It’s been two weeks into my study abroad journey and I thought by now I’d fully understand that I’m going to be in Spain all semester, but it still feels like a dream. I am so happy to be living here and experiencing so many new things all at once. The smallest things, like my walk to school, are such a pleasant experience.
I have learned an insane amount already in just the past couple of weeks, but I think what I’ll focus on for today is basic cultural differences I have witnessed between the U.S. and España. In this article I’ll start with food because, I mean, food.
Some typical Spanish dishes just to give you an idea of what I’ve been eating or seeing a lot are Tapas (which are basically a variety of appetizers like bread with tomato paste, cheese, ham, croquetas, and potato fries), Paella (cooked rice with meat veggies and fish), and fried calamari sandwiches (self explanatory and tastes like heaven)! And let’s not forget Spaniards offer alcoholic beverages regularly throughout the day, so sangria and lemon beer are casual every day beverages.
Food in Spain, and meals in general, are very different from what I am used to back home, and by that I mean Mexican food and take out. Spaniards don’t exactly believe in breakfast. Instead of having a sit-down first-meal-of-the-day, Spanish custom is to have a quick cup of coffee before heading out to work or school and then having light snacks such as crackers, pastries, or fruit throughout the morning. In Spain, the biggest meal of the day is lunch, which you wait to eat until around 1-2 in the afternoon. My stomach usually started screaming by 11 a.m. so the transition that first week (and even still now) was tough. Then there’s dinner. In Spain, it’s not a big meal and it’s not served until around 10-11 p.m. That’s right. The elderly, the employed, even kids and dogs are still roaming through the streets at 10 p.m. on weekdays to go and eat, which I still find hard to believe.
Something that I noticed almost immediately about the Spanish culture, which I greatly appreciate, is the way that they enjoy life. Since we’re talking food, I’ll use that as my example. It’s not just common, it’s encouraged to eat out with friends and family regularly and stay for as long as you’d like. The area of Madrid I live in is packed with restaurants, bars, cafes, and gelato shops that stay open until midnight on weekdays and often later on weekends. The reason why is because the general public truly cherishes having a social life. It’s refreshing to see couples, families, and friends outside sharing appetizers, desserts, and a pitcher of sangria. People want to talk, make relationships, and get to know each other better.
This is a drastic contrast to American culture. In the U.S., we are in such a hurry even when we have nowhere to go. Ordering take out, a pizza delivery, or getting dinner at the drive-thru a few times a week is normal. Even when we do go eat with friends and family, more often than not we sit, we order, we eat, and we leave. I also see so many people on their phones and not speaking when they eat out back in the States. There is no staying to chat for nearly three hours with one another, especially not on a weeknight.
In Madrid, there are some restaurants and bars that put a basket in the middle of the tables for everyone to place their phone during the meal. Other restaurants even go so far as to take up phones at the door and if you don’t use it or ask for it back, they will give you dessert on the house!
There are so many more interesting discoveries I’ve made in Madrid so far, but I’ll pace myself with all of the information and save another topic for a different post. I’ll be traveling to some historic sites outside of Madrid this weekend and some new people from my program have arrived so it should be a great few days.
Challenges for this week: Invite your close friends out to eat or drink at La Cantera and actually talk to each other. Enjoy time out and try not to just focus on your hectic agenda. Also, maybe try a new food. You never know, you might really like it and it’s good to branch out from what’s typical!
¡Go runners and viva españa!
#AsofTakesMadrid