¿La Cuenta, Por Favor? At restaurants in Spain, you're never hurried into paying the check. You can sit and chat long after you’ve finished eating, without ever feeling rushed. When you order a drink at the counter, you don’t have to pay until you're finished and ready to leave. Also it's worth noting that food is tax free, and patrons very rarely leave a tip, a fact which makes splitting the bill, well, a piece of tarta.
One of my most relaxing and enjoyable experiences has been having lunch or dinner with friends. Spending quality time chatting and laughing has been so much fun. On a few occassions, my piso-mates and I have spent two to three hours sharing tapas, drinking wine, and getting to know each other.
Tortellini with white walnut sauce, zuchini, & bread
American Music. Imagine if every time you went to a bar, a restaurant, or a class at the gym, you only heard Spanish music. You'd rarely be able to sing along, and you could only fully understand the message of a song if you printed and studied the lyrics. Well, in Spain, American music is nearly always playing, making it difficult for many Spaniards to understand the artist's message. For example, the last Spaniard I got a ride from was blasting Robbie Williams music with absolutely no idea what he was singing about.
Also, many of the songs I hear were popular at least 3 years ago.
To give you a better idea, here are a few songs I've heard in the past week.
-Total Eclipse of the Heart
-Gangsta’s Paradise
-Hungry Eyes
-Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)
-Torn
-The Rhythm of The Night
Keep in mind, I’ve heard most of these more than once.
Cañas: the key to bar-hopping. The beers here are quite small. But apparently, there is pure logic behind these jelly jar-sized brews. They’re perfect for the cultural tradition of bar hopping! If the Madrileños drank an entire bottle of beer at each bar, it would be pretty difficult for them to make it to the eight or ten bars they go to per night.*
Bartenders ensure that customers are not overly intoxicated by serving a tapa, or little snack, with each round of beer. It’s a fun surprise to see which tapa the bartender will choose for you . Surprise! Ham slices!
*I’ve found it pretty difficult to get out of the habit of staying at one bar for an extended period of time. Why should I leave? I just made friends, and It’s cold out!
The first night all four of us went out together.
Theresa, Carly, Kara, and me
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