Students are drawn to study abroad for many reasons. The location, the activities, the sights,... But one of the most important cultural aspects that draw the people out of their homes and into the unknown world is food. (Just ask the Italian study abroad students) But we are here to talk about Spanish food goodness and why it is so important to me as of late.
While many students have host mom living situations, I am in a "flat" or "piso" with many other roommates. To be quite honest with you, in the beginning I couldn't help but correlate Spanish food with Mexican food, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Someone had told me that they ate a lot of olives, in which then I imagined myself eating olives and a baguette (respectively covered in olive oil) for breakfast lunch and dinner. While that was a little exaggerated, I'm glad that is not the reality here. So, I found myself stalking the foods of my roommates constantly in the kitchen, looking over their shoulder regularly for ideas. Also, I would interview my fellow classmates daily and ask them what their host moms were graciously preparing them, of course being a little jealous of their magical sounding foreign foods. But I was on a mission. Of course there was tribulation, such as the fact that my apartment doesn't actually have a microwave. (collective American gasps) And also judgmental raised eyebrows when I would have pasta for dinner or eggs for breakfast. "dinner is supposed to be lite!" they would say. But in the meantime I have learned to make such things as garbanzo bean soup, various combinations of bocadillos, and other various Spanish seafoods that otherwise would have been foreign to me. (octopus isn't actually that intimidating) Some of my Personal favorite Spanish cuisines are jamon serrano, Tortilla, and croquetas. It is hard to wait until 9:30 a night for dinner, but I am adamant to wait if it means I get to cook all together with my fun roomies. Mac and cheese will just have to wait.
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