Food

I haven't written anything lately, so I thought I would write about something easy, food! Along with my point of view, my food variety is widening. I have tried many different types of food here, and, I must say, I love all of them. 

Let's start with breakfast. When breakfast is eaten, it is small. The quintessential breakfast in resturants is some type of pastry, usually crossiants or toast with some topping, coffee and juice. Also chocolate is eaten as a small part of breakfast. I have discovered that crossiants are the best thing, and I feel I have an addiction which will be hard to fill, when I return to the United States. 

Lunch is where you will really see the spanish culture both with the food and during the conversations. There are various popular meals including tortillas, bocadillos and paella. The tortillas are potatoes and eggs at the bare minimum and other ingrediantes, if you are feeling adventurous. Cristina taught me how to make the tortillas, so everyone should be ready for me to make them every single day. Bocadillos are essentially sandwhiches. Ham is very popular here, so the most common bocadillo is with ham, but of course there are all different kinds. Valencia is known for paella, so I always thought I would be eating it all the time, but I have actually only had it twice while here. Paella is  a rich dish with spices, and there are many different kinds including some with seafood, chicken and rabbit. Rice in general is very popular here, and Nora and I have a running joke because we always ask what the other person ate, and the answer is usually rice.

Dinner can be the same as lunch, but usually not as big. I enjoy dinner at our house because it is the one time we are all together. Many of my memories with my family here have been at the dinner table, and it has made me very grateful for the little things.

I do not know if dessert is a big thing everywhere in Spain or just my house, but there is always something in the house for dessert. There is a variety of dessert choices, but a new one for me was the turrón flavor that comes from Alicante, and it is just as good plain as it is in ice cream.

My favorite thing about the food in Spain is the stores. There are not big Walmart sized stores that you are able to find everything and anything, but instead the stores are more specific. There is a store for meat, another for bread and another for fruits and vegetables. There are supermarkets that have everything in one place like Mercadona, but they are not nearly the size of stores in the US. The bakeries are my favorite because you are able buy almost anything with two euros, and it is all baked fresh, and there seems to be an unwritten law that there must be ten bakeries within each community because there is one on every corner. I have learned that Spainards love a good meal, so it is a great way to connect with other people.