Essay \"Final paper about the food culture in spain. \" - grade A PDF

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Final paper about the food culture in Spain. ...

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NUSC 1167 Final Paper Spain’s Food Etiquette and Culture When traveling around the world, it is very important to keep in mind that every country will have certain etiquettes and a culture to them that you may not be familiar with. This is why it is essential to do a little bit of research before embarking into a different land so one does not come off ignorant or offensive to people of a different culture. Spain for particular has some difference when compared to an American meal cycle and etiquette. The Spanish have long working days therefore their meals are usually fixated around their work schedules with three meals a day and snack breaks in between. Breakfast in Spain called Desayuno typically starts around 8 am and never goes past 11 am. Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day; however it is not the longest meal in a Spanish diet. Breakfast is typically very quick and Spaniards can eat it at home or in a cafe on their way to work. Tostas, which are tapas served on a slice of toast is very popular breakfast dish. Churros which is equivalent to an American donut can also be eaten at breakfast along with Bocadillo which are bread rolls and a staple food in the Spanish diet, any juice, milk, and especially coffee. Coffee is essential to a Spanish diet and Spaniards will drink it throughout the day. The next meal following breakfast is a coffee break typically around noon. Students and workers fill cafes in between classes and working grab a quick drink to re-energize. Popular coffee drinks are Café con Leche which is coffee served with milk, Café Solo which is coffee served without milk, Café Cortado which is coffee served with some milk, or Café Americano which is a less strong diluted coffee served with a shot of expresso.

Since the coffee break happens around noon, lunch or comida is served a little later during the day around 2 to 4 pm. Lunch is the biggest and longest meal in a Spanish diet. Lunch is served as a three course meal. The first course is the lightest course with salads and soup being served. The second course would typically be a meat or fish dish. Since Spain is surrounded by the Mediterranean, there is a large seafood influence to their foods. This country has a large coastal region so there is a variety of seafood such as shellfish or squid to choose from. You will often see this country incorporating the Mediterranean diet into their meals. If you’re not the biggest fan of seafood, meat dishes such as Lamb, port, cured meats and the Serrano ham are popular in Spain too. The third course is a dessert, usually flan, fruit, or pastries. Most people eat lunch in restaurants and restaurants at this time are required to provide a Menu Del Dia which is a menu at a deduced and fixed price. The Menu Del Dia is an expansive menu so the Spaniards have a vast variety of options to choose from. Since everything is at a discounted price, most Spaniards take advantage of this and usually eat out. Drinks during lunch can be anything from water, to juice, to coffee or wine. Wine is actually advertised with every meal pass breakfast and even a restaurant’s wine selection is featured on the Menu Del Dia. After such a hearty meal, there’s a period of Siesta, meaning sleep, throughout all of Spain. This is when all shops and establishments are closed for a couple of hours and people can go back home to sleep or rest. This tradition started back when farmworkers would eat a big lunch and need time to rest and digest their food before going back out into the fields. This is one tradition that Spain has not gotten rid of. Back then most people would actually go back to sleep but now a days sleeping during this period is not required. You can use this time to rest and relax at your leisure.

In between lunch and dinner, there’s a period called Merienda which is equivalent to an afternoon snack. Since dinner happens at a later time, most people need this to hold them over until their next meal. If you’re going to be working long hours, you need enough energy to sustain yourself throughout the day. The foods eaten during this period are very much similar to the foods you would see during breakfast. Children often come home from school around this time so it is very typical to see having a snack at this time as well. Dinner or La Cena does not occur until late at night, typically around 9 pm or later once the work day ends. Many go out with their co-workers for a quick drink after work to socialize. Bar owners would give out free Tapas with drinks to help retain customers. Tapas are small finger foods which range from any type of meats that can be passed around and shared with friends. In Southern Spain, Tapas are still free with a purchase of a drink but areas such as Barcelona and Madrid capitalized on the ideas of Tapas and now have established Tapa restaurants throughout cities in Spain to make a profit. Even in the United States we can see Tapa restaurants immerging in our country. Aside from Tapas, dinner is much smaller usually consisting of salads or sandwiches. If you’re going to go out for dinner it is very, very unusual to show up at a restaurant before 9 pm. Most places are not even open earlier than that. Staff members are usually the only one at the restaurant before opening alongside with tourists that don’t know any better. Kitchens close around 1 am, so as you can see dinner goes on very late. Aside from the meal cycles, it is very important to be familiar with dining etiquette. When eating in general, it is very rude to sit in silence. Spaniards love to converse. This is looked as an art form called Sobremesa. You will never eat and just leave after you’re done. Spaniards enjoy one another’s company and engage in conversations for hours. This is why lunch for example usually lasts about two hours long.

Spaniards follow the continental dining style which suggests using the fork in your left hand and your knife in your right hand. In America it is common to switch hands while using your fork and knife but in Spain the shuffling of utensils would be considered rude. When eating out, it is okay to show up fashionable late if you’re dining with friends but in formal situations it is looked down upon. In a formal situation it would be considered rude to have someone waiting on you. Bills are paid at the end of the meal and most people leave around a 5 to 10% tip. If eating in a group, it is very uncommon for each person to just pay for their own plate. The bill is usually divided amongst the group regardless if one person had more than another. It is also very common for one person to offer to pay for the whole meal and people usually fight for the check. If dining in or going to someone’s home, it is important for you to try every dish. If a dish isn’t as appealing to you, you can let the host know in a nice manner after you have tried a little. The host will often insist on you eating more but you are also to decline this nicely. Where ever you are eating, one must know that elbows must be above the table at all times. Spaniards believe that if your hands are under the table, no one can see what you’re doing and they do not want any suspicious activities to happen below the table. To conclude, the food cycle and composition varies from country to country. It is imperative to do research about that country before visiting to reduce the risk of looking strange and insulting to another country’s custom. This will also help you become open minded and more cultured to other customs and traditions. Spain in general has their own etiquette but the etiquette they follow is not hard to grasp or pick up on. The only difficulty that can arise in this culture is getting use to the time changes but overall, there is a lot of Western overlap which makes leaning about Spain fun and easy to understand.

Works Cited “Eating Habits in Spain-What You Need To Know”. Spanish Lifestyle. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. http://www.eyeonspain.com/spain-magazine/eating-habits.aspx “Spanish Eating Customs.” –Spanish Culture. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2014. http://www.enforex.com/culture/spanish-eating-customs.html....