adjustment to spanish time
As I sit here writing this, it’s almost three in the afternoon, and believe it or not, I haven’t had lunch yet… Three months ago, if you would have told me that it would be completely normal to have lunch around three in the afternoon, I wouldn’t have believed you. As someone accustomed to having lunch at 11 a.m. at Phelps, the Spanish schedule is certainly different.
I usually have breakfast around 8 am, lunch around 3 pm, and dinner around 9:30 pm. When I first moved to Spain, the biggest adjustment for me was not having lunch until 3pm…felt the difference between breakfast and lunch so tall! But I’ve fallen into a rhythm of eating breakfast between classes or during my internship. And Spanish people do this too – the students at my internship always have time for a ‘merinda’, which is often a sandwich or pastry.
Sobremesa, which directly translates to “at the table,” is the idea that lunch is not something that is hurriedly served in Spain. Rather, it is expected that people sit together and talk even after everyone has eaten. It’s beautiful and truly one of my favorite cultural experiences. I look forward to it every day.
Especially in southern Spain, it’s common to eat the largest meal of the day at lunchtime, which means I usually eat a light dinner. Not only do I love late-night conversations with my housemates, but in Granada, it’s really easy to meet up with friends to go out for tapas in the evening. Tapas are complimentary, small plates of food (almost like appetizers) that come with your drink. Tapas culture is present in most restaurants, and varies depending on what type of cuisine is served. One of my favorite tapas is carne en salsa, which is a typical Spanish dish!
I really love the way Spanish people gather and live around food. Some of my favorite memories are of laughing at the lunch table with my host family, or sitting in a plaza with friends at 10 pm (the city was still very alive around us) discussing life. As I find myself a month away from the end of my time in Granada, I’m definitely working to savor every moment of Sobremesa – from my host mother’s delicious paella to the laughter that always comes.
Here’s to learning how to stay up late around food (even really late at night)!
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