Submitted by Amanda Bowman on the 2019 summer session program in Granada, Spain sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
There has not been a single food in Spain that I have disliked! My host mother is an incredible cook, and I am constantly amazed by the variety and quality of her dishes. She made garbanzo bean soup and lentil soup, neither of which I would have eaten at home. However, I loved them! Spanish cuisine is rather different than American food, and one of these distinctions is that the ingredients are fresher and less processed. Although the food here seems to be healthier than standard American fare, the Spanish do not shy away from fried foods and carbs (lots and lots of carbs). Bread has been served with all of my meals, except for breakfast, and a lot of foods are fried. Usually, our dinner is something fried, like croquetas or empanadas. Fried potatoes are also a common side dish, though they taste different than in the United States and are usually less salty. This is strange to me because I am used to diet fads and people warning against consuming carbs and fatty foods. Personally, I think that Spanish food has a better flavor, but I do miss having a light salad with my Mom for lunch with plenty of fresh vegetables. In America, I do not eat a lot of rice. It just is not a food that I greatly enjoy and rarely a main part of my meal, but like many other Latin cultures, rice forms the basis for many Spanish dishes, including paella. I love the food in Spain, and I hope to incorporate some new recipes into my cooking when I return home.
The culture around drinking is also quite different from the United States, though I suspect this is much more of a European phenomenon than just Spanish. Since I am only 19, it is illegal for me to drink alcohol in America, but I drank in Canada because it is legal there. Coming to Spain and being able to order a beer without anyone even asking for my ID was a strange experience, and I have still not been asked for any form of identification to buy alcohol. In America, people my age and slightly older tend to use alcohol as a way to get intoxicated, and most people tend to not drink until later at night, but here drinking is a norm. Going out at five pm or later to get a drink and tapas is an integral aspect of the Granada experience, and it is something that I am immensely enjoying. I have noticed people of all legal ages going out to a bar, ordering a drink, and then spending over an hour socializing. I have definitely partaken in this custom, but this is quite uncommon in America. When at a restaurant in the United States, waiters usually want you to eat your food and then leave as soon as possible. If people go over half an hour without ordering anything, waiters will pester the table until someone either orders something else, or leaves. I believe that this is because food servers in the United States almost always make below minimum wage and rely on tips. The more people that they serve, the more tips that they make. This is unnecessary in Spain because waiters are actually paid enough that they do not need to be tipped. This is one of the customs in Spain that I much prefer over the behavior in the United States.
On Tuesday night, the whole group had a flamenco class, and it was so much fun! The instructor told us a little bit about the history of flamenco and how important it is to Spanish culture. Even though I have seen a flamenco show before, I did not realize how complex it actually is. Between the arm/hand motions, foot stomping, facial expressions, and staying on beat, flamenco is truly a full-bodied, all-encompassing dance. The instructor was nice and seemed passionate about her dancing. It was difficult because there were so many people in the class, so when we had to move it was hard to not run into each other. After learning the first part of a Sevillano flamenco, she picked three groups of us to do a final dance, and I was one of the people that she picked! It was nerve-wracking, but overall an extraordinary experience that I would do again.
After class on Wednesday, a group of us wanted to go to the City Hall to watch La Tarasca, but we did not anticipate how difficult it would be to wade through the crowd. As we headed down Calle Puentezuelas and turned onto Calle Recogidas, we realized that to see the procession, we were going to have to fight through the thick crowd of natives and tourists alike. By the time we even got to city hall, most of us had been separated, so I just decided to go with the flow and follow the crowd. My roommate, two friends, and I eventually got to the back of the parade, and after following it for awhile we went further up to see the cabezudos. I really wanted to get hit by one of the balloons, but we could not make it far enough forward for them to reach us. After approximately 45 minutes of following the procession, my roommate and I decided that it was time to head back, and the streets were still crowded with people waiting for the return of the tarasca. It was an interesting parade, although I still do not understand much of its reasoning or symbolism.
Unfortunately, my roommate and I did not get to experience much of Corpus Christi or la Feria (the Fair) . We woke up too late to see the religious procession, but we did walk through the town at approximately 1:00 pm and saw the aftermath of the parade. We got to see a few other events, such as flamenco dancing, games, and inflatables. In that sense, it was similar to some festivities in America. We also went to la Feria, and it was fun! It reminded me a lot of the Delaware State Fair, only larger with more space for socializing, eating, and drinking. I went with a few friends on Friday, and although it was a difficult adventure getting to the fair, we had a good time dancing to lively Spanish music and seeing the sights. If we would have gone at night, it would probably have been more fun, but we did not want to be trapped by the crowds.
