America in Spain

Throughout the semester, I have tried American experiences (mostly food) here in Spain. Everything is different here, obviously, but some major chains still exist and I felt the need to experience them in order to compare to home. Here are the accounts of some of them::

1) McDonald's - From the start of the semester, I knew I wanted to give it a try. I had heard from friends that everywhere in the world, even within the US, McDonald's serves different specialties. Here in Spain is no different. It is called the "McIberic" and it was very delicious. Ciabatta bread, iberic ham, a burger, queso manchego, tomato (which I removed of course), lettuce, and tomato sauce; in that order. Iberic ham and queso manchego are Spanish specialties, particularly popular here in Madrid. And the tomato sauce is not the pasta sauce you are thinking of, but an interesting tomato based sauce that is frequently served on toast as a breakfast food. Overall, it was delicious. Very different from the McDonald's food I have grown to love at home, but if the Spanish are going to do McDonald's, they had to put their own twist on it. And I sure enjoyed it. I may even go one more time before I leave, mostly because they have a cheesecake dessert

2) Slot machine - okay, not exactly American, but you wouldn't associate it with the Spanish either. Plus, I have never used one in the US either. Carrie, Kenny, and I decided to go into a salon de juegos to see what it was like. They had 0,20 euro slots, so we each gave it a try. Carrie was actually winning, but we all ended up losing our money in the end. No more than about 1 euro each, but it was still fun. I definitely understand how they get your money, and how easily you can become mesmerized and end up spending all your money at one machine. A cool experience though, and a good place to stay dry during a short rain.

3) Kebab - alright, also not American, but we do have kebab in the US, and all the other American students I know think it's pretty good here, so I couldn't pass it up. Though I haven't had it in the US, Kenny has, so we went while he was here. He was the comparator. I had a Durum, which is wrapped more burrito style than a standard kebab, but it was still really good. I didn't even mind there being tomato inside. Overall a good experience, and I can't wait to try the American version when I get home, though Kenny said they are very similar.

4) Starbucks - this was my most recent American splurge. Obviously, Starbucks here in Spain serves the same coffee as the Starbucks in America, but I wanted to give it a try. And it was really exciting! Mostly because if you get your coffee "para beber" (= for here) they give it to you in a real coffee mug!! Way more eco-friendly and more enjoyable than a paper cup. I got a white chocolate mocha, called a mocca blanca here. It was delicious, just like at home, though I think it tasted a little different in a mug. It was wonderful to sit, sipping my coffee, reading my book for class, listening to Christmas music. It was a splendid afternoon.