Time for Catching Up
In the US, eating for me was more like a job than anything else (except, of course, when it involved desserts), but here in Spain, eating means time for catching up, relaxing, and actually enjoying the food. That’s not something that can be easily done in a dining hall! The first time I went to a Spanish restaurant with my friends, we were there for over an hour just for a “quick” lunch. This, although partly due to the fact that there might only be one or two waiters on staff for an entire restaurant, is because people here like to sit down, talk, have a few drinks, talk some more, eat their meal, and then talk even more. Asking for “la cuenta, por favor!” is usually a tell-tale sign of being American.
I eat most of my meals at my homestay (free food!), and they are almost always delicious! The biggest difference in meals that I’ve noticed is that eating a hearty breakfast is abnormal in Spain, so at most I will have some tea and toast and maybe an orange, whereas at home I could eat eggs, pancakes, bacon, fruit, and much more. Also, although the US has a bad rap for unhealthy foods, I think I’ve eaten more grease here in two weeks than I did in the whole month of April in Boston.
By far my favorite dish I’ve eaten so far is Paella. The first time I ever had paella was at a dinner party thrown by my dad’s Spanish friends a few years ago. I had heard of it before from my Spanish classes, but was afraid of all the mariscos because I was never one for seafood. However, it was delicious, almost like a Spanish fried rice. So, when I got to Spain, I eagerly awaited the day my host mom would bring out a piping hot plate of paella for dinner, and when it happened, I was not disappointed. The flavors just blended together so perfectly and I didn’t even mind that there may have possibly been calamari in my plate. Although it was my favorite, I do hope to perhaps find a new favorite, and keep trying new dishes every day!
