We've been adjusting slowly but surely to Spanish time.
Okay, who am I kidding. . . we are still struggling a bit with adjusting to late nights (Spanish time) combined with early mornings (American time).
And by "we," I mean my husband and me. The kids are usually still in bed when we leave the hotel to go run our 1001 errands for the day in order to get through the mountain of paperwork required to work, rent a house, rent a car, etc. in Spain. There is still one more week until the youngest starts school, and the oldest will not start college again until September.
Spanish eating hours:
Breakfast (desayuno)---our experience (so far) has been most restaurants are open for breakfast from about 8 am until 10 am. Some are open for a light meal until noon-ish. Breakfast is typically coffee and a pastry, or a crusty baguette with Spanish ham, with maybe some fruit and/or juice.
Lunch (almuerzo)---lunch is served from 2-4 pm, and this time period also includes siesta. Lunch is the largest meal of the day. Restaurants serve several options in this area for lunch, and many businesses and offices are closed during this time (including some on the military base---remember, it's a Spanish base, after all). This meal is the equivalent of what we Southerners would call "Sunday dinner."
Dinner/Supper (cena)---typically starts at 8:30-10:30 pm, and can last well past midnight. Yep, you read that right. It's much lighter than lunch.
So how do we reconcile the eating hours and the sun staying up until 9:30 pm with our own internal clocks, circadian rhythms, and habits?
Well. . . we don't. Unfortunately, I work American hours and live in Spain.
And that is the quandary of trying to bridge two cultures that seem to have no compromise, at least when it comes to planning mealtimes.
Most Spaniards go to work around 10 am, so if they get up around 8 am, they have plenty of time for a Spanish breakfast. Our hotel does cater to Americans somewhat, but I will still miss breakfast since I have to be at work around 7-freakin'-thirty a.m.
Lunch at my work is around noon-one pm, and we get out of work right in the middle of lunch/siesta. This means good luck trying to get anything done in town until after 4 pm. It also means that I won't ever be able to eat lunch at local restaurants---plus there needs to be an hour, minimum, to eat in any Spanish restaurant because the whole meal experience is much slower and relaxed.
Then businesses open up around 4 pm and Spaniards go back to work, sometimes until as late as 8 pm. Can you imagine working 10 am until 8 pm, even if you do get a large break (2+ hours) in the middle of the day? Because school also starts around 10 am for Spanish kids, they can still easily get at least 8-9 hours of sleep with the late meal and late bedtime schedule.
For us, not going out to eat until 9 pm or later is really difficult. From the time we had kids, we have had a nighttime meal schedule that's very early in Spain time. We might as well throw any semblance of our old schedule out the window, at least for now, because we are getting to bed much later as a result of staying out much later for supper. Once I go back to work on American time, I'll be running on 5-6 hours of sleep if I continue as I'm doing now, and missing my now-daily siesta as a result of American work time. (Why can't America have a siesta time? I love naps, and I LOVE siesta time).
When we finally find a house and get our household goods (another long story for another day), I imagine supper will be closer to what we eat in the States. However, for now, at least, we are at the mercy of the Spanish culture.
What's the plus side of meals in Spain? There are several:
You don't race through meals here because service is slow. Most restaurants don't cook your meal until you order it. A lifetime of being a teacher with a 30 minute break to check email, call parents, GO TO THE BATHROOM, and oh yeah, eat lunch, has made me shovel my food very ungracefully every time I sit at a table, and I have to really pay attention when I'm out for a meal. It's a horrible habit and one most teachers will tell you that we don't realize we have.
Another plus is you have to ask for the bill when you're ready to pay because you are expected to take your time and savor your meal instead of rushing through it. It is considered rude for a waiter to hover over your table, asking for your order or asking if you need anything else. You just call the waiter to you and ask for what you want. This includes ordering, drink refills, and the final bill. Unlike the U.S., it's not rude to call a waiter over to you several times during the meal. And unlike waiters in the U.S., Spanish waiters don't act perturbed as you are calling them to your table for the 10th time in one meal. That's why they are there---to wait on you, but only when you are ready.
Also this plus: waiters are paid a salary, so they are not rushed to get you out of a coveted seat so they can make more tips on their shifts. Tips are appreciated but definitely not expected. It's a totally different mindset and one that's found in many European countries.
As one Spaniard told me, most people are exhausted after coming home from work at 8 pm, and after homework with kids, etc., they don't feel like cooking. Instead, it's not unusual for families to spend most dinners in a restaurant. Instead of getting in a car and driving, many people choose restaurants within a couple of miles and make walking to and from a restaurant as part of their nightly routine. Maybe this is one reason you don't seem to see as many obese Spaniards as Americans.
