CULTURE SHOCK - Catalonia, Fresh as Fresh Can Be

As I dive into the mouth-watering and hunger-inducing webpages detailing Catalonian cuisine, I see an immediate difference between them and my diet routine.

The Catalonian dishes regularly includes fresh tomatoes, oils, herbs and spices, and do not always include meat or poultry. Alongside the usual cooking methods, Catalonians also regularly charr and grill, encouraging me to believe that Catalan cooks enjoy their cooking process just as much they enjoy their meals.

Esqueixada de bacallà (shredded salt cod and tomato salad) | Source: Eater

On the other hand, in Australia, my meals are either air-fried, baked or pan-fried. I rarely allow myself the luxury of using the freshest produce in all my meals as my eating habits could include more vegetables. I also always have a source of protein in my meals, very different to some Catalonian dishes where they are happy to make the best out of simple ingredients. I have a larger appetite than most, therefore I'm afraid I would need a couple of servings of the Catalonian meals to avoid still being hungry.

Restaurant in Barcelona| Photo by David Salamanca | Source: Unsplash

It is also pleasant and insightful to see that chefs in the Catalonia area are well informed on the amount of food waste extracted everyday and are willing to adjust their processes to address this issue. Adjustments such as: giving diners the options to choose their portion sizes depending on how hungry they are, not supplying appetiser bread automatically unless requested and other thoughtful ideas.

I would love to see these levels of forward-thinking and innovative processes in Australia.

To minimise the culture shock, I'd ensure I have a list of food places that serve meals closer to what I'd normally indulge in, and caters to my needs.