Spanish woman explains to Conan O’Brien weird American drinking culture: “You guys get smashed in 30 minutes”

Not only is language a barrier for those in a relationship with somebody from another country but also cultural differences. Conan O’Brien recently interviewed a Spanish bride-to-be who is engaged to an Irish-American and learned about the differences between their two cultures.

Eugenia, a physician resident currently living in Madrid, and her fiancé Sean will be tying the knot March next year. They met in 2016 in Seville, her hometown, while he was studying abroad.

O’Brien wanted to know if there was anything that Eugenia had had to do to “change” Sean which resulted in quite a few laughs about Irish-Americans’ “weird” drinking habits and aversion to showing affection. Eugenia also got some advice for how to help the Irish-American guests that will attend the wedding navigate the Spanish drinking culture.

Americans, “you guys get smashed in 30 minutes”

When asked what the differences are between a Spanish woman and an Irish Catholic guy, Eugenia says that Southern Spaniards and Irish people have a lot in common. However, the first thing that stood out for her was the differences between each other’s drinking culture.

“Sounds weird, but we can like start drinking at 12, in the noon, like 12 pm. And then drink at 4am after being out the whole day with our friends eating and everything,” Eugenia told O’Brien. “But he and you guys, like struggle with that type of culture. When you get smashed in 30 minutes.”

O’Brien clarifying that the Spaniards can pace themselves and tolerate such a marathon wanted to know what is different about the drinking culture of Sean and his family. Eugenia explains that they start earlier, “way earlier. Like breakfast early.”

“Okay, Sean may have a problem,” O’Brien tells her. “This might not be an Irish thing. He’s starting at breakfast and by noon he’s passing out,” he added drawing much laughter.

Eugenia clarified though that, “he’s been here four years and he’s ‘rehabbed,’” which paused the laughter in its tracks. Continuing she said, “he’s come a long way with the culture and he’s totally fine,” which came as a relief to the Team Coco.

“Oh! We thought you meant he went to ‘rehab’, and suddenly we weren’t laughing,” O’Brien says. “Now that we know he hasn’t gone to rehab we think it’s really funny again.”

“Language barrier,” she quipped.

Americans also have a problem with PDA

Eugenia also shared that Spaniards and Europeans, unlike Americans, don’t have a problem with public displays of affection. “So it was very violent for him at the beginning. He was raised part of his life in the Midwest,” she shared. “At the beginning I thought he didn’t like me.”

“But he told me about it and I learned to respect it because it’s a cultural difference,” she added. O’Brien shared that in general the Irish are a bit uptight and don’t show much PDA. “I’ve been married for 21 years and my wife has never seen me naked,” he jested. “When I take a shower, I’m wearing a business suit.”

Connan O’Brien gives Eugenia tips for her wedding

Next March, Eugenia and Sean will be walking down the aisle in Seville and they will have a number of Irish-American guests. She asked O’Brien if he could give any recommendations to help her with advice for those guests over 30 navigate the Spanish drinking culture. “Not a drop!” was O’Brien’s response.

“My only recommendation is that the Irish-Americans are restrained in their seats, and that no alcohol is anywhere near them,” he told her. “All the Spanish people can drink as much as they want but not a drop for these Irish bastards.”

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