Tapas are huge here and before I left I was excited about trying as many tapas bars as I could. When I told people this, they'd always say, ''Topless bars? Hmm.'' So for the unititiated, tapas are just appetizer-sized food. You usually sit at a bar, tell the counter guy what you want, then they dish it up. Common tapas are croquetas--creamy mashed potatoes breaded and deep fried. They usually have something else in there, like jamon (ham) or seafood. Other common tapas: calamari or other fried seafood; patatas brava (fried potatos served with a spicy sauce); boquerones (anchovies); tortilla de patatas (a thick potato omelet that they top with a creamy garlic sauce); pa amb tomaquet (bread smeared with tomato); green chili peppers fried and salted; and just about every tpye of seafood.
They alos have pintxos places: pinxtos means ''pinch'' so they are even smaller-sized than tapas, just a couple bites. I liked these places a lot because a) I absolutely love bite-size things. If I could just eat hors d'ouvres for the rest of ,my life, I would be very happym and b) I could try lots of stuff without getting too full. It works on an honor system--they give you a plate, you belly up to the bar, where there are platters of pinxtos on toothpicks, and you grab the ones you want. At the end of the meal, they charge you by how many toothpicks are left on your plate. I got some photos at this place. I think the best thing was the chorizo sausage. I t was like eating a really awesome-tasting slim jim. Note the damage I did (15 toothpicks!) in the last pic:
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A couple other dishes that Barcelona is known for are the bikini, which is just a jamon and cheese sandwich. I think it's named that because it's cut into triangles, like a bikini. The jamon here is more meaty, more flavorful than the ham back home, more like prosciutto. They're really proud of it and you see these giant ham legs in the markets. They also like churros and hot chocolate. Churros are fried dough, sprinkled with sugar. You can order a hot chocolate in a cafe with a side of churros and dip the churros in the chocolate. The hot chocolate is really thick, like they just melted a hershey bar in a mug, as opposed to our hot chocolate, which is more milky and creamy.
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They typically spend an hour or two lingering over dinner and lunch, the waiters don't check in on you often, and only bring the check when you ask for it. In the U.S. it would be considered neglectful, but that's just how it is here; they take their food and socializing really seriously. I was thinking a lot about why we're considered such an obese country, when in countries like Spain and France, everyone seems really fit. If I may give my two-cents, I think it's three main reasons: 1) portion size is much smaller. If you order a starter, you don't get a huge platter of chicken wings to share with 3 or 4; you get something reasonable for one person. 2) they linger over their meals, so their body has time to actually register the food. I know I tend to eat pretty fast and on-the-go, so there are times that think ''Why did I eat so much? I could have just had the soup and not the sandwich, too.'' I never really felt too full here. Even when I ate a lot, I guess I paced it right. You never see someone eating on the street. (Well, in France they do eat street crepes, but not in Spain.) 3) they walk everywhere. I actually sat in this bar one night off a busy street where I could watch people walk by, and eventually noticed that maybe one in 50 people was obese. Most weren't even overweight. I never, ever saw a beer belly on a young guy.
They love cava here, which is like champagne. I didn't see sangria around much, except in touristy bars, so that may be more popular in other parts of Spain. They eat late: lunch around 2 and dinner around 8. Bars around midnight and clubs around 3am. I can't even believe they stay out so late, but they do. Someone told me the work day is like 9-5, but with that 2 hour lunch in-between. I told him, ''I guess that's why they don't get much done here in Europe.'' Kidding! The work-life balance definitely leans more towards life.
I spent a couple nights really experiencing the nighlife, rolling in around 6 am, but it's hard to do that and see everything I wanted. One night I went to an Irish pub, they closed at 2, let us (me and my new British friends Kevin from Birmingham, and David from London) stay and drink till 3, then the owner recommended a secret club around the corner. He said, ''Just walk up the street. They have cameras outside, so when they see you they'll open the door if they like the looks of you.'' Very cool.
