culture
‘The beauty of the useless’: Spain’s super-thin restaurant napkins are throwaway art treasures
Forever flimsy and ineffective at cleaning greasy fingers, the servilletas of the Iberian peninsula resist the relentless ‘optimisation’ of our age. A new photo book recognises them as cultural treasures in miniature
TL;DR
- Spanish 'servilletas' are known for being thin and ineffective for practical cleaning purposes.
- Despite their uselessness, they are a cherished part of Spanish culture and dining.
- In some traditional bars, discarded servilletas are thrown on the floor as a sign of authenticity.
- The easily printable surface of servilletas allows for personalized designs, reflecting restaurant identity and local character.
- Photographer Felipe Hernandez has collected and photographed over 1,000 personalized servilletas, releasing a book titled 'Servilletas'.
- These napkins act as miniature cultural artifacts, preserving the identity of traditional bars against homogenization and gentrification.
- The appeal of the servilleta lies in 'the beauty of the useless', a defiance of modern 'optimisation'.