The bar Onis is one of the countless bars in the center of Madrid. Every day, Madrileneans meet here to eat, for a coffee in the morning or a drink in the evening. The bar was opened in 1976 by five brothers who left their village of Zamora, in the north of Spain, to go to Madrid and earn money as waiters. For the past 40 years, they have been working together here, in their bar, every day.

Quote from the protagonist Tomás Barrio Mayo from LAS LENTEJAS Y EL DESTINO: “Back then at school I had a teacher who knew less than I did. My father taught me everything I know, not some teacher. I left school at the age of 14, without any sort of diploma. Then a friend helped me to get to Madrid, he had work for me. It was as simple as that. I worked in a restaurant for 14 years. Without any insurance and no rights whatsoever. Then came the year 1976 and the day we opened our bar, May 3rd May 1976. We scraped together money to be able to offer our guests ham. That was all we had. That is now 40 years ago. I never really liked my job, but I had to resign myself to fate. That’s life.”