And the list goes on! Here are just 11 things I’ve noticed about Spain that are different from the U.S. It’s always funny to learn new aspects about Spanish culture and compare them. Enjoy!
1. Burger King delivers.
2. At school potlucks with Spaniards, they don’t fill up their plates with food. They put one dish on their plate and eat one dish at a time.
3. Also at school potlucks, you can reach over each other to get food and have your elbows on the table and it’s totally ok. Do you hear that mom?
4. In school I learned that “lunch” in Spanish was “almuerzo” or “almorzar.” But in Logroño, that actually refers to the snack between breakfast and lunch. “Lunch” is called “comer,” which in school I learned was only “to eat.” Confused? Yeah me too, but I’ve adjsuted.
5. Eating raw vegetables (i.e. those veggie trays that you dip in ranch dressing) is not a common snack here. The Spaniards prefer cooked vegetables.
6. Peanut butter with fruit or vegetables is also not common. My co-worker and I were eating peanut butter and bananas during break and it became an intercultural experience.
7. Spaniards don’t like hot (pica) food! And what they think is pica is just as hot as ketchup.
8. The trash collectors come around late at night, not early in the morning. Therefore you are only allowed to throw out your trash after 7:30pm because they don’t want it sitting and stinking the whole day. Though it rarely happens you can get a ticket from the police if they see you taking it out before then.
9. Eating in class is strictly prohibited! Even when I drink water from my water bottle (which is also very “American”) I get curious looks from my students.
10. Eating eggs for breakfast? Not really in Spain. I told a student how I eat scrambled eggs for the most important meal of the day and she thought it was “too heavy” for the morning. So…I left out how I normally have 3 pancakes with it…
11. It’s uncommon to pet or play with a dog as it walks by.
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