Hi all, I'm going on holiday in Spain in a week's time and quite excited. Haven't had a holiday since Easter! My only problem is what to eat whilst on holiday especially when you don't speak the language. I have a few bars I plan on taking with me but anyone have any ideas how to stay on track with the WOL (don't want to think about all that paella!). I'd love to hear from any spanish lcers and anyone else generally, please!

I'm not from Spain but I do love the food. Spain is renowned for their seafood, so you should have endless options. "Cocido" (meal-in-a-pot with meat, vegetables, sausage etc.) is one of my favorite dishes and should probably be fairly safe. "Tapas" is very popular, especially in the bars and is an interesting way to sample different types of foods. Unfortunately as delicious as it is you will have to avoid Sopa de Ajo (Garlic Soup), as it has crushed bread in it.

I just got back from the UK myself and had a wonderful time. I got to see the Queen lay the wreath at the Remembrance Ceremony and your new Lord Mayor at his parade. Let me know if you have any questions about the Tube, as I am now an expert!

Lechon Asado is Roast Pork...and is my favorite Hispanic Food. I used to buy Roast Pork on Skewers with Peppers from a Cuban street vendor in Miami, and it was great. Unless they cook it with something I'm not aware of, it should be low-carb.

Lechon - Pork
Pollo - Chicken
Arroz - Rice
Frijoles - Beans
Platano - A Banana-Like Fruit...high in carbs if I remember correctly.
Chicharrones (sp?) - Pork Rind Like Food.
Manteca - Lard/Fat
Puerco - Pig
Pan - Bread
Azúcar - Sugar
Pez - Fish
Limón - Lemon
Dulce - Sweet

Negro - Black
Blanco - White
Naranja - Orange
Colorado/Roja - Red
Amarillo - Yellow
Verde - Green

Sonnofa, thanks for the tips and glad you enjoyed your trip to the UK. Saw the Rememberance Celebrations on the TV. Don't take the tube much (too crowded), much prefer the bus and British Rail. I have tried tapas here in the London a few times but had totally forgotten! thanks for reminding me!

CC4 - thanks for the spanish lesson. Will print that off and take it with me! I think the favourite word will be Azucar just so I know I'm not consuming it!!! I think your platano is the same as the plantain we have here. Very yummy, very carbful (tastes really lovely roasted or fried with peanuts!)

Yup...

The individual sugars should also be easy to identify on labels, as they simply replace -ose with -osa and keep the same base word. For example Sucrose is Sucrosa; and Fructose is Fructosa.

A few key points on pronunciation:

H is Silent;
G is Pronounced like an English H when followed by a Soft Vowel;
J is Pronounced like an English H;
LL is Pronounced like an English Y;
ñ (N with a Tilde over it) is Pronounced like an English NY;
RR is Trilled;
An accent mark over a vowel indicates that syllable is the one that should be stressed.

A, E, I, O, U are Prounounced Ah, Ay, E, O, Ooh. Just think of the sounds someone would make if they get hurt and then their pain goes away.

The rest of the letters pronounce exactly like or substantially similar to English. The key one is ñ. For example anos means "anuses" while años means years. ¿Cuántos años tiene? means "How old are you ?," while ¿Cuántos anos tiene? means "How many anuses do you have ?"

One thing to be careful of -- Hispanic is not at all the same thing as Spanish, and some of those foods cc48510 mentioned don't sound like they come from Spain! I'm thinking here of the "plantanos," particularly. Plantains are a South American thing, not a Spanish thing. Also, "frijole" is the Mexican Spanish word for "bean" -- the Spanish Spanish word for "bean" is "judia." Be careful when you're boning up on Spanish that you're studying the right kind!

Holly

Sorry about that, the Spanish I learned from my dad was not Spanish Spanish, just like my English isn't English [Queen's] English...so, some of the words may not be the same in Spain. The foods I mentioned I like are primarily Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Mexican...so, again they may not be availble in Spain.

Thanks for the info guys! If the worst comes to the worst I'll just keep my mouth shut and point!!! LOL

Another change...the word for fish is "pescado", (the slang is "pez", but not in spain).

For snacks, go to a mercado or a supermercado and get any of the 'salchichones' - sausages. They'll be hanging from strings. Oh, I miss them! Also the cheeses (quesos) are incredible. Buy a sausage and a cheese, and bring a knife, and you're set.

Tapas bars have dishes that might be okay. What city are you going to? If you're in a tourist city, there will be plenty of tapas bars with menus in english. BUT avoid the 'pintxos' bars, which are similar to tapas bars but serve all the food on little pieces of toast. You can eat the food off the toast and be okay.

A dish to avoid - patatas bravas, or tatas bravas - roasted potatos, usually with an alioli sauce or a red sauce on it. If you're in Barcelona, you'll see it everywhere.

The dishes in Spain vary by region, but in barcelona look for any of the grilled meats (carnes)...they are incredible, and are atkins-friendly.

Restaurant menus will often have a section labeled 'pescados' - the fish dishes:
Salmon - salmon
Atun - tuna
Gambas - shrimp

Enjoy your trip! If you go to Barcelona, take the public transporation - it's the cleanest, cheapest subway/bus system I've ever seen (get a 'tarjeta de diez viajes' and it works out to something like 50 cents a ride). Then go to the Segrada Familia and the Casa Mila, Gaudi masterpieces.

Hi Padruga, thanks for all the info! I'm going to Malaga and have actually been there before but this is the first time LCing. Slightly daunting but most of the touristy places don't mind speaking English so it won't be so bad I think. I have memorised the Spanish words posted here and will try and use them!!! Thanks everyone!