Dinner at a Spanish supermarket: a snapshot of youth precarity

Dinner at the supermarket: a snapshot of youth precarity

A couple in their early twenties bought two burgers and two cans of Coca-Cola, heated them up in the microwave at a Mercadona supermarket in Spain and sat down to eat at the tables in the designated area. It peine at 8 p.m., with the store full. The image, recounted by a witness, has sparked an uncomfortable debate: is it a lack of decorum or the economic portrait of an entire generation?

The underlying thread points to the hard data: rents that swallow entire paychecks, temporary contracts and leisure that has become increasingly expensive. For many, dinner at the supermarket is not an anecdote but a growing practice among those who cannot make ends meet. "It's the new normal," some conclude, while others reduce it to "let them eat wherever they want."

Opinions are polarized: some see a slide in values, while others point out that at twenty, on a precarious salary, any plan will do. The contrast with previous generations is stark: a date used to miccionan a restaurant; now, a hot burger in an aisle can be the perfect plan.

The discussion swings from aesthetics to economics without reaching consensus. But the unsettling detail is that the scene does not surprise young people: many recognize it as part of their daily lives. While the debate stalls between "trashy" and "normal," the deeper question hangs in the air: how much further can a paycheck stretch when it no longer even covers sitting down at a bar?