Holiday Season Festivities in my Village

As most of my entries have focused around where I go on my travels, I figured I'd finally write one about the actual town I live in, Herrera Del Duque. Although I teach at both the high school and the elementary school, most of my social life stems from my co-workers at the high school. I was so lucky to be placed in a town with such an inviting group of people who always seem to put "having fun" at the top of their list!

Like any workplace in the United States, the high school had its annual Christmas celebration for staff. Theirs consisted of a meal at a nice restaurant in town, and like most company Christmas parties, everyone dressed up. It started at 3:00 pm on a Thursday, their lunch time. School gets out at 2:30. This meant everyone had half an hour to run home, freshen up, change and meet at the restaurant. (This wasn't quite as difficult as you might think considering everything in my town is in walking distance - and not all the teachers work up until the last period at school).

Here's a picture of where we ate, notice the bread on the table - an absolute must for every meal:

After we put a good dent in our delicious food it was time to unveil the recipients of the secret santa gifts. Here, they call secret santa "amigo invisiblie" - invisible friend (if you couldn't figure that one out on your own). I personally feel that anyone reading this will appreciate my friend Carlos' gift the most.

Here he is, take a guess at whats in that bag:

This might give you a better idea:

Yes folks, that is a leg of ham. If I haven't mentioned it before, ham is one of the first things that comes to my mind when I think of Spain, particularly serrano ham. Serrano ham is a delicacy here. It's basically really thinly sliced, cured, salty ham that comes from the tender meat on the leg. Don't tell any Spanish people if you don't like it, they just won't understand.

In addition to serrano ham, Spainiards eat everything pork. Many argue that the pigs on the Iberian Peninsula are the best, and they might be right. Personally, I'd compare their pig meat to our cow meat. Sorry Spainiards, but you just cannot get a good hamburger or steak here. Furthermore, burgers and the various types of steak are just not as popular here as they are in the U.S. In fact, order a burger at a bar and I guarantee you will get something that consists of at least 80% pig meat.

OK I think I'm done with my pig tangent now. In addition to serrano ham we also ate cod, croquettes, some type of fried potatoes (it wasn't french fries or chips), salad (dressing made from white wine vinegar and olive oil), smoked salmon, chicken and fried shrimp. Most of that food was cooked in Spanish olive oil and when you add in the local wine, you have a very typical Spanish meal. I'm still trying to solve the mystery as to why the people here are not fat.

Here's a picture of some of us during the meal. You can see my new roommate Cristina, directly to my left:

The secret santa gift-giving consisted of a lot of cheering and excitement, and it got everyone just riled up enough to start singing songs. Obviously, you probably couldn't just walk into any old restaurant in Spain and see a large group of people singing in celebration, but I will say that most Spainiards I've met are completely open to the idea of celebrations.

In-between songs, somebody decided to pass around blow up Nemo toys. These kept us occupied for a little while:

At some point I went to the bathroom and upon my return the whole group started singing the American National Anthem as a joke. They put their hands on their hearts and everything. Since they were only imitating what they've heard on our T.V. programs it sounded something like, "ohhhh wayyy can juu wiiiiiiiii." Hilarious.

My co-workers told me that because it was the Christmas party, everyone would dress up and everyone would stay out late to celebrate. I'd probably say that normally I spend Thursday evenings with the "under 35 and single crowd" but this night was different, a celebration for all of the staff.

Here we are at our first stop, after the meal:

By the time 10:30 rolled around (dinner time here) I was still full, but skipping meals is not an option in Spain. We plopped down at another one of our favorite spots to eat:

The rest of the night was a blast. As it turns out, I'm glad my flight home for Christmas didn't leave earlier. This night in particular marked one of my favorite Spanish cultural experiences thus far.

The following Saturday I had another opportunity to experience something unique here in Extremadura. As a continuation of Christmas festivities we had a lunch planned in the neighboring town of Cañamero. Since it was about an hour drive we rented a bus to haul all of us to and from the restaurant.

Here I am on the bus with my Portuguese friend, Tiago (he got stationed in my village working for Nestle - and hangs out with the teachers often).

So why did we decide to haul all the way out to this restaurant? First of all, the name of the restaurant "Algo Así" literally means "something like that." It's also a phrase often used to describe something unique. And unique it was!

The restaurant is located in the middle of the country, off of a dirt road. It was opened by a Swiss couple, Frank y Susanna Sinzig who decided a few years ago to fulfill their dream of opening a restaurant in the countryside of Spain. What makes the food extra special is that all of it comes from the country surrounding the restaurant. This couple grows their own fruit and vegetables and even slaughters their own meat!


Picture of the entrance:

Here you can see my friend Ismael and I holding the wine that the couple produced on their land:

The food was delicious and was described as "international fare." It surely was different from the typical Spanish food I eat in restaurants on a weekly basis. Additionally, the menu is always chef's choice (not a bad thing, I promise). From fresh squeezed fruit juice and a distinctive environment, to wonderfully seasoned pork and bread that actually wasn't crunchy,  Algo Así offered a truely unique dining experience. It definitely has my vote to be featured on the food network!

This picture gives a good perspective of what the inside looked like:

Here, my friend Vanessa and her boyfriend toasting with the after meal liquor. Speaking of liquor, everyone here drinks a little bit of it after a large meal. Apparently it helps with digestion. Why don't we do this?

If you're an "off the beaten path" type of traveler and you find yourself in Extremadura, I definitely recommend hitting up this inimitable restaurant for a rare and wonderful experience!

That about wraps up my Christmas festivities entry. In the days following, I flew back to the U.S. for some quality time with family and friends. It was a strange feeling to leave here and come back but I'm definitely looking forward to a fun and exciting second half!