Eating in Spain

So here I go at a feeble attempt to explain why I have gained so much wieght in the last few months despite the fact that I can go on for hours on how much I dislike Spanish food.
So it is important to know that we have a few favorite resteraunts here: Lebanese, Japanese,Italian,& Indian. Notice not one of those said Spanish!

So these resteraunts are REALY good! The kind of food you dream about! (Tell me I'm not the only one who dreams of good food)
Being so close to Italy make the ice cream shops not as often ice cream shops (heladaria's) but Italian Gelatarias....Oh heaven!

I have given it a lot of thought and want to be fair there are some true to Spain foods I do like. Which are part of the reason I am getting as round as I am. You will notice this beautiful loaf of pan. The stores here bake thier bed fresh 3-4 times a day and sell it still warm and steamy in its package. A large beautiful loaf like this cost a mear 45 cents. See the problem?

I also recently realized how living here makes you revolve your day around food. The Spanish eat at thier meal times and eat almost the same type of meal at its designated meal time.
First thing in the morning (which is 9 ish ) You will have a hard time finding something other than a crasaunt, or toast with coffee. No fruit or yogurt- those are dessert items!
So if your out traveling and thats not your idea of breakfast, you had better bring something.

Around 10:30 is the next meal of the day- bocodillas realy its too bad if you would like something else, its time for a bocodilla. Now you can choose what you will have on this sandwich type item, but it will be a bocodilla!

So if you arent hungy at 10:30 cause you brought along a normal American breakfast...no worries you can skip the Bocodilla but you better not get hungy again until around 2 cause the resteraunts all close down and your are stuck until the next meal time "Comeda"
Talk about antisipatory eating!

Now this is the main meal of the day in Spain and when I say main I mean it is huge! Most resteraunts here will offer whats called "Menu del dia" wich means you have a 3 course meal with several options for each course. 3 Full giant plates. If you are at all worried about the words you do not understand on the menu (And trust me I thought I knew how to say all the yucky stuff and I'm still surprised to find clams in my dish) you stick with the pastas and other simple pechuga ala plancha items!

Now that you feel like your ready to birth a small food baby its nap time for Spaniards. Once again all the resteraunts close down (the shops already did) and every one sleeps for the next couple of hours. Oh- wait, your an American and you dont realy even know how to take a nap in the middle of the day!!! Well, go see a site where you have to hike up to a castel or walk around a cathedral cause youll have the place to yourself and theres nothing else you can do anyway!

As the sun starts to get a bit lower in the sky the place wakes from its nap and is ready to party LATE into the night! I do mean late- wich is fine if you are an adult, cause you ate all that food at lunch and you probably don't need to eat for a year now, but if you have kids with small stomachs who left 75% of thier giant meal (Cause kids meals are hard to find) on thier plates...they are hungry.

You are going to have to wait until 8:30 pm to find a resteraunt open and then you'll most likely be the first there! So It's dinner time and your an American. You do not order "tapas" you order a meal, its your main meal time (kinda- its a bit late)

Ok, that all being said ; I searched my brain for what true Spanish food I can say I realy realy like. The winner is:

Churos y Chocolate

Yep!

I told this to one of the Elders in the ward and he said " Thats not a food"

I'm sticking to it!

The churos are good, they are great. Fresh made, rich dough, simple sugar! Amazing but they aren't the same (Nor are they totaly Spanish) with out the Chocolate!

Spanish hot chocolate is different than our hot choclate and different that Mexican hot chocolate (No chille) Its differnt than English hot chocolate (it actulay is sweet) Its more like warm pudding. Like back in the old days before "instant pudding" and you had to cook it and then chill it before it would firm. That spot right there between cooking and chilling...thats Spanish hot chocolate!

See if you have American hot chocolate and dip a churo in it, it will slip right off. Oh, not with Spanish Chocolate Caliente!

Now last year for Christmas I sent out quite a bit of Spanish Hot chocolate (aunties...cousins..frineds) I'm not sure how many translated the directions and made it right. I should have sent it with this testimonial- now if those of you who I sent some to used it wrong and want another try, or those who I didnt send any to want some.....nows the time to put in your order!

MMMMMMMM!!!!!