Food Culture In Spain : When and What?, by Amanda Dal Cielo

Growing up my dad always taught me that there are better and worse times to eat during the day and night. He always said that the first meal of the day is the most important as it starts your day and will affect your instant mood. My dad also told me that it is not healthy or good to eat after 8pm, since your body stops moving and whatever you eat late at night just sits in your stomach. These were scripts that my dad had put into my head since I was a young girl in middle school, up until my college years. However, not until traveling and living in Spain, did I realize that that is far from the truth, and I can very well unwrite those scripts and still be the healthiest I have ever been.
During my first couple of months abroad I started to notice these real key differences in my cultures meals and meal times to Spanish culture. In California, I always had a bigger breakfast, sometimes eggs, toast, fruit, and coffee. I usually ate around 8am before school or around 11am on the weekends. However, in Spain, I have now adjusted to the cultures smaller breakfast meals. Now when I wake up I just grab a coffee, and later in the early afternoon I would have a lighter but filling bocadillo or toast. I even eat dinner around 9 or 10 pm, whereas may younger self would have found that to be absurd.

In addition to food culture, I noticed a big difference between sports games and the food or drinks that are offered in the United States to Sevilla. In the United States, all types of food and drinks are offered in concession stands, selling foods like sandwiches, hot dogs, chips, pizzas, and more. They are serve alcohol like beer, hard and high percentage drinks, as well as cocktails in the more expensive ticket zones. However, when I attended a fútbol game in Seville, all of the fans brought their own sandwiches and their own beverages. There were only a couple stands that sold waters, seeds, or small snacks. These differences in food culture have taught me a variety of ways that can be interpreted as the norm, and there is no right or wrong way to do it.

https://www.travelersuniverse.com/mealtimes-in-spain