Notes on Spanish food and Dining

Breakfast consists of chocolate and churros. And i'm not talking about that weak Swiss Miss. The hot chocolate here really is hot chocolate syrup, just this side of drinkable. No water or milk thank you very much. But, if you are looking for something sweet, this is a good way to go.

Iberian pork is in everything. Accept it. They love their pork. I was half way looking for it in the coffee, but so far no luck.

If I order a drink, and gianna doesn't say anything, she gets the same drink. This is kind of funny to watch, like when they put a pint of beer in front of her. I guess here the man still does a lot of the ordering.

Paella is great, but unlike the US, where we load up on harmless looking shrimp, mussels, and fish, the Spanish enjoy putting large crustaceans in my paella, exoskeletons and all. I didn't mind performing a full tissue biopsy on the prawns, I just wasn't ready for it. It's worth it though, the seafood is delicious.

Cava is a kind of Spanish champagne, but don't say that too loudly, or the table of French people next to you will start to snicker. I like cava; it is smooth and subtle and I believe it comes from this part of Spain (Cataluna).

Tapas are the ubiquitous dish here in Spain. Some restaurants have great tapas, others not so much, but just about everyone has them. I've become a big fan of tapas with mussels. The best I have had so far was in Madrid.

Dinner is a multi-venue event. It starts in a cerveceria, where you have a few glasses of wine or beer and talk as loudly as possible with your friends. Then around 8 or 9 pm, you get up and move to a restaurante, where you have tapas or paella or some dish with Iberian pork. (I love how they never just call it pork, it ALWAYS is Iberian pork - and I highly recommend it.) Finally, you get to move again to postre-shop where dessert, such as tarts, pastries, or cake is served. In other words, from 6 until about midnight, everyone is constantly on the move. An unusual benefit to this is that there are always tables opening up and I haven't seen anyone waiting to be seated.