Food

So the saying goes in Spain that you should eat like a king for breakfast, a duke for lunch, and a pauper for dinner.  I absolutely love this.

Breakfast: A typical Spaniard will eat a very small breakfast, a cafe con leche and a pastry.  A cafe con leche is a cup of strong coffee with steamed milk.  What I've found amazing is that you can expect to get a good cup of coffee absolutely anywhere.  There is also this delightful stuff you can purchase for at home, called La Lechera.  It is a paste-like substance made from condensed milk and sugar, which you can add to your coffee- delicious.  The same is true for pastries.  The most common pastries I have found are croissants (both regular and chocolate filled), and cakes similar to pound cake.  Like coffee, you can get a great, fresh baked pastry anywhere.  There are also a large selection of pre-packaged pastries in every grocery store I have been in.  I eat my breakfast at the bus station cafeteria Monday through Friday.  I usually get a cafe con leche.  Unfortunately, I don't have the digestive ability to have a pastry every morning for breakfast.  I usually eat a fiber bar :).  Here are some coffees Jonathan and I got at a local restaurant, La Lameirina.  We've made friends with Gonzalo, the manager. 

Lunch: Generally here lunch is a big deal.  When families get together for special occasions or on Sundays, they do lunch, not dinner.  Traditionally, lunch is eaten around 2:00pm or so and a 2-3 hour break is taken (siesta).  I was very surprised to find that this is generally still adhered to in Spain.  Governmental offices are not open past 2:00pm and many retail stores close for a few hours in the afternoon.  Typically, lunch consists of fresh fish, potatoes, and a glass of wine.  Fresh bread is also expected to be served with every meal.  I absolutely love the fresh bread, though sometimes wouldn't mind if there was some butter or olive oil every once and a while to dress it up with.  I usually arrive home from class around 3:00pm and Jonathan and I will have lunch together.  I am not really very good at cooking fish, I still need some lessons.  Much of the things we've eaten is the stuff I usually made back at home in Buffalo: rice and beans, spaghetti, stir fry, tortilla, tuna salad sandwiches, steaks, shrimp scampi, chicken cutlets, etc. 

Dinner:  Dinner is not a big deal here and is sometimes omitted completely.  A traditional dinner consists of shellfish, salad, a sandwich, empanada, tortilla,  fruit, or yogurt.  Everyone here is obsessed with yogurt and believe that it is quite possibly the best thing ever for your body.  I'm not denying that yogurt is healthy, it's just not that spectacular is all.  Jonathan and I often skip dinner.  When we do eat it's often a piece of bread, cheese, some fruit, pudding, or yogurt.  It took me a week or two to get used to going to bed with a completely empty stomach, but I have since found nit to be quite pleasant.

Since moving to Spain I have lost about 5lbs. (while maintaining about the same amount of physical activity as back in Buffalo); Jonathan has lost probably about 10 lbs.  Prior to moving here I was a snacker, I would have a series of small meals throughout the day.  I believe that this is probably best for your metabolism, as it keeps it active throughout the day.  Also, by eating small meals, it prevents your stomach from stretching out too much, which then prevents you from eating large amounts of food at a time.  This method of eating also keeps your energy up.  When you eat a huge meal in the middle of the day it is tough to keep moving, all I want to do is nap afterward.  Nevertheless, I have lost weight.  Hmph.

All of the food is so incredibly fresh, local, and organic.  Most people here instead of growing grass in their backyards produce food, whether it be vegetable gardens or raising animals, such as chickens.  My uncle Gonzalo and Aunt Chelo have a pig (which they plan on butchering in a month - very excited), chickens, a duck, and barn cats.  They also grow tomatoes, potatoes, squash, pemientos de padron (peppers), and grapes (they make their own wine).  My Uncle Monolo and Aunt Margarita have chickens (who currently reside in the foundation of Jonathan's mother, aunt, and grandparent's old home here).  They also grow apples and tomatoes.  Most people here choose to turn their yards into either floral gardens or space to produce food.  Many people choose to grow a little extra and sell them in the municipal markets, which are located in every town.  Below are some pictures I took at the market in O Grove, where I have classes:

 I made friends with this vendor, he gave me cheese:)