‘pitos’ or the art of finger snapping.
“Immigrants to the UK could learn a lot from me and my mates over here. We’ve fully integrated. Follow our example.”
