For the love of food!

One thing to note, the Valencians love their food. Which works just fine for me, as it’s a passion I can relate to.

Lunches, I’ve found, are an exercise in itself. Most places offer 2 dishes, bread, dessert and a drink for one low price. My first day at the university cafeteria gave me a shock when I only had to pay 4,75€ for all of this:

And today again, I decided to treat myself to lunch at one of the restaurants on campus and felt very spoilt by the amount of food they gave me. When the waitress asked me what I wanted for my second dish (after just finishing a generous plate of spaghetti bolognese) I was dumbfounded and said that I think I was only to get one dish before dessert. It was only after I left, that I saw the price I paid 7,50€ was for 2 dishes, bread, dessert, drink and coffee!

Even my ‘mama’ gives me loads to eat at dinner. One would think she was trying to fatten me up like Hansel and Gretel but apparently it’s normal here. Despite my initial resistance, she continues to insist on giving me plenty to eat and as she is so lovely, I feel too bad to decline. Thankfully I’ve been walking every day! I have to make a mental note to eat a small lunch in the future (or skip the ‘churros con chocolate’ in the afternoons) 🙂

And dare I say it, whilst the Italians may have invented the pizza, I think the Spanish have perfected it. There are pizza places everywhere and so far, so good!

All I can say is that I’m going to enjoy trying all that the restaurants and cafes have to offer here. I have a feeling though, that my suitcase won’t be the only thing with excess baggage…