My Diet

So before coming to Spain I had taken a food ethics course with my number 1 dude Joe Campisi. In addition to Joe telling us funny stories about Canada, his children, and stomping squirrels, we learned some pretty scary things about the food industry and its health implications. Also, my sister works on an organic farm and I have yet to find someone more passionate about agriculture, so needless to say I was being bombarded with food info at all times and I was having trouble finding something to eat at Marist that didn´t send me into a guilt spiral about where it came from, what was in it, or what person in a 3rd world country I was oppressing by stopping by the Caberet. I had just came off of an unsuccessful attempt a vegetarianism- apparently you CAN´T replace all your proteins with cheese and complex carbs and maintain an energy level appropriate for college life.

So I was not eating a whole lot of things - I was drinking tons of iced tea and water and grazing here or there. When I returned home, I laid a few no meat ground rules for my family. No pork. Only occasional red meat. And no Tyson chicken. Random rules but hey it helped me sleep at night. I ate veg when I could but I was just happy to have 3 meals a day that were not furnished by Sodexho.

Enter Spain and Paquita. I know a lot of very dedicated vegans and vegetarians but I challenge you to do it and not starve . There´s a museum of ham here. Nuf´said. Meat, eggs, dairy are abound and especially at our house.

A typical day of food for Paquita and I

Breakfast

Coffee
Orange Juice
( I call it my morning acid cocktail)
Galletas ( breakfast crackers for dunking)
Muffin

Lunch - the big one

Salad
Soup of some kind ( vegetables and oil or a creamy vegetable puree)
MEAT - fried chicken, veal, and sometimes fish
Bread
Fruit for dessert

Dinner

Could be leftovers from lunch but....
3 times this week Paquita and I have split a huge plate of cured meats and sheeps cheese. Or a big plate of fried things - like croquettes or hot dogs. With bread. And sometimes beer. Or toast with paté.

My friends joke with me " What plate of cholesterol did you and Paquita share tonight?"
I have no idea where any of the meat or cheese come from( but sometimes her parents send us salchinchon and chorizo- which are DELICIOUS on a pizza) and I don´t know that this pig had a happy life, but I imagine things aren´t too stressful for pigs in Spain ( wake up, wallow, oink, eat, siesta, repeat). All I know is that Paquita gives me lots of credit for cleaning my plate and not having any dietary restictions. Apparently some girls come to her house and only eat pasta. No bueno.

So I don´t know if I am exactly eating ethically but I am eating very well. Everyday I get my recommended daily allowance of fat, sodium, dairy, and caffeine. Maybe my food pyramid isn´t stucturally sound in my east-coast, pseudo hippie, crunchy liberal way but I´m happy, I sleep really well, and I´ve lost weight since I arrive. Sorry Joe and all my much more dedicated foodies but at least for now I am a devoteé of the Paquita Pyramid. ( Am I making it clear how much I like my señora?)

Also, in adjusting to the new eating schedule ( breakfast 9am lunch 3 pm dinner 9pm) my amigas americanas and I often have to stop for a little snack. It is the most un-Spanish thing ever to eat in public but we´ve been known to stand on Calle Zamora eating some type of shame filled pastry. The guy at the bakery knows us. So does the lady at the ice cream shop.

Empanada con manzana: 1,20€
Tiramisu ice cream: 1,50€
Knowingly fulfilling harmless stereotypes: priceless

We watched a movie last night about the famous Spanish artist Lola Flores. Here´s a link to one of her performances. Tonight I am going to the Salamanca short film festival. YAY! Will report back. I love that you are reading this. Hopefully you like it :-)

Love,

Emily