Gastronomy!

Although not as famous as France for the culinary arts, Spain has some very unique and delicious dishes and eating habits. I thought I would start with the day in the life of a Spaniard:

6:00-8:00 Wake up and get ready (time depends on person/profession). Breakfast consists of a cup of coffee, milk or juice with a small pastry.

9:00-2:00ish Work the morning shift and come home for lunch.

2:00-2:30 Rush hour!

2:30-3:30 Lunch. This is the biggest meal of the day.

3:30-4:00 Second rush hour!

4:00-8:00ish Work the afternoon shift and come home for the evening.

8:00-8:30 Third rush hour!

9:30-10:00 Eat dinner similar to American lunch.

This really is the schedule of the day, believe it or not! In some ways it is wonderful, like the fact that I don't feel awful for eating late in the evening, but in some ways it is tough, like the fact that my morning brain power is backed up by two graham crackers and orange juice when I am accustomed to "real" food.

This is my typical breakfast:

Principe Cookies

• A mug of milk (which has been boxed so it lasts longer but isn't fresh like in the States)
• A swallow of orange juice
• Corn flakes eaten inside my mug of milk OR an amazing Principe cookie. Principe cookies are like EL Fudge but 100 times better.

Lunch varies but is almost always a one dish meal with a simple dessert. Here are a list of my favorites:

Lomo

• Lentejas: a tasty lentil soup with chorizo (Spanish sausage)
• Arroz Cubano: rice with tomato sauce, salchicha (Spanish hot dog), and easy-over eggs mixed together in one.
• Lomo: breaded and sauteed pork loin chop.
• Ensalada Rusa: potato salad consisting of mayo, potatoes, pickles, hard boiled eggs, tunafish and peas.
• Paella: rice dish with any combination of meat in a saffron sauce. I prefer seafood-- shrimp, calamari and mussels.

My wonderful friend Madeleine with her Paella

Dinner is nice and light and varies. These are my usuals:

• Scrambled eggs on toast. I think I like this so much because it reminds me of home!
• Pork Burger with bacon. It is surprisingly lighter than it sounds.
• Canned soup. Typical varieties are noodle soup or pumpkin soup.
• Spanish Tortilla. This is a sort of potato omelet.

When going out to eat to celebrate something special, lunch is the time to do it. However, Spaniards also socialize in the evenings by going to bars and ordering "tapas." What is really awesome about tapas is that no two restaurants will have the same tapas on the menu, and each province has unique delicacies.

Me trying Rabo de Toro

Pulpo con Patatas

My roommates tried "Pulpo con patatas" which was sauteed octopus with potatoes in olive oil. It was surprisingly yummy! It tasted like mussels with an outer membrane of fat (tentacles). In Sevilla I ate "Rabo del Toro" or cow tail bone with gravy. To me it tasted like a more tender and fatty version of pot roast.

Probably a more mainstream tapa are "croquetas." Croquetas remind me of the mozzarella sticks at Olive Garden, except not nearly as sticky. Inside is cheese mixed with small bits of a variety of meats as well. My favorite had salami and onions on the inside. ¡Qué delicioso!

Croquetas

Dessert at home usually consists of something small like fruit or pudding or Principe Cookies, but when there's a special occasion they really go crazy with rich sweets. One very popular one is "Chocolate con Churros."

It is completely obvious that the Spanish created the chocolate that we know today. "Chocolate con Churros" was in every travel-guidebook I've read about Spain, and now I know why. Chocolate (or Spanish hot chocolate) has more of a melted chocolate bar texture with a bitter-sweet taste. Surprisingly this is not overwhelming because the chocolate is not meant for drinking, but for dipping churros in. 

Classic "Chocolate con Porras"

Churros are like those in the states except for the fact that they are plain, without cinnamon or sugar. Porras (a wider version of churros) are also a tasty option. The best part is that they must be eaten straight away after being fried otherwise they will get unpleasantly tough, so everything is fresh!

Even the cheap chocolate is ten times better than anything back at home-- no joke.