Back to the young Spaniards who are going to GB to work, I wonder how they are coping with British food? Most of the ones I've met are very suspicious of it, they prefer what they know.

One girl I know was on a course in London. When they stopped for lunch on the first day she was given a sandwich, the typical pre-packed sliced bread with soggy lettuce and a thin slice of ham. She didn't fancy it, so she thought she'd give it a miss and wait for the main course ...

... which, of course, never arrived!

Yes, my wife and her friends have nightmare stories about the food in the UK. Especially when they stayed in British families as part of language courses

The main reason is because they were given so little food and were never oferred more, this would be hugely impolite and mean in Spain

My wife said she was given a bowl of cereal in the morning, a sandwich and a packet of crisps for lunch and a single sausage and a few chips for dinner. She literally cried herself to sleep!

Her cousin was given cereal every morning which she hated, but then was asked on a Sunday, what do you want for breakfast. She said, well cereal of course. So she walked in to the kitchen to find the whole family eating full English breakfast and she had to make do with some soggy cornflakes

The Spanish who I know love fish n' chips and English breakfast. Not to mention all the puddings and fruit cake etc. Seeing how many Chinese places there are in Spain there is something in common. Then there are pizzas and McDonalds which the spanish seem fond of

and didnt JLFS say I should be eating English food - no way
processed muck designed for eating on the run.

the other day I was buying the meat for 2 for the week, it came to €14, I felt a cheapskate standing next to Spaniards who were spending 3 or even 4 times that amount.
And we feel we eat well.

One question the Better Half hasnt been able to answer is with all the Spanish girls she works with, they keep stuffing the food down and don't seem to put on a single gramme.
perhaps it will catch up with them later in life.

Yes my wife and her sisters eat like there is no tomorrow, yet all very thin. They find it funny when they eat with the English women in my family and see them choosing salads or a starter as a main course because they are "on a diet"

I think its because they eat better at mealtimes but then have little or no junk in between

I have to say there are a lot of fat Spanish women around nowadays though. It is a class thing, normally the poorer people are fatter.

And yes, Spanairds with money spend a fortune on food - the best steaks, fish etc

I find that the Spanish are much more reluctant to try foreign food in the first instance than vice versa.
You only need compare the choice in foreign restaurants throughout all areas of the Uk compared to Spain to see that.

Whilst they are mostly doing ok in heavily populated areas with mixed ethnic backgrounds, I have noticed Chinese and other places shutting down in rural areas of Spain due to lack of business because the locals seemed reluctant to try them or move from their died in the wool traditional diets.

The locals near to me who I eventually coaxed into trying some traditional English grub were more than pleasantly surprised with it and now look forward to it with great relish.

that may well be part of the secret. I have lost 2 stone in 6 months (but I really needed to ) but I havent had a biscuit in that time, no stuffing because I am bored, no machine coffee, had a packet of crisps the other day YUK! so much unneeded salt. Meal times are set, get regular exercise walking the dog. If I feel peckish I break open an orange, sometimes even two. Still enjoy a couple of glasses of wine every night - instead of a bottle and half.

When in Spain we always join Spanish friends for a meal or two, sometimes in a restaurant, sometimes at their place. We both like Spanish food, apart from things like tripe and pig's ears, we enjoy most things. However we both live in dread they they might serve us migas again, it's a bit like eating sawdust, we both struggled to eat an acceptable amount so as not to appear rude. And the thing is she's a great cook!

Yes Migas can be like eating sawdust, but when done well it has just enough oil from the chorizo etc to make it palatable. Its not a favourite of mine, but my wife loves it

Yes, happens all the time in UK, you go somewhere for lunch and all you get is a soggy sandwich.

Maybe she should learn English and try reading the menu ?

Not that I mind too much, but I've been roped into helping with English lessons for Spaniards hoping to find work abroad. There appear to be a lot of them and they're very eager to learn.

The local German expats are also busy teaching their language to Spanish people looking for work in Germany.

I find it all quite sad.

Given that she was on a course in London what do you think her English level was like?

I hear it all the time, that the only thing the British eat are sandwiches. And at lunctime when working it is pretty true

Even on my first visits to Spain I had little problem differentiating between a bocadillo and a main course.

I have yet to see a proper English restaurant advertising a sandwich on the menu as being the main course.

Crikey, obviously the story wouldnt make sense if she had ordered for herself, think about it!