La Comida

Sunday, July 10

Since I don’t really have too much to talk about today, I figured I’d use this as an opportunity to catch up my blog on what I’ve been eating.

Breakfast:

The first day, breakfast was little cookies and a café con leche (coffee with milk).  It was really good. After that, she bought me a box of copas de maiz (corn flakes) and I have that every day with café con leche. And even though I tried to explain two days in a row that I want milk for my cereal, she so does not get it. So every morning I have dry cereal. It’s a struggle.

Snack:

During school, we have a half an hour break from 11:30-12. I am always hungry during this time, as are most people. So far, I’ve had coffee from a place next door to the school and I’ve tried the sandwiches in the cafeteria downstairs. They’re called bocadillas (any sandwich made on French-style bread, versus a sandwich made on sliced bred), and so far I’ve only had chicken. I’m going to start trying to take a piece of fruit from home, instead of spending money on a little sandwich.

Lunch:

Every day we’ve had something different, but the routine is usually the same. We usually have soup of some kind and then she makes me a half plate of something else.

I’ve had rice and sausage soup, chicken noodle, chicken and rice, beef stew-esque soup, and this one strange bean thing that I don’t remember the name of, but is really good. And always, always there is a slice of bread with it. The bread she uses is sort of like French bread, but the crust isn’t as soft as you would expect. It’s very hearty and filling.

For the other food, she has made me an egg, some jamón (seasoned ham), fish, minute steak, and chicken a few times. Sometime she hand cuts and pan-fries some French fries, but usually that’s with dinner. Half the time, she cuts me another slice of bread.

Twice, she’s then given me fruit. One day we had this weird melon thing that felt like a cross between cantaloupe and honeydew. It was good, but odd. And the other time she gave me watermelon.

Dinner:

We don’t eat dinner until around 9 or so, and it’s never very big. If there are leftovers from lunch, she might make that. Or she has made eggs on top of French fries, fried ham slices, chicken, and a few other things. I don’t think there’s been a single night when she hasn’t made French fries. I’m not sure if it’s because she thinks I’m American and that’s all I eat, or if she would make the same for herself.

And don’t forget, of course, that all of this also comes with a slice of bread. I’ve probably eaten more bread since I’ve been here than I have in the last year.

The food here is good, but different. The only spices or flavorings she really uses are salt and olive oil, and other people have said their family does the same.

So that’s about it for the food for now, but I’ll keep updating the blog about what I’m eating, since it really is a huge part of the culture of any given place.