Pick a pica-pica

The church bells rang in the distance as the stained glass characters came alive in the sunlight. I stepped outside to smoke a cigarette and sat on a peculiar stone bull statue, outside a church. My gaze rested on the old, intricately designed church that seemed like it was forever reaching into the sky. Later on, Avila’s light, pink and sand palette intensified into purple, fuchsia, and orange hues as the sun dipped lower into the horizon.

I walked hurriedly down the cobbled streets to meet my fellow classmates at a bar. It was the first day of my summer sojourn in Spain, where I had been sent by my mother to master the romance tongue that it speaks (which I did). And yet, more precious a discovery was that of my gastronomic love affair with tapas.

The excitement came with my first bite. Immediately, I knew it was going to be a scrumptious next two months. I was seventeen. Six years later, I am still discovering that there are as many variations of tapas as there are cooks in Spain, or maybe more.

Tapas, by definition are Spanish-style appetizers of every kind ranging from finger foods and salads, marinades and pates, tarts and toasts, beans, sauced dishes, to even some soups. These are typically small plates of food which Spaniards eat with sherry, wine, or beer, before or instead of lunch or dinner. Tapas are redolent of the several cultures that have left their mark on Spanish culinary fare, from the Romans' taste for sausages (salcicia), to the Arabs’ refined use of spices. It was in Andalucia’s Sherry bars that the custom of tapas originated. Initially, they were slices of food (cheese, bread with a piece of ham or olives, salted dried fish) that people in Sherry bars would place on top of their glass to keep the fruit flies away. Hence, the name tapa, which means "lid". Today, tapa consumption has become so popular that now the Spanish Royal Academy minted a new word in its newest edition of dictionary – tapear = eating tapas.

Tapa-hopping is an integral part of the convivial Spanish way of life. I’ve spent many a night in Spain hopping from bar to bar to have a glass of wine and sample the tapa specialties of each. Spaniards love to gather in these bars where they meet up with their friends to enthusiastically, and very loudly, discuss the affairs of the day, argue about which soccer team is going to win the Primera, and of course scrutinize the performances of their favorite bullfighter. They joke, argue, and flirt – while tapas are always provided to keep them going.

I’ve always had an insatiable desire to learn about new places and people, to be exposed to societies and traditions unfamiliar to me – leading me down different paths of self-discovery. I do this not just because of the opportunity to learn more things, but because it allows me to see things differently, to see the world with "open" eyes. I guess I like to approach life always searching for something new and interesting, to wet my appetite for life, as if I were tapa-hopping.