Exploring the Food Culture of Europe
During the months of August and September I decided to embark on a backpacking trip through Europe with one of my buddies, a trip which took us through Spain, France, and Italy. We hit 11 different cities in these three countries and had about 80 meals. During my time there, my goal was simple: learn as much about the culture as I possibly could through the medium of food. Going into this experience, I had expected to just look at the type of foods, but upon beginning the experience, I learned that food penetrates much deeper than the acts of cooking and eating.
Growing up, meals had always been an important part connecting with the family. My experience with food in Europe was very similar, and in fact much more intense. Meals in countries like Spain, France, and Italy are a huge deal. The importance of meals initially posed a challenge in that service was slow. I would sit down at a table and it would be 10 minutes before I would be asked if I wanted anything. Spacing between courses was 40 minutes to an hour. Coming from America where the purpose of meals is more to eat and where our servers in restaurants try to get us in and out as fast as is possible, this was hard for me to adjust to at first. However, I soon realized that service was generally slow and courses were spaced out in order to allow people to converse about the day and generally spend time with each other. Kevin and I would sit down for a meal for two hours. After getting used to slower service, meals became really enjoyable because we were able to step away from the hustle of being a tourist and sit down to talk about the day, the things we saw and experienced, and life in general. I learned that meals here were a time for companionship rather than eating.
Additionally, I learned that even when you are not eating, it can be common to slip into an hour long conversation about food. This was especially true in Italy where people take so much pride in the food they create. I would find myself talking to locals about the taste of olive oil, or what constitutes a fine wine, or how crumbly a piece of cheese is. It was amazing because here in the US I don’t feel as though many people place an emphasis on food as a talking point. In these cases, it was extremely clear how food penetrated into every moment of life.
One of my biggest experiences with was at the Spanish festival, La Tomatina. This is essentially a giant food fight with literal truckloads of tomatoes that people just throw at each other. By the end of the experience, you are ankle deep in tomato juice, tomato chunks in every part of your body. This was essentially a festival where food brings together over ten thousand people on one day in the small city of Buñol.
I think what I learned during my time backpacking mostly pertain to my personal life as I learned and gained an appreciation for a new way to connect to people. In our American Culture, we are so used to sitting down at the table and eating food as fast as possible so everybody can get back to their work. However, I know now how impactful meals and food can be on how to connect with other. Meals with friends and loved ones can go much further than just eating; conversations about food bring people together, and the simple act of pelting people with tomatoes creates a shared experience that thousands of people can connect over.
I think professionally, this lesson is extremely important in regards to my life in the business world; A lot of dealing with people professionally is having a good working relationship both professionally and somewhat personally, and it can be extremely important to understand different people of different cultures. Its about connecting and forming a relationship.
Overall, my experience in Europe was very positive. Every single meal and experience with food that I had was fantastic and every single time I sat down to eat was fun and eventful. The meal is something that I miss now that I am busy with classes and don’t have the time to partake in to the extent that I did when I was in Europe. The prevalence of food in life is something that I miss, however, its importance is something that I will take with me as I continue on into life.
Growing up, meals had always been an important part connecting with the family. My experience with food in Europe was very similar, and in fact much more intense. Meals in countries like Spain, France, and Italy are a huge deal. The importance of meals initially posed a challenge in that service was slow. I would sit down at a table and it would be 10 minutes before I would be asked if I wanted anything. Spacing between courses was 40 minutes to an hour. Coming from America where the purpose of meals is more to eat and where our servers in restaurants try to get us in and out as fast as is possible, this was hard for me to adjust to at first. However, I soon realized that service was generally slow and courses were spaced out in order to allow people to converse about the day and generally spend time with each other. Kevin and I would sit down for a meal for two hours. After getting used to slower service, meals became really enjoyable because we were able to step away from the hustle of being a tourist and sit down to talk about the day, the things we saw and experienced, and life in general. I learned that meals here were a time for companionship rather than eating.
Additionally, I learned that even when you are not eating, it can be common to slip into an hour long conversation about food. This was especially true in Italy where people take so much pride in the food they create. I would find myself talking to locals about the taste of olive oil, or what constitutes a fine wine, or how crumbly a piece of cheese is. It was amazing because here in the US I don’t feel as though many people place an emphasis on food as a talking point. In these cases, it was extremely clear how food penetrated into every moment of life.
One of my biggest experiences with was at the Spanish festival, La Tomatina. This is essentially a giant food fight with literal truckloads of tomatoes that people just throw at each other. By the end of the experience, you are ankle deep in tomato juice, tomato chunks in every part of your body. This was essentially a festival where food brings together over ten thousand people on one day in the small city of Buñol.
I think what I learned during my time backpacking mostly pertain to my personal life as I learned and gained an appreciation for a new way to connect to people. In our American Culture, we are so used to sitting down at the table and eating food as fast as possible so everybody can get back to their work. However, I know now how impactful meals and food can be on how to connect with other. Meals with friends and loved ones can go much further than just eating; conversations about food bring people together, and the simple act of pelting people with tomatoes creates a shared experience that thousands of people can connect over.
I think professionally, this lesson is extremely important in regards to my life in the business world; A lot of dealing with people professionally is having a good working relationship both professionally and somewhat personally, and it can be extremely important to understand different people of different cultures. Its about connecting and forming a relationship.
Overall, my experience in Europe was very positive. Every single meal and experience with food that I had was fantastic and every single time I sat down to eat was fun and eventful. The meal is something that I miss now that I am busy with classes and don’t have the time to partake in to the extent that I did when I was in Europe. The prevalence of food in life is something that I miss, however, its importance is something that I will take with me as I continue on into life.