"Why?" you might ask. "Money can buy you fun things like ice cream and love" you might say. To those of you who live by this motto, who's pockets have been marred by holes scorched by monies come and gone, let me explain.
During the summer, I work in a sorghum field...in the Texas heat...all day. This means that I sell a little piece of my soul, everyday, for money. Accordingly, every time I spend even a single dollar I think of exactly how much of my soul it took to make said dollar. Then, I begin to re-experience the utter pain of the sorghum fields. My mouth gets dry, I feel beads of sweat trickle down my neck, my arms begin to shake, and I kid you not, I think I become a bit more tan.
Because of this intense aversion to spending money, I was dreading coming to Europe because of the prices. However, upon reaching Seville, Spain I was pleasantly surprised. Everything here is so cheap!
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| The Cathedral in Seville |
In Seville, you and a friend can have an enormous meal including three kinds of tapas, bread, and two glasses of wine (or the local favorite Tinto Verano, a drink much like sangria) for under 5 euros a person! The other day I bought a skirt for two euros! On a sunday morning, you can find a delicious pastry for a single euro!
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| Deliciously cheap pastry! |
Speaking of food, I feel like I should say that it's great! Despite the fact that it is cheap, the food here is delicious and picky-eater-friendly (not that I'm a picky-eater, like a goat i'll eat anything).
Generally speaking the spanish diet consists of ham, spanish tortillas (potato omelets), stewed meats (my favorites being Carne con tomate and solomillo), sandwiches, and french fries. We literally eat french fries with every meal! (Don't worry I joined a gym)
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| Braised Ribs and the ever-present potatoes |
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| Three cheese Solomillo |
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| Carne con Tomate (It doesn't usually have cheese) |
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| Tortilla |
A couple of warnings however:
1) Spicy food does not exist in Spain...at all. When I asked where I could find some jalepenos, my house mother informed me that jalepenos are inedible because they cause severe damage to the body...
2) They don't drink water here... Perhaps a cup a day. When I asked my house mother (who I adore!) about this. She explained that water will make you sick if you drink it when it is hot outside, so instead you should just drink beer.
3) Don't try to find American foods here because often they don't quite hit the mark. Cake is a great example of this. Cake here looks delicious until it crumbles like sand. I guess if you get really desperate you could go to McDonalds, but it's super expensive here (8 Euros for a burger). Truth be told, the food is great here so you shouldn't waste your time or money trying to find American cuisine!
4) Always read translated menus...they are hilarious.
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| dang...look at that girl |
