Es Hora De Comer, Gracias Señor

"It's time to eat, thank you God!" -A blessing I learned while serving at an optometry clinic in Ecuador.

For those who read this title and started singing and banging your hands on the table, know I've been saving this title just for you for about a month now. It's finally time to do a blog post on one of the most vital points of survival in a foreign country - food.

Food in Spain is indeed different from the United States, and I have to say that I much prefer the food here. Food overall is much more valued in Europe, and is taken as much more of a delicacy than in the United States. When we first arrived, our program director told us not to eat the fruit found on trees in the park as they were "covered in pesticides." It made me laugh, because I'm pretty sure that even the organic food in the US has some sort of pesticides in it.

So here is a little break down of some delicious gastronomy here in España.

Breakfast - Desayuno

Time: 7 a.m., 9 - 10:30 a.m.

First breakfast here is usually just coffee and a piece of fruit early in the morning to get your day started. After that initial breakfast (which I usually skip), we get into the more serious breakfast.

"Pan con Tomate," or bread with tomato, is my breakfast of choice. It is toasted bread with olive oil, a slice of tomato and salt. This is known as the "salty breakfast." Opposite the salty is the sweet breakfast, which usually consists of toasted bread with marmalade.

To drink there is coffee, although a much smaller size due to the strength of it. You don't need more than just one cup, and cafe con leche is a much better option, as to dilute the straight expresso in a cup.

In my house, we also have freshly squeezed orange juice. We make it every morning fresh right before we eat. It is a delicacy, and it is going to be virtually impossible to return Tropicana after being this spoiled.

Every breakfast bar in Spain will have "churros con chocolate" in the morning, and despite our American idea that churros are a dessert, they can hardly be found here after 2 p.m. They also have no sugar on them, making them a little bit less of a sweet treat.

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Lunch - Almuerzo

Time: 1 - 3:30 p.m.

~Biggest Meal of the Day~

The time for lunch greatly varies for each person according to their work schedule, so this is more of a range rather than an actual time.

Pictured is my favorite lunch, Pisto. It is zucchini, onions, potatoes, and tomatoes, all in a tomato sauce and served over fried potatoes. A sliced up hard boiled egg is also included on top. Also the favorite dish of my host mother's four year old granddaughter.

On the top left is Gespacho, which is only a dish in Andalucia (south region of Spain). It is a cold soup, that is served during the summer. To make, simply put tomatoes, green peppers, celery, onion, chive, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper into a blender, and turn it on. Watching my host mother stuff all of these vegetables into the tiny blender was quite a site to see.

Every meal in Spain has bread included, no exception here.

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If one is out and about for the day, the best option is a Bocadillo, or a sub sandwich. These sandwiches usually do not have as many fancy toppings as we usually consider a sub to have, but are usually just meat, and sometimes a cheese. A chorizo sandwich is very common (sausage), and ham and cheese are also popular. Pictured are a group of us posing with our various bocadillos on our day trip to Rhonda.

Drinks

Time: All the time

Tinto de Verano "Wine of summer" - Red wine, Sprite, Lemon juice

• Served in a tall skinny glass with too many ice cubes.

• Drink of choice for pretty much all the girls in our program because it's good and cheaper than Sangria.

Sangria - Red wine, brandy, orange juice, brown sugar, various fruits

• Delicious and typical in Spain, also always fun to chase the fruit around the bottom of the glass at the end.

• Pairs well with a Flamenco show and lots of friends.

Cruzcampo - Beer

• Cruzcampo has a monopoly on Andalucia (southern Spain), if you order a beer here, than unless otherwise specified, it will be Cruzcampo.

• Variations come in the form of a Radler, which is our favorite because it has lemon juice in it making it sweet.

Dinner - Cena

Time: 9 - 10:30

Since lunch is so late in the afternoon, it only makes sense to have dinner late as well.

Dinner is one of the lightest meals of the day. Differing from American culture, it makes sense to only have a small amount of food to digest before heading to bed, or out on the town. That being said, our host mother still feeds us copious amounts of food.

Pictured is a typical meal of fried chicken, a fried egg, salad, fried potatoes, and of course, bread. To drink, we usually have water, and Tinto de Verano. We have this meal at least twice a week.

It wouldn't be a blog about Spanish food if Paella wasn't included. Although Spaniards don't eat this every night as I suspected, it is widely served, and if you visit Spain, you must eat it at some point. It is a rice mixture with different seafoods depending on the type you get. It always comes in a cast iron skillet when ordered at a restaurant, which is just a fun experience. Generally served for lunch, but at times we have the leftovers at dinner.

Desserts - Postre

Time: All the time

Desserts in Spain generally consist of a fruit and possibly a yogurt. As an ice cream fanatic, this just would not do. Luckily, my host mother understands my need for ice cream and gives us chocolate gelato bars every night after dinner. As Americans, we must live up to our "need for sweets" stereotype and try all of the yummy desserts available.

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The Famous Gelato Flower - found at the dessert store Amorino, a popular gelato spot, this treat gives you the option of three different flavors, and a macaroon on top. This treat is delicious, but also rather expensive, as these stores are only found in the touristy district. When looking for a more affordable treat, we generally head to Abuelas, which is about 2€ cheaper.

Pionono - This dessert is best known in Granada, but many variations are made in South America. It is a mixture of flour, egg, cinnamon and sugar, with a dulce de leche filling and a custard topping. It can be eaten in about two bites, and is served cold. Tastes a bit like a soggy cinnamon roll in the best way possible.

Torrija - The dessert of Semana Santa - this treat is very similar to french toast, but it is dunked in honey. The serving size is about the size of your palm, but it is rich enough where that is plenty. There are factories that make these on a production size scale in Cordoba, but they can be found wide spread throughout Spain in the month of March. Photo creds

Other Notable Foods - Tapas.

The most memorable part of Spain. Small bits of food that the table usually shares, and they can be a variety of different meats, vegetables, or fried things. Granada is known for having free tapas with every drink that you order, and the drinks are not overly expensive to compensate (2.5€ for a glass of wine!). The only catch, they don't usually tell you what the tapa is, so its always a fun treat to just try it out. We think that the first tapa pictured was bull's tail, but nothing confirmed.

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This may not be what you would consider to be all of the typical "spaniard food," but in my time here, I've found this to be what is more common for the everyday Spaniard. Prepare yourselves, for when I return to the States I'll be happy to share my new recipes, just as long as we can sing "Es Hora de Comer."

My best friend, Ashley, visited me last week and it is because of her visit that I have so many tasty "out on the town" foods. You definently need someone to visit you so you can be a tourist in your own town.

Thanks again for all of the continued support - the words of encouragement throughout the week mean more than you know!

Peace and Blessings.