Lexington County native Chris Gorman packed up and moved to Spain in 2013. This is part of a series of adjusting to life in a foreign country.

Barcelona, Spain

My goal when I arrived in Spain was to blend in as much as possible.

Not sticking out like a foreigner was hard given my brown hair, blue eyes and southern drawl.

I took note of what people were wearing and tried to adjust according. But I still wore my South Carolina Gamecocks baseball hat on game days. It would occasionally grab the attention of an American tourist who would stop me to exchange greetings and a smile.

In the beginning I had to adjust myself to Spanish time. Everything here seems to be pushed back by a few hours and more relaxed.

Breakfast is served around 9 am, lunch at 2 pm, followed by dinner at 9:30 or 10 pm. I quickly learned that if you go to a restaurant for dinner at 7, you will most likely be the only one there.

Waiters would often give you a funny look and mumble “turistas” (tourist) under their breath.

Some restaurants don’t even open until 8:30 or 9 pm which proved challenging when entertaining friends and family from abroad.

But late dining hours are perfect in the summer when days are long and sunlight lasts until 10 pm. I learned to adapt.

I also had to adjust my eating habits when I arrived. Gone were the days of southern fried chicken, Mee Maw’s macaroni and cheese, fresh field peas and cornbread – my favorite.

I was now forced to explore foods such as Iberian ham, Manchego cheese and fresh olives from this region of the world – all of which are delicious.

I learned to eat tapas which are small portions of meat, cheeses or seafood on a slice of local baguette. There are tapas restaurants where you can go and have lunch or dinner.

Blai Street in Poble Sec is a great place with terraces to sit, eat and people watch. Tapas along this local street are normally served buffet style – pre-covid 19 – and you just go up to the bar and pick what you like to eat.

You will notice that each tapa will have a colored toothpick inserted into it. The colors represent the price for each tapa, ranging from 1 to 2 euros.

At the end of your meal, the waiter will come over and count the number of toothpicks and that will be the price you pay, plus any drinks.

This is a great inexpensive meal and lets you try different foods without making a big commitment in case you don’t like something.

Just remember to keep your toothpicks.

Next time: Exploring wine country, the cost of living and teaching English