I've decided to write a few fun blogs instead of just my weekend trips, so today the topic is FOOD! My favorite :) Coming to Spain I honestly had no idea what the food would be like. I mean how many 'Spanish' restaurants do you know of? Not Mexican but Spanish. I don't know of any so it's been very interesting learning about all the different types. All I heard before coming was that they use a lot of olive oil and eat a lot of mediterranean food. Well that's mostly true but I've also had a lot of surprises as well! I also knew coming here that there wouldn't be much beef because of the small amount of cows here and that they consume a lot of pork products, but once again I wasn't aware of the extent!
So starting with drinks the main things here are cafe con leche (coffee with cream or milk), cerveza (beer), or vino (wine). Obviously these are all very common in the US but here they are just a little different and consumed at various times. So with coffee, they too drink it for breakfast but the coffee is a little different. It is always in the form of an expresso shot and if you ask for a cafe con leche they will fill the mug with only a small amount of the blackest coffee I've ever seen and the rest with milk. Also the mugs are not the size of what we would consider a mug, they are probably about half the size. The first day in Sevilla my host mom asked which size I would prefer, a normal size (common in Spain) or a large (typical US coffee mug) and of course I told her the 'large' cup not realizing the coffee was also a lot stronger. Also you never get more than one cup, its always just one. Now I've grown very accustom to it but it's definitely taken some time getting used to not having my large amounts of coffee to wake me up everyday. I already mentioned how they also have siesta so after siesta, around 5pm once they get up, it is very typical to meet with friends and have a coffee and pastry. Also extremely common in Spain is beer. However, they do not drink beer (almost always) to get drunk but rather to enjoy like you would a soft drink or tea. The alcohol content is usually fairly low and the cost of beer here is very low so many people here consume it merely for taste. The common beer here in Sevilla is called Cruzcampo and is brewed here in the area. It's not exactly my favorite but it's not a bad choice for a light beer. The wine here is also very popular. It's the same as in the states but some common types are a Rioja which is made in Spain and also sangria is very popular here too. Sangria is a wine mixed with soda and fruit and is very typical during the summer. Vino tinto is also a popular drink wine type drink and is also very delicious! The interesting thing too is that it is not typical to drink with meals, maybe a glass of red wine with dinner but otherwise they will drink water.
Now as far as food goes there are tons of things that I have never even heard or thought of! I've also mentioned the different amounts of food depending on the meal before so I will go into what some of the typical plates are. So for desayuno (breakfast) we usually eat tostada con aceite o tomate (a baguette of bread cut in half and toasted with olive oil or a tomato paste) and a cafe con leche. My favorite! Some cafes will also offer a piece of fruit or yogurt. Then for almuerzo (lunch), the biggest meal, we will eat a large sopa (soup) or paella (a very typical rice and seafood mix plate) and then a side dish of either croquetas de jamon (ham croquettes that are deep fried balls of cheese and ham), ensalada (salad), or another type of tapa. For dessert the common thing is a piece of fruit, flan, or yogurt with a little bit of sugar mixed with it. The soups are always delicious and are also very different. Some that Maria, my host mom, and abuela, the grandma, make include lentils, small chunks of sausage or chorizo, garbanzo beans and tons of vegetables. Paella is probably one of my favorite dishes here in Spain because it's so filling and such a delicious mix of things. Abuela makes a fantastic one with rice, veggies, shrimp, and clams. One of her other great foods are her croquetas! She hand makes them and they are to die for! I'm really going to miss those back home. The salad is also very good but here in Spain they do not eat anything, and I mean anything, with condiments other than olive oil, butter, or sometimes jam. So our salad dressing is always olive oil and vinegar which I've actually learned to love. Also they eat the salad last, not before their meal. Tapas are a type of appetizer and are usually consumed as a meal inbetween lunch and dinner with a beer. Some very common tapas are again the croquetas, tortilla de espana (a potato omelette), jamon serrano (cured ham), and olivas (olives). There are A LOT more and they are all amazing!
I could probably go on forever and ever about the food here but I should probably stop there! If you guys have any questions though feel free to ask and there is also a lot on the internet too if you ever feel like searching for some interesting dishes! Hope you enjoyed a little of my culinary experiences!
On saturday, before heading back to Sevilla, ISA took us all on a tour of the 'palace city' containing a Moorish palace Alhambra and the Generalife which is a royal garden next to the Alhambra. This is one the most famous and touristic sites in all of Andalucia and I can definitely see why; even through the rain and dark clouds the palace and gardens were unbelievable. It took about three hours to walk through everything but nothing could really out do the beauty and mountain views we all were able to experience. This is another must see if you are ever traveling through Spain! 
