El Menjar Espanyol

La Comida Española

Spanish Food

So since I've been here I've been trying to take photos of the meals I eat.  Some seem more strange and outlandish than others but so far I haven't had anything that I really dislike.  My host mom, Gema, is an amazing cook and plans on teaching me to make some of my favourite dishes.  I should write a few things about meals in general in Spain.  Breakfast is consumed upon arising, it usually only consists of some coffee or tea and some cookies or a muffin.  If I tried to eat bacon and eggs with toast here they'd think I'm crazy.  Later, after school, lunch is eaten at around 3 in the afternoon and is the largest meal of the day when the whole family gets together.  On weekends it can be eaten later in the day.  Supper is served between 9:30 and 12 and is about the size of a small American lunch.

Here's some photos. I'll put captions by the things that are noteworthy and that I remember.  Make sure to post if you have any questions!  (Note:  if you don't look closely some of the photos look the same because the table is set the same everyday.)  Click on the photos to enlarge them!

Spanish chorizo (we have about 6 million different kinds here) with olives and Gazpacho, a tomato based soup, served ice cold .

Pasta, croquetas, and gazpacho out of the carton.

Spanish meats, salad with oil and vinegar and bread.  Bread is served at every meal here in Spain.  Many say they wouldn't want to sit down to eat without it.

Shrimp, fish, and mussels.

Lasagna kind of thing.  See picture below. 

"Egg Sandwiches" are a common breakfast food at my home in the US.  Though absolutely no one eats eggs for breakfast here.  I decided to make a Spanish version of my favourite sandwich for supper.

An awesome lunch with all kinds of sausage, bacon, eggs, and potatoes.

Purée Veggies with some slices of meat.

Pollo!

Pork chop stuffed with ham and cheese and breaded to perfection with mushrooms.

My favourite meal so far.  The stuff in the bowl on the right is a kind of tomato purée and you put it on the toasted bread and then put some of the meat on top and eat it.  The meat is called Jamón Serrano and is by far the most famous of Spanish meats.  I'll put more information below.

Jamón Serrano is not cooked, it's cured.  It usually comes right on the leg and cut off when needed at home (see below) but you can also buy it in packages. There's actually an art to cutting the ham off the leg and buying Jamon Serrano can cost anywhere from 30€ ($40) to 300€ ($405) easily.  

Thanks for reading.  Let me know if you have any questions and if you enjoyed this post I can post more photos of food with explanations in the future.

Pax & Bonum,

Sean

El Meu Anniversari

Mi Cumpleaños
My Birthday
So Monday, October 7, was my 17th birthday!  We went to Alicante (the capital of my province) to do some paperwork and met up later with Gema's parents.  Her dad happens to have the same birthday as mine so we went out to lunch and later went to a mall there.  Later we came back and Ángel had bought me a cake.  For my birthday Gema gave me the nicest gift ever!  She gave me a silver "Caravaca" crucifix.  It takes its name from the city in Spain where the original has worked miracles for years.  He's a short story of how it became famous:  

The original.  Shows how it reacts when light is passed over it.

In the year 1231, when Caravaca figured prominently in the siege to the kingdom of Granada, the Moorish monarch Ceyt Abuceyt accompanied by all his court commanded the priest Father Gines Perez Chirinos to demonstrate his ecclesiastical activity. Just before the celebration of Mass, the priest realized that he forgot to ask for 

The Power of the Cross of Caravaca is in its original meaning and foremost representative of a religious value which was the starting point maintainer of other values. Without the religious symbolism, the Cross had not had the importance and character development in its history. Secular symbols usually do not cause the same force as religious symbols, which are the meeting place of a transcendent reality and other material.Caravaca Cross is the symbol of a city, protects and gives strength to all his people, is a deep feeling that are all caravaqueños in his heart, also reaches deep in the heart of the pilgrims who come to the Sanctuary visit. For almost eight centuries the pilgrims worship, was guarded by the Knights Templar and later by the Order of Santiago. Cross also has other connotations and considered. The set of historical experiences and experiences of identity that has accumulated over time, has given a burden and emotional function, representative and starred in the local community and many people outside.This appearance of the Cross is remembered by the people caravaqueño each year in acts that constitute a real festive tradition supported by a legend with historical foundation, recalled from the Middle Ages. Indeed, the May festivities in honor of the Blessed and Vera Cruz are a perfect combination of color, culture, religion and entertainment in which all citizens participate unconditionally, inviting visitors to share the celebrations. More than just a holiday, the Moors and Christians of Caravaca is a cult of the past, a tribute to its history.

a crucifix which was an essential object to be placed on the altar. Having prayed to God for help, to the surprise of all present, there was the miraculous appearance of the double-arm cross, brought by two angels. This amazing apparition brought about the conversion of the Moorish king to Christianity.

I have a large gold-coloured one hanging in my room so she thought I would like to have hers, and I love it!
The cake we had was delicious, though it could probably give you several life-threatening illnesses while eating it!  All in all, I missed all of you a lot and was saddened by not seeing loved ones on my birthday but will never forget my 17th here in Spain.

Some photos:

Mi tarta

On the left the one that hangs on the wall, and on the right the silver one Gema gave me.

Pax & Bonum,
Sean

A les Montanyes amb les Scouts

A las Montañas con los Scouts

To the Mountains with the Scouts

I went on a hike in the mountains for a few hours today and wanted to share some photos!  I went with my Scout group.

This is where we were going to start.  "La Cruz" on the top of the hill

So many pictures of views!

The kind of trail upon which we were walking

You can see how close the trail is to the edge of the cliff!

¡Altea!

Me striking a particularly B.A. pose if I do say so myself

Info desk

Sign at the bottom of the mountain

As always, thanks for taking the time out of your day for reading.  I really appreciate all of your support.
Pax & Bonum,
Sean