Gastronomic Adventures

One of the hardest aspects in terms of adjusting to life here in Spain so far can be found in the residence hall's cafeteria. What I wouldn't give for a Subway black forest ham and turkey (there is a Subway in downtown Madrid, but on any given day who's going to be crazy enough to take the 30 minute or so metro ride to el Centro to find a Subway?).

The worst meal so far? Easily Tuesday's lunch: pig ear stew.

I'm not joking. You could see the shriveled up ears floating in this red sauce next to some vegetables. Needless to say, I took a pass on that and simply ate the green beans.

However, even the vegetables here are hard to become accustomed to; everything is doused in oil. Almost everything. And white bread is served with every single meal. For those of you who know me well, I'm a bit of a health nut (minus my sugar addiction, but who doesn't have vices?) and I really only eat wheat bread.

After about three days of an apple and a few bites of yogurt for breakfast and only veggies and water for dinner and lunch, even I broke down and had one of their white bread mini loafs. The one's served at our cafeteria are about five inches long and three inches thick at the widest part, shaped somewhat like a football. I've seen some of the madrileños take and eat two at a single meal. 

From fish with their heads still on and their eyes gaping blankly up at you, to greasy beef, a white bean stew that was actually okay if one avoided the unidentifiable meat floating in it, to fried rings that you would think were onion rings but that are actually filled with squid-- well, let's just say it's been interesting. 

And I've been so hungry. 

Luckily there've been a few meals that weren't too bad: a rice and seafood dish for lunch (I avoided anything that I couldn't name) with  sauteed bell peppers and zucchini (very good) and a dinner consisted of chicken wings, peas, and salad. 

Suffice it to say, I miss having a microwave, a fridge, and the option of such staples as sandwiches and chicken soups. Although my roommate spat out what she thought was some kind of a tentacle at yesterday's 2pm luncheon, today's was pasta that tasted incredibly similar to Beefaroni with a side of white fish. 

Also, because I'm a planner I brought 2 boxes of Kashi granola bars with me, which I've rationed to one per day just in case the cafeteria doesn't serve anything edible. My mom and dad are sending me a care package with another box but it could be quite awhile before that gets here. 

The count? 8 granola bars remaining.