A few tips on blending in

I'm American, proudly so, cue the patriotic music. I can buy as many clothes as possible from Zara (believe me, I try), eat and drink like a local, even use some choice phrases in Spanish, but chances are I'll be recognized as an American when I'm out. And most of the time, I'm perfectly fine with that. 

There are times though that I want to blend in a little more, especially if I'm in a crowded place or by myself, or both. Honestly, I've never had an issue while living here, never felt unsafe, and have only once been hassled for being an American (in Granada, and admittedly the woman was belligerently drunk). I guess part of my desire to blend in is that I don't like sticking out like a sore thumb. Safe or not, it can just be awkward.

 Some things can't be helped. Graham's ginger status means that pretty much the only places he could be mistaken for a local are Ireland or Great Britain. I'm a little better off, with dark hair and eyes, which are very common in Andalucia, and being short (for an American, happily average here). Of course, those things only get me so far, the jig is up the moment I start talking. 

Besides the obvious (ditching the American flag t-shirt or any t-shirt, really) there a few things that help when trying to blend in, like earlier today when I went to the Rota market to walk around. In the crowd, surrounded by cries of ¡todo a 7 euro! and ¡ole ole ole que barato vendo!, here are a few things to remember:

$32 at Carrefour

 After this little post about a quick trip to our local fruteria, I thought it would be fun to share another shopping trip. Maybe my version of "fun" is a little weird, but I really do find food shopping and costs fascinating. 

Tonight we ran out to Carrefour, which is like our version of WalMart, except that it's actually a French company and not nearly as crappy (sorry, WalMart, I don't miss you). Carrefour is all over España and has just about everything - clothes, kitchen stuff, toys, electronics, books, plants, and a grocery section that has an impressive selection of fresh produce, seafood, cheese, meats, and Spanish wines. 

Here's what we picked up for €24 or about $32:

-bag of spinach

-big bag of juice oranges

-2 dozen eggs

-2 containers of strawberries

-2 bottles of cava

-5 vine ripened tomatoes

-large wedge of parmesan cheese

I should probably point out that this is not a typical shopping trip for us - 24 eggs?! But we're hosting a Fat Tuesday Brinner (breakfast for dinner) at our casa tomorrow night and needed supplies, along with a couple things for pasta tonight.

Cava - yum! Looking forward to some mimosas mañana. 

The official tally. 

Our big budget item - imported cheese for €6 or about $8. Seems spendy, but at the commissary (the grocery store on base) that would have cost us almost $14. And you know how I feel about cheese, so I consider that $8 well spent.

The great thing is that other than the Italian cheese, everything came from España. Pretty impressive for $32, right?

$4 at the frutería

In keeping up with posting more about daily life...

Last night Graham and I stopped by our neighborhood frutería to pick up some produce. A frutería is like a corner store that specializes in fresh fruits and vegetables. They often have eggs, loaves of bread, olive oil, and other essentials. Ours even has a little freezer of meat and some canned goods. Almost every neighborhood has its own frutería, there was one close to our last casa too, so there's always one within walking or biking distance.

The selection of produce changes with the seasons and normally reflects what is currently being harvested locally, so you have to stay flexible with your shopping list. Here's what we picked up:

Almost a kilo of tomatoes (2 pounds).

For salads and homemade pizza. I like that they're a little dirty, seems more natural.

2 large squash, a half kilo, called "tapines".

I'm planning to add them to a veggie soup later in the week. 

And a "kaki" or persimmon.

They are in season and it makes a good snack or healthy dessert.

A typical impulse buy at the frutería.

The total cost was €2.80 (pocket change here, where 2 coins can equal €4). That's about $3.75 at the current exchange rate. Seems pretty good...I don't think I could pick up this much fresh, local produce in the States for the same price.

I find markets and how people shop for food in different countries pretty fascinating, and I wanted to share, in case you do too. Or on the off chance that you were wondering how far $4 will get you in España....you can buy all of this. Or a couple of cervezas instead, if that's more your thing.

Nuevo Subway?

by Meghann

Yesterday, I went to Jerez de la Frontera (a larger city to the north of Puerto) with a new amigo, E. Jerez is about 15 miles away and quick Mini-trip (E. has one too, just like all the cool kids.) I haven't braved driving any farther than base yet, plus we only have uno vehicle at this point, so Graham and I have been doing most of our errands together.


This was a good ol' fashioned girls-only shopping trip though, since Graham was working and E's husband is back in the US (insert some comment about typical Navy wives here). The great thing about going to the mall is that it is pretty much the same in most of the countries that I have spent some tiempo (and money) in. We checked out shoes, there were summer sales, new fall clothes were in, I bought some make-up at Sephora. The only noticeable differences were having to calculate the euro-to-dollar exchange and the fact that my chatter with sales people is limited to "gracias" "vale" and "buenos dias."

Of course, after all that strolling and witty banter, we needed some comida. We discussed our options, and decided to hit 100 Montaditos in the food court. A "montadito" is a small sandwich, and true to the nombre, there are 100 on the menu, ranging from $1.50 to $3 a piece. (Wasn't it nice of me to do the exchange rate for you?) We picked out 7 to share, including a 4 queso (couldn't resist it!), salmon and brie, and barbecue with guacamole. The montaditos came with potato chips, but we also ordered french fries, which included 4 different dipping sauces, and a plate of olives. I'm not saying this meal wins any awards in the nutrition department (the sodium content may be the reason that we had to buy bottles of water when we hit Ikea after lunch), but it was quick, satisfying, and much more of a "real" meal than what's offered at the typical fast food place.

So, it was a bit of coincidence when I got home and another friend here in Spain had posted an article (you can read it here) about 100 Montaditos' plan to expand in the US (they already have locations in Miami). 100 Montaditos franchises are more of a "fast casual" restaurant (like the ever-so delicioso Chipotle) and I loved being able to eat several small sandwiches instead of committing to a single selection. Side note: My food commitment issues may be why I have so much amor for tapas. Why have one dinner when you can have multiple ones? Am I the only one that has trouble deciding on one entree? And what do you think Freud would have to say about that? Moving on...

What's your opinion? Do you think 100 Montaditos can rival that New World favorite, Subway? Can pequeno Spanish sandwiches take down the $5 dolla (make you holla?) foot long? Did you just get that ridiculous jingle stuck in your head?

vs.

Did I mention they serve cerveza? 100 Montaditos for the win!