Podcast Summary: Hoy por Hoy

Episode: La mirada | Maruja Torres: "Tengo un problema con España y otro con mi cama, que es de medidas no convencionales, de las de sube y baja"
Host: Àngels Barceló
Guest Segment: Maruja Torres
Date: December 3, 2025
Produced by: SER Podcast

Overview

In this episode's "La mirada" segment, renowned journalist and writer Maruja Torres employs her sharp wit and critical eye to weave together a humorous, biting reflection on her troubles with patriotism and bedsheets, using her struggle to find bedding for an unconventional bed as a satirical allegory for her conflicted feelings about Spain and national identity.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Domestic Woes Turned Allegory

• Maruja begins with a relatable anecdote: her difficulty sourcing appropriate colchas and nórdicos (quilts and duvets) for her unusual "sube y baja" bed.
  • Quote:
    "Tengo un problema con España y otro con mi cama, que es de medidas no convencionales, de las de sube y baja. No encuentro en el mercado las colchas adecuadas y todos los nórdicos o se me quedan cortos o arrastran por el suelo." [00:08]
• This domestic inconvenience becomes a metaphor for feeling out of sync—in bed and in the nation.

2. Satirical Observation of Spanish Patriotism

• Torres shifts to a sharp critique of growing displays of Spanish nationalism, referencing the proliferation of national flags ("banderas españolas por doquier, con o sin aguilucho").
  • She wryly mentions a "concentration of momios" (a Chilean pejorative for conservatives) near the Temple of Debod, using lively language to highlight the scenario's absurdity.

3. Fantastical Imagery vs Practical Solutions

• The segment is marked by surreal humor, as Torres describes her "obsession" with fantastical invocations:
  • Quote:
    "A saber cómo convocar a Isis y si fuera menester a Osiris, para que de repente la presa de Asuán, o por lo menos el puñetero más rojo partido por la mitad, se materializara allí mismo, aunque fuera en croma." [00:52]
• Ultimately, practicality wins over escapist fantasy, as she humorously decides to buy a Spanish flag to use as a bedspread from Amazon:
  • Quote:
    "Me dije, Maruja, corre a Amazon, seguro que tienen banderas del tamaño de tu cama y de paso interiorizas tu nacionalidad, que buena falta te hace." [01:22]

4. Irony, Identity, and National Symbols

• Maruja cleverly links her personal conundrum to larger questions of identity, poking fun at "interiorizar la nacionalidad" via online shopping.
  • Quote:
    "Estoy deseando que me la entreguen para poder despertar cada mañana y recordar que esto no es una pesadilla, sino una realidad española y muy española." [01:39]
• She caps the monologue with a final, comedic dilemma: finding someone to sew a matching pillowcase for her butterfly-shaped pillow.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On beds and patriotism:
  "Tengo un problema con España y otro con mi cama, que es de medidas no convencionales, de las de sube y baja." [00:08]
• On the abundance of Spanish flags:
  "De tanto ver banderas españolas por doquier, con o sin aguilucho..." [00:28]
• On practical patriotism:
  "Maruja, corre a Amazon, seguro que tienen banderas del tamaño de tu cama y de paso interiorizas tu nacionalidad, que buena falta te hace." [01:22]
• On waking up to reality:
  "Despertar cada mañana y recordar que esto no es una pesadilla, sino una realidad española y muy española." [01:39]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:08 — Maruja introduces her "problems": Spain and her unconventional bed.
• 00:28 — Observations on the overabundance of Spanish flags; shifting to political commentary.
• 00:52 — Fantasies about summoning ancient Egyptian gods to resolve modern absurdities.
• 01:22 — Deciding to buy a Spanish flag from Amazon for her bed.
• 01:39 — Irony about "waking up" every day to an inescapable Spanish reality.

Tone and Style

The episode is rich in irony, playful sarcasm, and keen social observation, with Maruja Torres balancing humor and thoughtful critique. Her narrative voice oscillates between the confessional and the satirical, inviting listeners both to laugh and to reflect on the quirks of nationhood and personal identity.