When I went to Madrid this past weekend, I was struck with a whirlwind of drinking fine wines, fruity Sangria, and cheap bottled beers (there were many offers of a bucket of five beers for four euros!). I happily felt that this lifestyle was one I could get used to. However, the drinking and relaxed dining in Madrid is peculiar to me in a way which is definitely worth mentioning. In the morning, Spaniards tend to wake up a bit later, starting the day off at 11am with some churros which they dip into hot drinking chocolate. It was revealed to me that this is an everyday activity rather than a morning meal saved for just special occasions. I was a bit shocked, seeming as I am normally the type to munch on heart-healthy granola bar or spoon out some protein-filled yogurt while still half-asleep. Dipping the deep fried pretzel-shaped dough into creamy chocolate was a delicious change, but not an adjustment to my routine which I felt would travel back with me to America. In fact, I doubt many Americans from the Northeast would be able to submit to this type of morning meal more than a couple times a week, at least not enough to have chocolate-churro shops in every square as there are in Madrid.
When talking to a local friend who met up with us for lunch, I was told that it is customary to sip on a couple of beers before lunch, order an array of tapas for the largest meal of the day, and share a bottle of wine. Then, once you are stuffed and the room is swaying, you take a siesta or midday nap to prepare for the rest of the night. Dinner is not served until at least 9:30 if not 10:00pm. It is excruciatingly difficult to find any restaurant open before then if you are starving from having had an insufficient lunch. My friend and I obeyed the rules of dining, and we found ourselves enjoying our meals in the moonlight and under heat lamps (the darkness turns the climate from 70˚C to sweater weather in a mere hour or so). Dinner is supposed to be light but would bring with it another round of wine, dessert drinks, and flan de leche, a pastry too wobbly for my stomach to be convinced it was real food. The nightlife is extraordinary, and many young people continue to explore the club scene until 6am. The early birds we are, we made it into our welcoming beds by 5:15.
I am a strong believer in the fact that tourism in any country leads to a greater cultural understanding and my experience in Madrid can attest to that. Although some of the shops in Madrid seemed inauthentic and McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts were scattered throughout the city, this dining culture seems to remain strong and unique. With such long workdays, Americans may not be able to adopt the tradition of a larger relaxed lunch. And with such stressful weeks, Americans may not feel as if they have time for a siesta. But for a weekend, I would suggest trying to live like the Spaniards do: wake up late, drink chocolate and your favorite form of alcohol, relax, and just breathe.