Things of Interest

Here is a list of Spanish (or madrileno) cultural things that I find interesting:

• Coffee: I knew that European coffee was strong before coming here. I was worried that I wouldn't like it. On the contrary, it's AMAZING. They don't serve as much coffee as American restaurants, but what they do serve is so tasty. I don't think places here have coffee just sitting on a pot. Instead, they make it fresh every time. Even the school cafeteria serves great coffee. And on that note...
• Cups and saucers: If you buy a coffee, they give you a cup, saucer, a tiny spoon, and a packet of sugar. Now, I love coffee cups. For some reason it's a weakness of mine. So I am disproportionately excited about this (as my family can attest)
• Smoking: More people smoke here. In fact, tobacco shops are everywhere. Thanks to the (new?) law, however, people cannot smoke indoors. Therefore, smoking hasn't been an issue for me. Honestly, I think that Los Vegas is much, much worse. 
• Fur coats: This isn't a particularly widespread thing, but I do notice that more women (particularly older women) wear fur coats
• Heating: I remember reading in our EAP guide that some older apartments in Madrid don't have heating. I expected to be cold all the time. On the contrary, many places that I've been to are heated. In addition, it is very warm indoors. With the heater on and the bright blue Spanish sky outside my window, I feel like its a pleasant spring day. In reality, it is 40-something degrees outside. 
• La gente: (the people) Spaniards, in general, are very friendly. It's much more common for someone to come up and talk to you than in California. Additionally, because I do not look Spanish (at all), people just sort of [correctly] assume that I speak English. People on the street will therefore speak in English. For instance, while waiting at San Gines for chocolate con churros, a guy approached me and started speaking in English. So, we had a conversation in which I spoke Spanish and he spoke English. In stores, however, people speak in Spanish. 
• Laundry: I don't recall seeing any laundromats in Madrid. My senora has a small (and I do mean small) washing machine in her kitchen. However, clothes are dried outside the window. It's fairly common to see clothes hanging from a balcony. Good thing I bought new underwear before leaving, since it is currently outside for all of Madrid to see. :P
• La comida: (the food) I don't know if I can really say too much about Spanish food. Here are some things that I noticed
• Jamon: Ok, this one is obvious. Spain loves ham. Normally, I don't like ham. However, they prefer to eat dry-cured jamon which more closely resembles prosciutto. It's fairly common to see pig legs (there is probably a nicer way of saying that) hanging from bars or restaurants as they dry.
• Bocadillos: These are sandwiches made with a crusty baguette-type bread and are generally simple in nature. What you see on the menu is what you get; you generally don't have to ask "what does it come with?" For instance, a bocadillo de jamon serrano will just have the bread and jamon. They don't dress up their sandwiches as much as Americans.
• Condiments: This is something that has frustrated some of my Californian friends. I personally don't have any problems with it. Spaniards generally don't use hot sauce, pepper, ketchup, or other "standard" American condiments. However, they love mayonnaise and olive oil. 
• Meal times: Lunch is at 2:30-3:00 pm. Dinner is around 8:30-9:00 pm. 
• Bread: Bread is a major part of the Spanish diet. As a fellow bread lover, this is amazing.
• Eggs: In contrast to American customs, eggs are common as a lunch or dinner items. La tortilla espanola (Spanish egg + potato omelette) is a popular and accessible meal. I also love eggs, so this is great
• Olive oil: Spaniards love olive oil; I believe that it is a major export in Spain.
• Obesity: Given the carbohydrate-rich diet, its surprising that I haven't seen any heavy-set Spaniards. Granted, I live in a city where people walk everywhere. Nevertheless, they are doing something right. I also thing that they don't generally eat as much as we do.

So that's the list of thoughts thus far