The first day of class, Monday, the boys learned words for going to the market and then went to the market. I gave their teacher some money and said that they could each pick out one thing and I would cook it for them later. I then went off to the market to get staples - milk, bread, yogurt, fruit, vegetables, cereal, etc. I figured we would eat out some, but this was a time when we could save some money and eat more healthily than our past 10 days of waffles, snails, and chocolate.
One of my favorite things to do in a foreign country is go to a grocery store. You learn so much about how the people eat by seeing how they shop. What are there lots of? What can't you find? I'd heard from my mom and brother that the food in Spain wasn't good - no vegetables, lots of fried things. This must have just been restaurants since the grocery store had every produce imaginable and then some. The store I went to had two floors with an escalator ramp connecting them so I could drag my little handled plastic basket down the ramp to get to the lower level. I had to think about what to buy since everything I got had to be carried home - no car to load up with Costco-like amounts of supplies to bring home for the next month. I picked out two cheeses, a large package of yogurts, strawberries, milk, chocolate-covered-rice-cakes (my new favorite thing), sliced turkey, whole wheat bread, cinnamon tea, brown rice and black beans.
What I didn't buy that I wanted to buy: olives (there are rows and rows and rows of them - I'll get to them at some point), many types of flan, different types of cookies and pastries for the boys since they look so different from the French types - less refined, more rustic yet just as delicious looking, a trillion types of cheeses, and gaspacho in bottles that looks good but too heavy to carry once I already have a basket full of items.
I paid and loaded up my bags and carried them home (passing all the clothing stores and SHOE stores along the way. I emptied the food into the cabinets, and went off to collect the boys from school. When I got there, I was greeted with smiles (the day had gone well), but also greeted with four more bags of groceries. The boys had spent the 20 Euros I'd given the teacher for the week for small snacks and then some - I owed the teacher another 12 Euros. In addition to what I bought, the boys bought brie, a large loaf of Spanish bread, apples, pears, a lemon, half of an uncooked chicken, tofu, a loaf of gluten free bread, more milk, eggs, carrots, lettuce, and a tomato. They were so proud of all their work, especially the things that they bought with me in mind such as the gluten free products and the brie. Very cute. We all trudged up the hill to our house to unload more groceries and to have lunch. James then said, "I want Spanish food! I want to go to a restaurant!" We had lunch at home.
Our afternoon ritual, after lunch and doing some math and/or writing homework, is to go out for ice cream and then to recess at the exercise park.
After exercising, James declared, "I want Spanish food. We should go to a restaurant."
"Nope. You guys spent over 30 Euros on groceries, we have to eat them first." Yes, I'm mean. But James helped cook a delicious dinner of rice and broccoli and squash and chicken and fruit salad. Henry read - he was addicted to his new book (and how can a mother argue about a kid wanting to read?)
Today our friend, Varpu, arrives from Finland so we will indeed go out for Spanish food. Then tonight we will try to find some Flamenco dancing and music. The boys are getting used to staying up until 11:00 but are tired in the morning. Tomorrow is a day off of Spanish school, so they will get to sleep in (but will still have to do math and writing!)
More soon, but for now I am off to try to go shopping with the remaining one and a half hours I have to myself.
More photos of Granada are here: View Album
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