This segment is about culture with a small "c" emphasizing customs concerning food and meals.
Cultural items- Sometimes travelers are upset that there is no butter with their bread or that someone is sitting forever at the sidewalk café, long after they are done with their snack or meal. These observations reflect lack of understanding of the Spanish culture, and although cultures are blending and becoming more global and international, there still are some differences.
A Spanish breakfast is simply bread, toast, or roll with marmalade. Drink is usually either hot chocolate or coffee with milk. OJ, bacon, sausage, etc. would be served in a hotel that caters to more international taste. Churros are another breakfast item often eaten on the weekend although there are cafes that serve this stick-like pastries daily with a very chocolately hot chocolate. Almost liquid fudge.
The “noon” meal is served between 2 and 3. Many stores close during the siesta to accommodate that tradition. This is the main meal of the day, which consists of three courses plus a dessert of fruit or cheese. Ice cream or cake is a special treat although it’s easy to buy ice cream on the street. Coffee is served at the end. Bottled water is often served, but there is no problem with the drinking water.
Eating on the street traditionally is for children only. Drinking soda and eating ice cream may be done in parks but appears out of place for adults in the city, who are usually dressed in city attire. City attire means long slacks, leather shoes, polo or dress shirt rather than baggy or short shorts, tennis/sports shoes and t-shirt. Although as the world becomes smaller, some Spaniards have adopted these heretofore foreign customs, i.e., eating on the street and wearing casual city dress.
The menu del día will be posted at a restaurant. This is today’s special which is usually a good value. It’s a three or four course meal, often with several choices for each course, all for a fixed price. It usually included bread and wine or mineral water. It does not include coffee, butter or soft drinks.
The evening meal is eaten between 10 and 11 pm. Unless one goes out for dinner, it is usually a lighter meal of huevos (fritos o tortilla) or leftovers.
At the restaurant or café, the customer has the right to stay until he is ready to leave. Then he asks for the bill. If there are many people waiting, that doesn’t interfere with the customer’s privilege. The waiter will give you the bill when you ask for it…not before.
Spain History :
Spain is a country that is rich in history and has been influenced by many cultural groups, which makes this country an amazing and fascinating place. Spain has some of the oldest cultural groups in Europe. The Basque people of the region that is named for them (Basque country) have a language that is said to be one of the oldest in Europe. Their language Euskara has been compared to other European languages and non common origins have been found.
Spain is unique in that it has been a mixing pot for cultures for thousands of years. First the Iberians from the south came, followed by the Celts, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, Romans, and the Moors. Today you see the remnants of many of these cultures in every parts of Spanish life. From the Spanish language itself, to the architecture Spain shows its history. Most notably is the Spanish language which is a Romantic language that has been influenced in many ways by the Arab influence of the Moors. Words and phrases still make reference to the Moorish time period of 711-1492.
When the country of France was able to push the Moorish invasion from their borders thanks to Charlemagne, the Spanish were not. For over 700 years the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula. During this time there was a constant struggle for power and control and eventually the Moors were pushed into what is now Andalucía. This time was called the Reconquest and took hundreds of years to accomplish, for example Cordoba fell in 1236, but it was not until 1492 that Granada fell. Today this is most notable in the architecture. In the Northern areas of Spain you see influence from the Romans and very little in the way of the Arab influence. When you travel farther south you begin to see more signs of the Arab influence in cathedrals, baths, etc. Granada is the best example of this influence with its centerpiece of the Alhambra.
Spain was a peninsula of many smaller kingdoms in the years before 1492. It was with the marriage between Isabel I of Castile and Fernando II of Aragon in 1469 that essentially united Spain. Called the Catholic Monarchs their goal was to bring the entire country under the Catholic religion. In 1492 they accomplished their goal by conquering the last Moorish kingdom, Granada. It is in Granada today that you will find the burial place of the monarchs that in many ways changed the world. Shortly after the January conquering, the Monarchs sponsored Christopher Columbus in his quest to find a route to the orient by traveling west. Later that year Columbus found the new world.
France, located on the western parts of Europe, is the land of culture, fashion, food and fun. Sharing its borders with Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Monaco, Belgium, Luxemburg, Andorra and Spain, France covers a land area of 211,209 sq. miles. Some of the important cities of France are Marseille, Paris, Lyon, Nice, Bordeaux, Nantes and Strasbourg. The Republic of France also includes the colonies of French Guiana, Martinique, Guadeloupe and Reunion. The geographical co-ordinates of continental or metropolitan France is 46° 00 North latitude and 2° 00 east longitude.
