Basque Hospitality

One night, my friends who were staying with in a different homestay than me invited another friend and me over for paella night at their house. I have had paella before but never like this. Earlier in the week, I had learned that traditional paella is usually only chicken and veggies and that paella with seafood in it is an adaptation for tourists.
 We went to our friends home stay that night at 10 pm and were treated with pitchers of sangria and a beautifully set table. The 7 of us sat down and ate together (the seven being the host mom, her niece, the three that lived there, my friend, and I). I have never had such good paella in my life. It was so flavorful and it was massive.
 
The hostess served us and cleared our plates for us and was constantly asking if we were comfortable. I have never experienced such hospitality in my life. She had even made flan and apple tarts for dessert. I have never liked flan before but hers was delicious. The conversation around the meal was very lively and the host mom was very patient with our Spanish speaking skills. I think this dinner is very representative of the Basque culture and how warm its people are.

Tapas vs. Pintxo

Prior to going to San Sebastian I was under the impression that tapas and pintxos were essentially the same thing with different names. Before the trip I spent a week in Sevilla and had tapas for almost every meal. While sometimes you could pick up a tapa at the counter, most of the time you had to sit and be weighted on. This was very conducive to a fun sit down meal. I also really liked tapas because you could try so many small things and the portions were never overwhelming. Pintxos are very different from this because they are always purchased at the bar and are meant to be purchased one at a time. This was an important lesson because it is what distinguishes the locals from the tourists. Tourists usually get a large plate and fill it with pintxos but the locals get one pintxo and a beverage and move on to the next pintxo bar. Knowing this was very interesting because at one more snooty bar that we went to the waitstaff got mad at my friends and I for refusing the large plate. They seemed angry because it meant that we were going to spend less money in their restaurant.

Here are photos of a pintxo (top) vs.  a tapa (bottom). As you can see, the pintxo is significantly smaller than the tapa and the tapa is not something you could've eaten at a bar with one hand holding a glass of wine. 

Urepel

A few days ago I was out with some friends and we were looking for somewhere to eat dinner. As we were walking, one of our friends was scrolling through Urban Spoon looking for something yummy and affordable when she stumbled upon a restaurant called Urepel. The ratings were amazing and the reviews even better; "This restaurant is on par with any one star Michelin restaurant". Sold. We found our way to the restaurant and realized that we were remarkably underdressed but asked if there was room for the three of us anyways. To our luck a party of three had missed their reservation and we were able to get in. The menu was unique, three courses for 28 euros, wine was included, and you choose your three dishes from a list so it was almost like a set menu but with a little more room for options. For my starter I choose a roasted vegetable medly with a bed of potatoes and a potato cream sauce. It was amazing. I would include photos but unfortunately my phone along with all of my food photos was stolen two days ago. For my entre I choose veal cheeks in a mushroom cream sauce. For dessert I had a caramelized bread pudding. All of the food was delicious
What I loved about this restaurant experience was that despite the fact that we looked like tourists, we were underdressed, and we didn't have a reservation, the waitstaff treated us just like they would any other patron. They were even kind to us when my two friends had to have their entres wrapped up because they both had food poisoning from the previous meal. I would absolutely recommend this restaurant and I have to say, after going to the Michelin star restaurant as a class, I do thing this restaurant is comparable.

These photos are from the Urepel website

www.resturanteurepel.com

Bebiendo Como un Adulto

Una gran diferencia en la cultura de la comida entre España y los estados unidos es que en los estados unidos, la gente beben a emborracharse y en España, la gente beben para socializar. Esta diferencia es muy evidente para mi especialmente porque mis amigos y yo no podemos beber alcohol legalmente en los estados unidos. Entonces, muchos veces cuando mis compañeros beben, ellos beben en exceso. No me gusta la cultura de bebiendo para los jóvenes en los estados unidos pero es muy típica. Pienso que este es porque observé la diferencia. Los jóvenes aquí no usualmente tomar chupitos y ellos pueden beber con comida en restaurantes.

Este es un foto sobre mi amiga y yo bebiendo (responsablemente) con la comida.

¿Puedo tener la cuenta?

Una de los lecciones sobre comiendo en una restaurante que aprendí muy rápido es que siempre necesite pedir para la cuenta. Esta es muy diferente que cuando está comiendo en una restaurante en los estados unidos. Pienso que este es parte de la vida relajada que está en todos los partes de España. Hay cosas buenas y malas sobre esta 'regla' sobre la cuenta. Me gusta la atmósfera relajada, es muy conducente a una comida buena sin estrés. Aunque, es una problema durante los tiempos cuando necesita comer y salir rápidamente.

Este es un foto sobre mi primera comida en España, antes de supiera que siempre necesite pedir a la cuenta.

Una otra cosa que pienso que es muy único a España es que muchos restaurantes, los restaurantes de pinchos especialmente, depende en el sistema de honor. En los restaurantes de pinchos, puede elegir su pincho, tomarlo a su mesa, y pagar después de terminar su comida. Esta nunca pasaría en los estados unidos porque los dueños de negocios nunca tiene confianza en los clientes.