Catalonian Cuisine

I envisioned myself sipping on a raspberry margarita and snacking on tapas...the full Barcelona experience; I was wrong. By this point in my trip, I had spent much more money than I had hoped. I told Raph, "I'll probably just skip lunch." I'd be busy exploring the city anyways, so I assumed it out be an easy way to save money. The first day we got there though, I realized that I also booked my return ticket for a week earlier. So after paying another $250 for a new ticket, I told Raph, "I'll probably just eat my yogurt while I'm here."

Being the foodie that I am, this didn't necessarily work out as well as I would have hoped. I did, however, manage to refrain from buying a full meal for the entirety of my stay. Just a quick bite here and a snack there. In retrospect, this was the cheapest city I visited AND was the most well-known for food, so perhaps I should have eased up a bit. In no particular order, here's a quick insight into some of the Catalonian cuisine I came across.

Our first morning in the city, Raph and I walked down to the little ma and pa store by our house. We grabbed some crackers and a cup of yogurt. This, obviously, did not fill us up for long. So, boom...we finally make it into the city center and we're starving. The street quickly filled with sticky sweet smells as food truck vendors began cooking for the day: 2 waffles held together with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a Twix bar...cones filled with a heavy scoop of tiramisu gelato...churros hidden beneath a thick layer of creamy melted chocolate. My will power really stepped her game up at that moment. But sadly: nothing lasts forever...and when I stepped in front of this store, need I say more?

We walked around a bit more...maybe two or three hours. The breeze turned chilly and the sky gray, so we decided to shop around at the Mercat de La Boqueria until the inevitable storm passed. Well, this quickly turned into lunch once we began to see the different booths. But how does one pick what to eat when she has options like these?

The answer: one picks the cheapest option...the best deal. Don't forget, I'm still woefully poor. But for the low cost of 3 euro, I was about to be snacking on a delicious basil and mozzarella calzone. It was a nice way to warm up on a rainy day.

We did eventually go back to the city center for the churros, though. I don't have THAT much willpower. And to add onto the calorie-filled late breakfast, Raph also bought herself and I a chocolate croissant. It was miniature, so there were some pros and cons. Obviously, it wasn't enough to fill my chocolate fix for the day...which was sad. But it was also one of the most amazing pastries I've had so far.

While we're on the subject of amazing cuisine, here are the last three good dishes that I consumed: tacos, sangria and patatas bravas. I ordered two tacos, baja and spicy chicken. I'd like to give credit to the restaurant, but have you ever had a bad taco? Exactly. I feel like the same rules apply to sangria...but this was really delicious. I will say, though, it wasn't as good as the peach-mint sangria at 1285 Winery. Mom, can we please go when I get back? And last but certainly not least, patatas bravas. This delicious bowl of potato wedges was covered with a hearty helping of brown sauce (don't ask me what the sauce was...cause I am completely unaware). I planned on eating it as a snack to hold me over until dinner, but the carbs got to me and filled me up for a hot minute.

On our way into the city one morning, Raph and I came across something incredible: two vending machines. These weren't your typical soda and candy dispensers though...oh no...but rather hamburgers and vibrators. See, I wasn't sure where these photos would fit in this category, but I decided to throw it in to ruffle some feathers and make people giggle, or uncomfortable. In the first machine, you can find all of your street meat needs...they've got cheeseburgers, hamburgers, hotdogs and even a waffle if you so desire. The second machine has your juice boxes, gummy candy, vibrators, lube, and "herb" grinders.

I hate to end this blog on a sour note, but that's life (insert shoulder-shrugging emoji here). There was one food in particular that I was SO excited to try while in Barcelona--paella. Literally every spaniard I know, all 6 of them, instated that I tasted the Spanish delicacy. It sounded good enough: a flavorful rice dish loaded with peppers, mussels, shrimp, and other seafood. Here's the problem: my rice was super undercooked, the meal itself was lukewarm, and the seafood too salty. I was actually somewhat pissed off after my first bite. I was too poor to purchase another one and too embarrassed to speak up, so I called a quits on the cuisine.

I'm pretty much the only person I've met that didn't enjoy the catalonian cuisine, so please don't let this cloud your individual desire to travel here. I heard the margaritas and tapas are to die for!