Cultural Differences (Parte Uno) Corey

Whenever you go abroad, the first thing people warn you about is the culture shock, and while this is certainly not some remote, bug-eating, no internet, 3rd world country; every trip abroad will have some adjustment period.

Food has been one of the biggest changes (as it usually is for people like me who's diet consists of safe foods like pizza, chicken, pasta and lots and lots of carbohydrates.) Rosa (mi madre aqui) has been very accomodating and made sure to ask right away, "Que comidas no le gustan?" (What foods do you not like?)

I told myself going into this semester that I would be open to trying new things and never say no to a food I hadn't yet tasted. That resolve was tested at my first lunch when Rosa prepared an authentic spanish paellla. Thankfully it was a chicken and not a sea food paella since I had told her "No me gusta comer pescado."

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the dish (for sure I picked around some of the vegetables but I ate the majority which is the best I can do.) I've learned I have a better chance of liking the food if I don't ask beforehand what I'm eating. It's all about your mindset going into that first bite.

There have been only two foods I have flat out refused to eat after trying: green peppers and potato salad. I felt bad about telling Rosa I didn't like her food, but I figured it was a better option than cleaning up the inevitable vomit that would have been on her floor.

Since those initial food forays I have been eating meals I consistently like and can boast a more balanced diet than at any point in my entire life. As I told my girlfriend on skype just now, "I have eaten more vegetables in these past two weeks than in the last two years."

The Spanish meals are different than America in terms of the type of food (obviously), but also the size of each meal and the time it is eaten. A typical food day for me goes like this:

Breakfast: (Whatever time one wakes up (7:40 for me)) A piece of buttered toast and a tall glass of cafe con leche. This may sound spartan to some but as a college student who consistently wakes up at noon, this is the biggest breakfast I've had in 2.5 years.

Lunch: The biggest meal of the day (aka the American dinner.) Usually something very hardy like a soup with beans and chorizo or a heaping plate of pasta, or chicken with potatoes. There's always a basket of bread to the meal followed by a simple salad with tomatoes or corn. The salad is followed then by one of four fruits: oranges, kiwis, pears or bananas. Such a heavy lunch is conducive to siesta afterwards.

ASIDE: Siesta, for those who don't know, is an afternoon, respite, rest (whatever you want to call it) where the typical spaniard will nap for 20-30 mins before continuing to relax in their home until around 4-5 pm when they go back to work or school. It is a misconception that siesta should consist of a 4 hour deep sleep in the middle of the day, its meant as a time to relax, read a book, watch a movie or just take it easy. I haven't adjusted my body to the siesta schedule yet, so I usually take the time to do work. Other times though I'm so tired from partying the night before I sleep for two hours.

ANOTHER ASIDE: The concept of siesta is laughable to most Americans. While I'm not complaining about the extra free time, its frustrating that the city shuts downs for a few hours (stores aren't open, schools break so kids can go home) making it impossible to get chores done. Right now Spain has the highest unemployment for people ages 20-32. Maybe its because they only work 20 hours a week? Just saying...

Dinner: Similar to lunch, chicken or potatoes, paella, spanish tortilla or a rice dish accompanied by bread. Salad is always an option but the fruit is often replaced by some sweet postre like pudding or flan.

What's interesting about the meals in Spanish culture is that they hold less significance as "family time" than do meals for most Americans. This is because lunch and dinner are eaten at home EVERY SINGLE DAY, no exceptions at 2:30pm and 9:30pm sharp (times vary a bit from family to family). American families attach more significance to the times we DO all eat together since they are much less frequent than the typical spanish family. Because of this, dinners here are casual, quicker, and usually involve the TV to some capacity. I can't think of a single lunch I didn't watch spongebob squarepants (bob esponja here) and the simpsons or the news during dinner. The fact that Rosa has a 9 year old son probably has something to do with it too.

The lunch to dinner stretch of 7 hours without food is a long time to the untrained stomach, so I find that around 7:30 I'm always eating tapas at a bar with a classmate trying to hold ourselves over until dinner. But tapas are a whole different thing which I'll talk about in one of my next few posts. Hope this was informative, sorry if you were reading this expecting something akin to me and Amanda's first drunken post. Give us time and we'll write another funny one we swear.

Hasta la proxima vez,
Corey

P.S. My travel schedule is amazing the next few weeks and is as follows:
1/22: Segovia & Avila with the Emory group for a day trip
1/30-31: Back to Madrid to see some friends from school
2/5-7: Marruecos!!!(Morrocco) So excited for this
2/12: Cadiz for Carnaval!

You can be sure there will be posts about all these trips, but in the mean time I need to write about beerpong mondays at the Irish Rover, the eventual trip when Amanda gets her nose pierced after a few chupitos, and the more serious posts (since its fun as an "extranjero" to observe a different culture from the inside.) One last thing!

Word of the week: "Botellon"- Pregame (literally: drinking socially in the streets)