Saturday, November 19, 2011

In which I realize that pumpkin spice lattes aren't all that important.

I had a moment earlier, as I was googling the phrase "delicious thanksgiving plates" that I could use for my 2 ESO class on Monday, where I profoundly regretted my decision to move to a country with less-than-desirable cuisine. I have this regret about once a day, but it hit me a little harder when I realized I wouldn't be chowing down on all my favorite American foods next Thursday.


I know so many expats that love Spanish food, or if they don't love it at the beginning they fall in love with it pretty quickly. I'm still waiting for that to happen to me. *cross your fingers for me please!*
It's not that it's all bad, but it's kind of rough when you don't like jamón serrano or little sea creatures with antennas and eyes staring up at you.
However. I have noticed improvements. Remember this post? In which I attempted to maintain a face of composure while choking down jamón serrano because after 4 days in Spain living off ice cream and galletas, I was badly in need of actual nutrition? Well, since then I have successfully eaten many a ham sandwich. Not happily, mind you, but successfully.

My goals for this year, aside from those on my bucket list are to enjoy the following foods:
jamón serrano (I already like jamón ibérico, but since it's less common it would be to my advantage to also enjoy jamón serrano)
langostinos (prawns: this will definitely be the hardest one)


red wine (straight, without mixing it with Coke or Fanta limón first)
ensalada rusa (I'm not so sure I want to attempt this one, I'm sure not eating the bucket of mayonnaise it comes in is better for me anyway. But it is a popular tapa here so I feel like I should at least learn to appreciate it.)

Would you like some salad with that mayonnaise?

But then I remember that I'm in Spain and I can't be too sad. I might not be enjoying an all-American meal next week, but I'm most definitely going to enjoy my 1st Spanish-American Thanksgiving experience with some of the best expat friends I could ask for. So cheers to all the American expats, here in Spain or elsewhere in the world, here's to representing our American traditions abroad :)

4 comments:

  1. AhH! I totally agree with the antennas and eyes... i Can't eat something that's looking back at me...lol my spanish diet has been mostly tortilla lol

    More power to you girl <3

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  2. Glad to see I'm not the only one with this problem! At least tortilla española is the best food in the world, so we can't really be too upset with that alternative :)

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  3. Ooh, please don't give up. Spanish cuisine can be SO good! Also, Andalucía, no offense to any Andalusians, is not the best place for Spanish food. I recommend the north - Asturias, País Vasco, Cantabria, Galicia!

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  4. Haha no offense taken. Andalucía is better known for its cheap tapas than quality food, right? I haven't been to northern Spain yet so I'll withhold judgement until then!

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