Trying to reconcile our US hours with our new Spanish meal schedule is going to be a challenge, and one I feel is going to be a work-in-progress for a long, long time. In the meanwhile, we are having fun, trying every thing from paella to Chinese food to tapas, and are amused at the weird looks we get often when we are the very first customers to sit down for our nightly meal---at the ridiculously early Spanish time of 8:30 pm.
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| Sundown, finally, at 9:35 pm |
And by "we," I mean my husband and me. The kids are usually still in bed when we leave the hotel to go run our 1001 errands for the day in order to get through the mountain of paperwork required to work, rent a house, rent a car, etc. in Spain. There is still one more week until the youngest starts school, and the oldest will not start college again until September.
Spanish eating hours:
Breakfast (desayuno)---our experience (so far) has been most restaurants are open for breakfast from about 8 am until 10 am. Some are open for a light meal until noon-ish. Breakfast is typically coffee and a pastry, or a crusty baguette with Spanish ham, with maybe some fruit and/or juice.
Lunch (almuerzo)---lunch is served from 2-4 pm, and this time period also includes siesta. Lunch is the largest meal of the day. Restaurants serve several options in this area for lunch, and many businesses and offices are closed during this time (including some on the military base---remember, it's a Spanish base, after all). This meal is the equivalent of what we Southerners would call "Sunday dinner."
 |
| seafood paella and Cruz Campo beer---yum! |
So how do we reconcile the eating hours and the sun staying up until 9:30 pm with our own internal clocks, circadian rhythms, and habits?
Well. . . we don't. Unfortunately, I work American hours and live in Spain.
And that is the quandary of trying to bridge two cultures that seem to have no compromise, at least when it comes to planning mealtimes.
Most Spaniards go to work around 10 am, so if they get up around 8 am, they have plenty of time for a Spanish breakfast. Our hotel does cater to Americans somewhat, but I will still miss breakfast since I have to be at work around 7-freakin'-thirty a.m.
Lunch at my work is around noon-one pm, and we get out of work right in the middle of lunch/siesta. This means good luck trying to get anything done in town until after 4 pm. It also means that I won't ever be able to eat lunch at local restaurants---plus there needs to be an hour, minimum, to eat in any Spanish restaurant because the whole meal experience is much slower and relaxed.
 |
| menu at Los Pinos, our favorite tapas bar Tapas are a great way to help bridge the gap between an American noon lunch and a Spanish 9 pm dinner |
For us, not going out to eat until 9 pm or later is really difficult. From the time we had kids, we have had a nighttime meal schedule that's very early in Spain time. We might as well throw any semblance of our old schedule out the window, at least for now, because we are getting to bed much later as a result of staying out much later for supper. Once I go back to work on American time, I'll be running on 5-6 hours of sleep if I continue as I'm doing now, and missing my now-daily siesta as a result of American work time. (Why can't America have a siesta time? I love naps, and I LOVE siesta time).
When we finally find a house and get our household goods (another long story for another day), I imagine supper will be closer to what we eat in the States. However, for now, at least, we are at the mercy of the Spanish culture.
What's the plus side of meals in Spain? There are several:
You don't race through meals here because service is slow. Most restaurants don't cook your meal until you order it. A lifetime of being a teacher with a 30 minute break to check email, call parents, GO TO THE BATHROOM, and oh yeah, eat lunch, has made me shovel my food very ungracefully every time I sit at a table, and I have to really pay attention when I'm out for a meal. It's a horrible habit and one most teachers will tell you that we don't realize we have.
Another plus is you have to ask for the bill when you're ready to pay because you are expected to take your time and savor your meal instead of rushing through it. It is considered rude for a waiter to hover over your table, asking for your order or asking if you need anything else. You just call the waiter to you and ask for what you want. This includes ordering, drink refills, and the final bill. Unlike the U.S., it's not rude to call a waiter over to you several times during the meal. And unlike waiters in the U.S., Spanish waiters don't act perturbed as you are calling them to your table for the 10th time in one meal. That's why they are there---to wait on you, but only when you are ready.
Also this plus: waiters are paid a salary, so they are not rushed to get you out of a coveted seat so they can make more tips on their shifts. Tips are appreciated but definitely not expected. It's a totally different mindset and one that's found in many European countries.
 |
| 8 pm---yes, really---in Rota Why eat when you can still enjoy the beach at that time? |
Trying to reconcile our US hours with our new Spanish meal schedule is going to be a challenge, and one I feel is going to be a work-in-progress for a long, long time. In the meanwhile, we are having fun, trying every thing from paella to Chinese food to tapas, and are amused at the weird looks we get often when we are the very first customers to sit down for our nightly meal---at the ridiculously early Spanish time of 8:30 pm.
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