Learning About Food from the Source- An Interview with My Señora

I absolutely loved talking to my Señora about la comida de España. This assignment allowed the two of us to really converse in Spanish, so it was a great opportunity for me, and I think my Señora really enjoyed it too!

I learned a lot about how much time and energy it takes to prepare Spanish food for a family or students. My señora goes to the el mercado to buy meat. She goes once a week- every Saturday. She always buys her meat from the Carnicería hermanos camba, where she has been going for the past 22 years. Additionally, she will go shopping for fruit or other basics as needed. When we are running out of fruit, she said she will go to una frutería on Avenida Portugal to buy more fruit. She told me she always knows what she is going to buy before she goes out to shop. I also learned that everyone has noticed an increase in prices of food in recent years. She said all the basics, como pollo, azúcar, y frutas, cost more now than they did a couple of years ago, due to the economic crisis.

Everyday, around the time for a siesta, my señora thinks about what we are going to eat for the next day. She will then prepare that food in the evening, so she just has to heat it up the following day. She does this because she works everyday until two, and she told me that she doesn't want her guests going hungry or waiting hours for her to cook. She said that on the average day, she usually will spend 1 to 1.5 hours cooking. I told her that I would love it if she could show me a little bit about cooking, and she said that on a weekend, when she doesn't have to work, we can cook together.

We had a great conversation and I learned so much from my señora. Additionally, this conversation really made me feel more comfortable talking with my señora and the locals. She told me that I can ask her anything I want to at anytime and she would be happy to answer. She is very nice and easy to talk to. And her food is delicious too!

Mia