I am sure that no-one will be surprised to know that food has definitely been a central focus of my travels, and while this is not supposed to be a food-blog, food was definitely the highlight of my last couple of days in Sevilla.
On breakfast…
· Hostel breakfasts have become somewhat of an obsession: they are typically CRAP! The European habit of either not eating breakfast (I was told by Greek woman that she starts the day with a coffee and a cigarette!), or starting the day with a pastry or (at best) bread & jam, seems to translate into pretty sparse offerings. The typical spread in this part of the world is white bread, jam, and instant coffee. This is often supplemented with other gastronomic delights like pre-packed croissants (they really are awful – like sweet, very soft bread rolls), nutella, and (if I’m really lucky) cornflakes or chocolate cereal. None of this suits my New Zealand – Australian mentality of “breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and should be nutritionally sound”, so I’ve taken to buying my own yoghurt and muesli.
· In Sevilla, I went to a café near the bus station for a cup of coffee at the bar, and watched what the locals were eating. The standard order seemed to be a café con leche (hot milk, but not frothed like a latte), and a half-roll of white bread, toasted (it looked like nice bread) with a slice of jamon, or sometimes just olive oil or margarine.
· (The inverse of this was staying at bed & breakfasts in Ireland, and being offered the full ‘fry’ each morning… entrée of muesli/yoghurt/fruit/toast and jam, followed by eggs, fried tomatoes, bacon, sausages, black pudding, white pudding!!! (After a few days of this, Bernie and I decided we had to tell our hosts that the muesli, yoghurt, fruit and toast was more than sufficient for our waist-lines!)
On food in general…
· Food has become a way to connect with new people I’ve met… I can quickly determine how well I ‘click’ with someone, based on the speed and enthusiasm with which the conversation inevitably turns to food; what we’ve tried, what we should try, and how to find the best places.
· I have eaten new things (some fantastic, others average). Sometimes the highlight is in the flavours of the food, other times in the experience (shared with others, or the kindness of the restaurant staff).
· I’m keeping a record of the hostels I have stayed in throughout my travels, and the places are scoring extra ‘points’ (I’m not literally scoring, just keeping notes), if the reception staff are able to provide recommendations on places, and foods to eat.
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