Mi señora y la comida

It was harder than I thought to pin down my señora for a quick chat about food, but justifiably so: our apartment is a constantly revolving door of international students staying for two weeks (Italians), three weeks (Americans), or six weeks (myself), and cooking and cleaning everyday for six students is not quite the recipe for a señora with free time. However, when she could spare a few minutes for my little interview, the results were insightful and well worth the wait.

Given the amount of students my señora must host at any given time, it’s common for her to have to make shopping trips at least twice a week, depending on what she plans to cook for the week and her stock of staples (such as galletas for breakfast, coffee, milk and juice). She does a large portion of her food shopping at Carrefour, where she can usually find good deals on staples when she buys things in bulk, as well as lots of microwaveable food. Most importantly, Carrefour sometimes stocks a small range of Mickey Mouse-themed products, and with a two-year-old with an unhealthy Mickey Mouse obsession, it helps to have those products nearby during her shopping trips. Fortunately for my señora (and for us students, as well), her family often stops by to drop off extra fruits and vegetables (and if we’re lucky, her mother’s famous croquetas!). This is particularly helpful, as the cost of fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods has risen exponentially. This is something I’ve really started to notice over the past few weeks, because fried foods and meat always seem to take up more space on my plate than healthier foods. I’m not one to complain, however – three home cooked meals a day is something I am truly grateful for!

My señora learned how to cook from her mother from a very early age. I asked her if she ever wrote any recipes down but she told me that was unnecessary – everything is in a big recipe box in her head from which she can pull out hundreds of different meals without a problem, thanks to several years of repeating her favorite recipes and cooking for international students. She usually plans what she is going to cook for the household a few days ahead so that she can plan her schedule around cooking and cleaning the kitchen when she isn’t taking care of her two-year-old, Daniel. One of her favorite summer foods to cook is her version of pisto, a ratatouille-esque dish usually served warm with bread. My señora’s version is made with eggs, tomatoes, onions, peppers and olive oil. For some reason she doesn’t cook it often, but when she does, it’s absolutely fantastic!

I have two parents back in the States who work around the clock and who don’t often have time to cook anything special for family dinner. When we do sit down for family dinners about three or four times a week, the food is always super healthy and usually much of the same thing: grilled chicken, salad, and a piece of fruit. I have grown to truly appreciate what my señora does for me and my roommates on a daily basis – cooking for six students, a husband, and a two-year-old son, with something different to eat for every night of the week, is a miracle in my mind. I have so much respect for mothers around the world who work to keep their households happy with food and a comfortable atmosphere. Even though I can’t wait to get back home and eat some of my own mother’s mustard-pretzel chicken and bok choy salad, I’m really enjoying the varied menu of pisto, tortilla and croquetas in my Salamanca home. Muchas gracias, Irene!