As you can imagine, the food here is amazing! I always find myself looking forward to meal times because there’s never a dull moment. I mean, when you have so many options at the dining table, you can’t help yourself. From Paella to patatas con carne, I love it all. The food in Alicante is heaven on earth with a large variety and Mediterranean influence. To make matters even better my host family have lived in Mexico and Argentina for quite sometime, and they prepare me some of their favorite foods from both countries! 
(Paella I made at a cooking class)
Moving on, one of the most popular dishes known to Spain is La Paella. Paella is a dish filled with vegetables, rice cooked in chicken broth, pepper, colorant and your choice of meat or seafood. Since arriving here, I’ve been able to eat Paella 3 times. Although that may not seem like much, it’s actually because traditionally Paella is cooked on Sundays by men! Yeah that’s right, it’s a way of giving the women of the house a break from cooking all week.
Here’s a clip of the ingredients my host dad had for his Paella.
Even though I’ve named a few of the ingredients that go into making Paella, one must remember that every household is different and ingredients do vary. And when ingredients vary, the time it takes to make does too. When you ask a Spanish person how long does it take to make Paella, you get a tired look in response. From the defrosting of the chicken to the cooking of the rice, it’s typically 5 hours (crazy!). But it’s all worth it when you get to eat it amongst family and friends on Sunday!
Living La Veny 