Food

Food is seen as something worth taking the time to enjoy, at least here in Andalucia. Because space is limited in the center of Seville there are no drive-throughs, few fast food restaurants, and hardly any take-away. However, fast food chains like McDonald's and Burger King draw in a good crowd- I imagine for the same reasons they draw so many people in the U.S. Generally here at my host mother's home, food is prepared freshly everyday and leftovers are rare. She makes frequent trips to the supermarket and buys only what she may need for the next few days. Naturally, less space in the streets means less space within the home. The refrigerators are smaller thus making things like milk and juice containers smaller and easier to consolidate. Milk and juices are bought warm because the cost of transporting and maintaining it as we do in the states is simply too much for Spanish economy. Whether it is too much money or too much of a waste I cannot say. However, the way they package, transport, and promote their food hardly affects the final product; at least in my opinion.

A regular day consists of the same three meals as in the U.S. However, what is served and at what time can be very different.

Breakfast: Anywhere from 8-10 AM. Bacon and eggs is never on the menu. Usually toast with butter, Nutella, or jam, served with coffee or hot milk and tea.

Lunch: From 2-4 PM. This is the biggest meal of the day. The Spanish enjoy their salad. Because ranch dressing doesn't exist here, a homemade vinaigrette of simple olive oil and vinegar is drizzled on top of lettuce and tomato. Bread is another staple in the Spanish diet. Main course can be anything from a stew with garbanzo or meatballs and fried potatoes.

Merienda (Light afternoon snack): 5-7PM Coffee with a pastry.

Dinner: 9-10:30 PM. Usually a light meal of salad and main course. In my household, we always have yogurt for dessert.

Food items that I have been served many times:
Potatoes (in many different ways)
Bread (usually to go with the meal)
Meatballs
Fish (all sorts)
Vinegar (use to with salad and potatoes)
Olive Oil (same as above)
Meat (veal, pork, beef, lamb, poultry)
Yogurt

One thing that I miss very much is the spicy food of Latin America and of my beloved 'TexMex' culture. Luckily my host mom buys me Tabasco sauce but she claims that if she were to take a fingertip of the sauce she would "die". Needless to say, spicy is almost never on the menu here in Spain.

Tapas: Before I came to Spain, I had hear of two things, Paella (a seafood/rice dish) and of Tapas. "Tapa" is simply a word used to describe a wide range of foods that can be served in small portions. One could have a tapa of cheese, a tapa of turkey breast, or a tapa of Ensaladia Rusa (Russian salad which is essentially potato salad). I define tapas as appetizers that can be eaten at any time of the day and are not strictly foods that come before the main course.

I love Spanish food. Some claim it is bland and devoid of flavor. If one focuses on the food of Texas or other places where the food has a lot of salt and spice, then yes, I can see where they are coming from. However, to me the lack of salt and spice leaves room for the flavors of the actual food to be more present. Yes, I do miss the food I eat at home but when I'm back at home, I will truly miss the food from here.