A Mediterranean Feast

Tonight was a delightful twist to a busy workweek. One of the teachers in the colegio invited all of the teachers to his home to have dinner. So at about 7:00pm, most of us met in a parking lot next to the school so that we could carpool to his place. I rode in roommate’s car with her and some other teachers. Surprisingly, the teacher lived a little far from the town. It was about a 25-minute car ride. When we all got to his house we were stunned. It was so big and beautiful. He lived on a hill and the house was a distance away from other houses. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we realized that he had the most magnificent view of the town that he lived in and of the Mediterranean Sea. He also had a huge terrace and a parking lot that could probably fit about 15 vehicles. Stepping into his house, we saw a big dining room and a very nice kitchen. And the aroma of a fresh meal in the air was also very pleasant. The food smelled great!

He gave us a grand tour of his house. He had several bedrooms and bathrooms, an office and a huge balcony. Browsing through the room, I saw several pictures of his children. I wanted to ask him where his family was, and also how the heck he could afford a house like that, but I didn’t want to be too invasive.

The main dish was a seafood mixture with fish, shrimp, clams and lots of vegetables and sauces. It looked delicious. I was hesitant to try it because I don’t eat seafood, but I knew I was going to try some anyway because it would be rude and because I’m trying to be more adventurous. Besides, when you are living right off the Mediterranean Sea, you are going to see fresh seafood everywhere you go.



A Simmering Meal



While the main dish was simmering, we all helped set the table. There were several bottles of beer, wine, and cava, which is a Spanish champagne, and a few sodas and water. We also filled the table with tapas. Anytime you go to a Spanish get-together, the table setting would look something like this. Before the main dish comes out, the people will gather around the table, drink, and eat off of plates of smaller things, sort of like appetizers. For example, we set the table with ham, cheese, nuts, bread, duck paté (paté is a mixture of ground meat minced into a spreadable paste, it's usually eaten with bread or crackers), gambas (shrimp), anchovies, olives (Spanish people love olives) and potato chips. So usually, before the main dish even comes out I am full (and a little toasted).



Setting the Table

I asked the person who was serving the main dish to give me just a little fish to try (I didn’t want to throw up in front of everyone) and I had some shrimp as well. The dish turned out to be good. It was a little fishy to me, but other than that I could eat everything that was on my plate. The potatoes were awesome. The conversation at the table was great. Usually, when I’m in a setting like this, the teachers really try not to speak Valenciano. They try their best to include me in the conversation and they are always explaining the different food items to me. I appreciate them very much for that. One of the teachers poured more cava in my glass every time she saw that it was empty. So by the end of the night, I was feeling really good. For dessert, one of the teachers brought a chocolate pudding-like cake that she prepared herself. I am usually not a fan of a lot of the cakes that I’ve tried here, but that one was really good.



My Plate



Also, another one of the teachers prepared this frozen vanilla-flavored treat. It was like ice cream but it had a different texture. My roommate went on and on about how much she loved it.

We left the teacher’s house after 12am. According to the other teachers, the only reason why we left that “early” was because we had school the next day. I was extremely tired. I swear no one would ever guess that I was the youngest of the staff because I am always sleepy.

I very much enjoyed the gathering that we had.