Food is an important factor when describing culture. It is impossible to immerse yourself into a new culture without at least tasting the food. Paella is one of Barcelona's signature dishes that I knew I needed to try. Stay tuned to find out how I liked it and to decide if you too would like to try this signature dish one day.
Recently, I tried paella for the first time. My host mom prepared it for dinner last Sunday and the entire family reunited to eat the signature Spanish dish.
I placed a piece of chicken in my mouth and started to chew. Ouch! I chomped down on something hard and realized that the chicken had bones in it. Using the cuchillo (knife) next to me, I cut the meat off of the bone and ate it. It was delicious! I continued my meal and ate a few spoonfuls of rice and peas. Next came the shrimp. Back at home, I never liked to eat shrimp that was not deveined and peeled. I took a deep breath and started to peel the shrimp on my plate. "Maybe it won't taste as bad as it tastes in the United States," I thought to myself. I took a bite... and immediately wanted to spit it back out. The more I chewed, the worse it got. I swallowed with a look of disgust. The rest of the shrimp was left uneaten on my plate and later found a new home in the trash can.
