Food in Spain
“Have a bocadillo for me,” said my friend Karla, a member of my Spanish conversation group, when she heard that I was going to visit Spain.
I had no idea what she was referring to but I quickly found out as there were many restaurants in Barcelona that were selling them in the middle of the day. A bocadillo, it turns out, is a Spanish sandwich on a mini-baguette. The contents could be cured ham, or Spanish omelette, or even calamari, for example. Imagine a slightly smaller sandwich from Subway with crustier bread and much less vegetables and you kind of get the picture.
All of the bocadillos I ate, actually, did not taste as good to me as a Subway sandwich. They tended to be rather simple and plain, resulting in this Spanish food icon seeming rather bland with only a few ingredients. They were portable and cheap, though (generally about 3.5-4 euros, or about the cost of a foot-long Subway).
But that would be the only item of food that I found a little disappointing in Spain. Spain, after all, is home to paella and tapas. The former is a rice dish which—in only the most recent generation—often incorporates seafood, and the latter is best described as small entrées, much like appetizers. A person can order a lot of tapas to make a big meal.
I got to enjoy many 3-course gastronomical delights in Spain courtesy of VaughanTown in Valdelavilla, where I volunteered at to help Spaniards practice their English. Photos are below. Some of the foods probably did not originate from Spain, but were delectably satisfying. I would almost return to Spain just for the food alone.
![Katia and delicious paella dishes.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813.jpg)
![Paella in Barcelona.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-001.jpg)
![Gamba in Barcelona.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-002.jpg)
![Wraps at an outdoor market in Barcelona.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/images/f/food_in_spain0813-003.jpg)
![Chicken wings and Greek salad tapas at Caf̩ Fernando in Barcelona.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-004.jpg)
![My breakfast one morning in the Olympic area.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-005.jpg)
![A Spanish omelette bocadillo.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-006.jpg)
![Pita bread and hummus.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-007.jpg)
![More tapas.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-008.jpg)
![Paella with Katia.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-009.jpg)
![Near my hotel in Madrid, I got this d̦ner kebab with fries and beer dinner combo.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-010.jpg)
![Something covered with cheese and sauce.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-011.jpg)
![Chicken and potatoes.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-012.jpg)
![Ice cream](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-013.jpg)
![Russian salad (which was actually conceived by the French under Napolean's rule.)](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-014.jpg)
![Chicken and mixed vegetables.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-015.jpg)
![A fruit dessert.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-016.jpg)
![Soup and bread.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-017.jpg)
![Salad.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-018.jpg)
![I think this was cheesecake?](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-019.jpg)
![Rabbit.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-020.jpg)
![A pear for dessert.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-021.jpg)
![Some sort of seafood cocktail for dessert.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-022.jpg)
![Hard-boiled eggs as an entr̩e.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-023.jpg)
![Green beans, bacon and potatoes.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-024.jpg)
![I forget what this was.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-025.jpg)
![Ham-wrapped yellow asparagus.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-026.jpg)
![Pasta and red bean salad.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-027.jpg)
![Meatballs.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-028.jpg)
![A sweet rice porridge.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-029.jpg)
![Banana (and syrup) for dessert.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-030.jpg)
![Some sort of stew with cheese.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-031.jpg)
![Chicken and mushrooms.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-032.jpg)
![Tuna and vegetables.](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-033.jpg)
![Fish and](https://felixwong.com/gallery/thumbs/f/food_in_spain0813-034.jpg)