Eating and drinking out in rural Spain

​Eating out in Spain is as much about the food as it is about socialising. The overall atmosphere of the place will vary depending on the clientele, the day of the week and the time of the day.

With its customers nearly all regulars, a bar-restaurante in a rural area will inevitably be a place where everybody knows your name and you are greeted with a smile.
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In villages, where the waiters and the clients practically grow up together, mutually enquiring after someone’s ailing parent, the progress of a pregnancy, or the whereabouts of children and grandchildren, will be very common. 

Early morning breakfast (desayuno), the one taken at a crack of dawn by the working men, is a quick job, and a time to exchange a few niceties with the waiter and anyone else you know. 

A couple of churros (deep fried batter in long sticks - usually dipped in coffee, but sometimes chocolate), a café con leche (coffee with milk), a quick puff in the street, and they are good to go.
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With huge TV screens on walls, they will be informed of the latest events in the political arena, quickly form their opinion on the subject and never run out of things to talk about that day.

​The mess the Spanish will leave on the bar floor is a shock to all foreigners. Toothpicks, sugar sachets and crumpled up servillettes everywhere. And the day has only just begun.

​This lot (comprised of men in their working clothes) is then replaced by their female counterparts. After dropping the (grand)children off at school, stopping at the street market and buying groceries, the ladies will meet for a lively chat at the local bar or churrería.

They will take their time and dissect every possible topic. Don’t feel bad if you call it gossip. It’s a mixture of facts and made-up details, of genuine interest, natural curiosity and good old envy, all blending together and satisfying their craving for a little excitement. There are giggles, loud name-calling, literal and not, but all in good humour. Around 11 o’clock, this crowd will disperse (time to start lunch), only to reunite again the next morning.

​​At midday, the men in their overalls are back. Electricians, plumbers and other working men will take a break and head to the bar. It’s time for almuerzo, a quick coffee or a caña (cold beer) with some tapas.

​The retired men and the farmers who have finished their farming for the day, will stay at the bar, maybe playing a game of cards, until it’s time to go home. But not before they have thrown olive stones and sunflower seed shells on the floor. The mess grows and grows.

At 2 o’clock sharp their wives will be serving the comida (lunch).

​From 2 to 4 pm, all restaurants will offer a menú del día, typically serving staples of Spanish cuisine such as ensaladilla rusa (Russian salad), gazpacho, judías verdes con bacon (green beans with bacon), pork cuts, paella and seafood. Much of the food is deep-fried, so if you want to keep the cholesterol in check, order something ‘a la plancha’ (grilled) instead. 

​And if you are a vegetarian, well, you might have to skip this one. The concept hasn’t quite penetrated the traditional, rural parts of Spain.

​The menu is designed to provide a warm meal to those who don’t have the luxury of eating at home. It has a set price (around €10), and it includes a choice of starters and main courses, and a dessert or coffee. A drink and a basket with some bread is included, too.

While desayuno and almuerzo are often taken on your feet, leaning over the bar, lunch will be served in the comedor (dining room), not the bar area. But you’ll have to walk through the bar first, so put on your best smile and be ready to greet everyone before you sit down in the dining room. And, I mean everyone. Even the people you don’t know.

The Spanish have this wonderful habit of greeting those who are already sitting down and having their lunch. As you walk past their tables, a short and sweet Qué aproveche (Enjoy your meal) is compulsory. Such a beautiful thing to do.

​​And, yes, the (annoying) TV will be there too, intruding into the dining room.

​During the week, the restaurant’s menu del día will mostly attract the working people. At weekends, however, it’s groups of friends and families, all nicely dressed, who come to lunch.  They will order the pricier, weekend version of the menu del día, or maybe a plato combinado (set dish) or a ración (big helping) or two to share. Nothing too fancy. Local restaurants don’t do fancy.

​With the siesta in full swing, afternoons tend to be the quiet part of the day. If there is a park with a playground nearby, mothers will sit down for a drink while their little ones run and cycle around, or kick a ball.

The evening will bring out a varied (younger?) crowd for a night cap and a few tapas. On special occasions, some may sit down and order an evening meal, but most will be happy with a drink or two. In summer and during national holidays, they will linger on until the wee small hours of the morning. And no matter how much they drink, they won’t get drunk. The tapas will make sure alcohol is never drunk on an empty stomach.
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Qué aproveche!