When people go to Spain on vacation they have to remember that Spanish food is not Taco Bell! When I first moved to Spain I didn’t know what to expect, but when I got there I was pleasantly surprised. During my time in Spain (2 ½ years) I had everything from rice, pasta, fruits, to my personal favorite, Spanish desserts.

Let me be the first to say that Spanish pastries are some of the best in the world. A typical Spanish food that an American might be familiar with is churros, originally from the Spanish highlands. In Spain they are bigger and better and should be eaten with chocolate. Churros con chocolate (churros and Spanish hot chocolate) should be eaten by dipping the churro in the chocolate. If you should finish your churro you can just sip the remaining chocolate or scoop it out with a spoon. Most cafés offer them, and they are always delicious. In several towns throughout Spain you will find churreros (churro makers), like the ice cream man, selling fresh ones on Sunday mornings.

What kinds of music are you going to hear when you arrive in Spain? ¡Mucho! But just because Enrique Iglesias is from Spain, not Mexico, does not mean that you are listening to real Spanish music. When kids turn on the radio in the states they might hear Shakira singing her popular song la tortura (the torture) along with Spanish Grammy winner Alejandro Sanz, but sorry Enrique and Alejandro, Spanish music is and always will be flamenco, de pura sepa (the best of the best).

There are at least 30 varieties of flamenco in Spain and can be found everywhere, and since Spain invented the guitar the people know their music. The famous Spanish poet Fredrico Garcia Lorca called flamenco one of the greatest inventions of the Spanish people. During my 2 ½ years in Spain I heard flamenco more than anything, and especially in los barrios gitanos (gypsy neighborhoods).