Spanish Food

The longer I’ve stayed in Spain the more I’m learning that my dislike of all seafood can be quite bothersome in this country. They throw tuna in everything! Order a garden salad? TUNA. (No mention of the pesky fish on the menu of course. Just lettuce, tomato etc.)

What about potatoe salad with breadsticks (what.) TUNA. Why? Or at least notify me of the tuna –ness. As it is I’m lucky I’m not allergic and just am not a fan. It pops up in the most unlikely places!

Same with Paella. Even if it says chicken Paella, you can bet they will likely throw in some sort of seafood… often with no warning.

They are also rather fond of calamari, though I have less issue with that particular dish because it is typically rather well marked.

Enough with the negatives – I have discovered the beauty that is a croquette. SO GOOD. Think mozzarella stick, but more bread than cheese, usually with some chicken, ham or (sigh) tuna thrown in. They are delicious! My one complain (completely on me, not Spain) is that if you order a sampler plate you never know which is which so there is always the lurking possibility that I could accidentally bite into a tuna croquette!

Also, it would be remiss to not mention Haribo. Yes, like the gummy bear. I swear they are so much better in Europe. Haribo is native to Germany and I guess because Spain/England/Ireland are so much closer to Germany than the US that the quality here is vastly improved. They are so so good. I’m not a huge gummy bear person at home, I mean I enjoy one every now and then, but I’m not drawn to them. Here I’m all about them! I’ve tried the variety sampler packs, the strawberries, the sour packs and of course plenty of the classic gummy bears too.

Overall I have had a wonderful time abroad and I’ve done rather well eating wise. I’ve made a point to sample the local cuisine but I could definitely go for a Mountain Dew and some Doritos right about now!