CGISGRANADA2015: LA COMIDA EN ESPAÑA

I live with a very talented cook that has done her utmost to have me experience all the different food that Spain, with is extreme diversity of cultures, has to offer.

For part of this blog I interviewed my host mother with eight given questions. I translated what she said to the best of my ability below.

Where do you purchase (food for your house)? Do you prefer going to the supermarket or going to local shops?

She likes to go to both places depending on what she needs at the time. For general things such as milk, rice, and coffee, she likes to go to the supermarket but for fresher stuff like meat, fish, and bread she likes to go somewhere more local.

How many times a week do you go out and purchase food?

In general she will go to the supermarket once a week for all the necessities and go to local places anywhere between 2 and 4 times a week for bread and other fresher items

Have you noticed a rise in the cost of food in recent years?

She says that yes the cost of food has gone up recently and that it is ridiculous. She has noticed a 40% increase almost everywhere whether it be a supermarket or a local shop.

When going to buy food, do you already have an idea of what to buy?

Again she says it depends what she is getting. If she goes to the supermarket she comes with a list of all that she need for the week but if she is just going to a local shop she doesn't really prepare or think about it before hand especially if she is just going to pick up a loaf of bread.

On a normal day, how long does it take to prepare food?

She says it very much depends on the meal. Often she will prepare meals for two or more days at a time. She says in general its takes about two hours to prepare lunch and dinner together.

What is your favorite dish to cook or eat?

She says that in general she enjoys cooking fish and vegetables most. If she had to pick a favorite it would be "boqueromen fritos" which are delicious small fried fish (see picture below)

Who taught you to Cook?

She says she learned completely on her own. Using books and simple trial and error she developed her cooking ability. She told me that her mother doesn't really know how to cook and that she had to start teaching herself at age 22. As a single parent she has worked extremely hard to balance cooking, working, and raising her children.

Do you watch and cooking shows on TV?

She gave as small chuckle and said no.

After asking her the survey questions I continued to talk to her about food and the culture around it. She loves the diversity that exists in Spanish cooking. She values the healthy Mediterranean diet. She doesn't like the food in the United Kingdom and say that all Italian food is the same and boring. She talked to me about the problems of obesity and said (as most mothers would) that the solution is simply developing habits of eating fresh fruit and vegetable and cutting out all of the junk that is around today.

My host mother has served my a wide array of different foods ranging from an egg and potato omelet to calamari. I wish that I had more pictures of the meals that she has prepared me but they are so good that I usually just eat them before I get the chance to take a picture. However, I have included some photos below as examples.