Food: A Love Story

A popular concept in the world of self-help-oriented online literature is the idea of “Love Languages.” It originated as a way for couples to better understand how they give and receive love, but has since been adapted to everything from relationships between friends to coworkers. According to the first website that popped up when I googled “love languages”, the five love languages are words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, quality time, and physical touch. I like the concept of love languages as a way to understand how I relate to others and why sometimes people just don’t click. For the past few weeks I have been feeling like things aren’t clicking for me at school. Although I have strong relationships with my students, I don’t feel embedded in the school community the way I had hoped. I’m not sure if it’s a cultural difference or if I’m not trying hard enough, but I haven’t felt like the other teachers at my school are particularly welcoming. They are not unfriendly, but they also haven’t taken an interest in me or thought to occasionally ask how things are going for the random foreign girl. Not only do I feel lonely at school, I also feel extra frustrated because I barely get chances to practice Spanish. All of this was only exacerbated by the creeping feeling of homesickness brought on by Thanksgiving and the start of the holiday season. Basically, the last couple weeks of November brought me into my first slump here.

Despite this, I have found fulfillment and connection through what I consider to be the sixth love language: food. Food has always been about more than nourishment to me. When I talk to friends about my childhood and what I liked to do with my family, I don’t really have strong memories of playing board games or going to the movies. What I do remember is making and enjoying food together– sharing recipes and meals as a family brought us together and made me feel loved. In college and throughout my “adulthood” I have found joy in cooking for friends, peace in cooking for myself, and comfort in having other people cook for me. So it was no surprise that when I was feeling slightly lost here, a few food-related events helped me feel like my feet were on solid ground again.

Festival Enogastronomico de Lanzarote

On the weekend of November 23, there was a two-day food and wine festival in the charming town of Teguise, featuring local, national, and even international vendors. Of course, the focus was on the fabulous local cuisine and ingredients. I was in seventh heaven, so much so that after spending the day there on Saturday I returned on Sunday for more.

Teguise is one of the most picturesque towns in Lanzarote (unverified personal opinion!), and it hosts a weekly market that draws hundreds of people (unverified personal estimate!). The food festival brought the town to a new level of vibrancy, with tourists and locals of all ages and nationalities united in their appreciation of delicious food. The gist of the festival was, attendees bought tickets for one euro each that could then be traded in for food or drinks— generally priced at 2-3 euros each. There were dozens of stalls representing local restaurants, traditionally crafted food and wines, and some international cuisine. It was such a treat to be able to sample a variety of high-quality small plates. The festival happens annually, and I have a feeling that I’ll plan any future trips to Lanzarote around this event.

Friendsgiving

As I mentioned earlier, Thanksgiving threw me into my first real bout of homesickness since I’ve been here. Knowing that my family was together in California, spending time with my cute little cousin and cooking some of my favorite dishes really brought it home to me how far away they are. Fortunately, my community of Americans here were all in the same boat and we rallied to create a truly spectacular Thanksgiving feast.

Thanksgiving doesn’t get enough love, but I appreciate it more and more every year. Yes, there’s less candy than Halloween, and no presents like Christmas, but it retains an uncommercialized simplicity that sets it apart from other American holidays. Of course coordinating a huge meal and mingling with distant relatives can be stressful, but at its core Thanksgiving really is just about appreciating food and family. Sharing this tradition with my new friends definitely brought on the warm and fuzzy feelings. It was especially fun to share our Thanksgiving meal with some new Spanish friends we’ve met along the way.

London

During the weekend of December 5, I left the Canary Islands for the first time since arriving. I was tired of the non-stop tropical sunshine and endless beach days, so I booked a flight to London with my friend Gillian. We had a fabulous time over all, but in keeping with the theme of this post I am going to rhapsodize about the food we ate.

Spanish food is really good, but I missed having a truly thriving international food scene. Lanzarote has some Indian and Chinese restaurants, but I’ve missed the diversity that can only really be found in a big city. The London food scene brings together food from all corners of the world. In one weekend I had Thai curry, Indian curry, Vietnamese pho, American chicken and waffles, and of course a classic English breakfast. The Indian restaurant we went to, in a posh townhome in Chelsea, served one of the best meals I’ve ever had. Eating a meal that creatively brought together English ingredients with Indian cooking traditions was truly a delight.

This is my last week of school before winter break. Soon I will reunite with my family and get the chance to travel around Europe with them and a friend from home!