Eating abroad

On our recent journey through Spain and Paris, it was almost impossible to find the kind of food I normally eat at home. What is it about the nations of the world, that their food and eating habits are so different? Do we follow the food developed by our inherited cultures? As a believer in 'you are what you eat' and having experienced a remarkable improvement in my health and wellbeing by following a diet with minimal sugar, wheat and dairy, the alternative available consists of a limited range of fruit, nuts, seeds, vegetables and proteins.

Take breakfast: tomato and two eggs does it for me. In Spain, a substantial feast of cereal, fruit, sweetened yoghurt, breads, jams, cheese, salami, a slice of plain cake, orange juice and coffee. None of which form part of my chosen diet. As a tourist, you are pretty much confined to eating at local bars and restaurants, unless you have found a market and stocked up on what you do eat.

Mid-morning: handful of almonds, pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. Couldn't find that anywhere. Coffee shops served exquisite pastries and cakes. Still not on the menu.

Lunch: a varied salad with chicken. Hmm. 'Salad' was a torn-up iceberg lettuce (lots) with a few slices of tomato - no dressing. Where were the radishes, celery, seeds, onion, avocado and herbs, liberally sprinkled with olive oil? Fair enough, we were stopping at the frequent roadside eateries which ensure that no-one goes hungry when travelling through Spain, and the fare was probably more suited to burly truckers with hearty appetites, but somehow the piles of greasy chips and paper-thin slices of pale pork did nothing for the digestion. Surely someone in Spain wants to eat a real, multi-ingredient salad?

Dinner was another story! Chicken and vegetables are my absolute favourite. The only vegetable which accompanied anything you could order was potato (also off my menu) and the descriptions seldom resembled what appeared on the plate.

By the time we eventually reached Granada, I was suffering from vegetable withdrawal symptoms. We were booked into our first large 'commercial' hotel, with a huge dining room and vast buffet for dinner and breakfast, where I fell on the vegetables like there was no tomorrow!

I'm sure there must be better food in Europe, but it is probably served in private homes and only the most expensive restaurants. Or perhaps we are just too used to our own way of eating and find it hard to adapt to a different culture. But I still have a sneaky feeling that back home we are more used to a very varied and healthy diet.

I must mention that my mother and father had absolutely no problem with the food they were presented with, especially the confectionery! Perhaps I'm just too fussy...