Restaurant: Sardina

February 23, 2010

I spent the past week in Barcelona trying to focus on improving my Spanish and I definitely think I am making some headway. I have found it is much easier to speak a different language after a couple of drinks because you are less self conscious about whether or not you are saying things correctly. I asked some locals if they felt the same way when attempting to speak English and all of them agreed. I suppose after a drink or five, it just rolls off the tongue.

Although, I made progress this week in regards to language, I still find the culture barrier to be very much present. For instance, on Saturday, my friends and I went to a tapas bar in Barceloneta with a Catalan local.  He suggested we order the menu of the day—chorizo, fried fish, and a glass of wine for eight euros. The chorizo was delicious, as well as the vino, but when the fish was placed in front of us, I was immediately speculative—fried sardines, head and all. 

Normally, I am not a picky eater—not at all but this seemed extremely abnormal to me. Still, I did not want to be rude or fall into the typical American stereotypes, so I ate one. It was absolutely repulsing, but he suggested I try another. After my second or third one I was forced to call it quits, as I began feeling queasy and nauseated. Before leaving, I ordered another glass of wine to reward myself for the effort and then went for a crepe with strawberries and nutella. Now, there’s a food that crosses cultural barriers! I felt a wave of relief as I settled back into my comfort zone with my absolute favorite comfort food—chocolate. Maybe in a couple weeks those little sardines won’t seem so intimidating.