Counting down the 4 months until departure. Ready for the white water ride that will be moving to Spain. Mouth watering for the tortillas and Pulpo. But the fries, oh, those ubiquitous, ridiculous patatas. I simply don’t care for them, even in the smallest doses, let alone with every meal. Is there hope? Has anyone ever had any luck substituting arroz, or ensalada?
I did once, but it felt high maintenance and rude, and shan’t do it again. Should I just accept my plate half empty as nothing more than a small price to pay for the luxury of such a place?
Any other nada patatas out there?
Warmly,
Laura
😉
Agreed, I avoid the patatas as much as possible. A brazilian friend of mine and I were comparing the staple foods of UK and Spain last night in a contest to know which was worse (ie. fish and chips vs platos combinados); the UK won by the sheer nastiness of the batter on the fish.
But no, there’s not a lot of substituting of anything in restaurants except the nicest ones (where you won’t find patatas anyway). I suggest learning to enjoy bravas sauce or avoiding the sort of unremarkable restaurants that serve patatas with everything. 😉
If you mean those dreadful spindly things that McDonalds introduced all those years ago I have to agree with you… BUT… being coeliac I have to avoid them anyway because they are flour coated.
Now the good old British Chip is something else… King Edward potatoes deep fried in pure beef dripping is something else!
Alas the Spanish have no idea how to cook them… they seem to use any old potato deep fried in corn oil or sunflower oilor worse still olive oil and instead of cooking at 180C they seem to cook them at 160C so the whole thing is just a disgusting copy.
As for ensalada… strictly for rabbits so far as I am concerned…
I get through loads of rice though!
My staples are home cooked Brit chips and ricey things oh and tortillas of course….
Again over here most Gluten Free Bread products are pretty tasteless being made from either rice flour or cornflour. Yeuch!
Oh yes, I agree! If only some restaurants would take all that lovely olive oil and roast or saute the potatoes instead, it would be lovely. Alas, if the shoe doesn’t fit, the foot must adjust. Maybe I will just grow to love them…. 😉
I don’t particularly like “chips” (French fries), and I find they rarely come with the food I order (I suppose it depends where one eats!). I love salads (and by salad I do not mean just a few pieces of lettuce and a slice or two of tomato, but proper exotic salads, correctly dresssed). And no I am not given to eating at expensive restaurants.
In any Spanish restaurant (aside from fast food joints) you can request a guarnici?n de verdura, for example, if you don’t want salad.
On the odd occasion when I have had patatas fritas in a Spanish restaurant, or when someone else at the table had them, the chips were done to perfection—light, non-greasy and even good to look at.
Just keep away from the “greasy spoon” establishments!!!
I’m a big fan of potatoes in general but it’s true that Spain seems to be a fan of the oily soggy fried potatoes. I guess it also depends how you like them. I usually go to a few bars in Madrid for some bravas because I know that they usually fry the potatoes long enough so they come out crispy. You just gotta look around and find a place that makes them just the way you like them or has no problem giving you some rice instead. I’ve usually found that the waiters a friendly and don’t mind making the change.
I like potatoes! I eat it even in Spain! It does not matter for me where I am, I will eat potatoes anyway!
I’m obsessed with gaming, I love The Elder Scrolls V! Also check out my creation https://ranktopten.com/top-followers-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-2468 So, I like to play games and eat french fries! That’s how I’m having fun!
Fast food French fries are the bane of my existence, so we won’t go there. But super crispy, thin cut fries which are commonly called frites by the French are not so bad. Especially when dunked in some malt vinegar (yum!). Also, it depends on what fat they’re fried in. Duck fat or beef tallow are the best, especially when fresh. Also again, it depends on the potato. For me, I love an Idaho, skin on, and double fried, which is crucial.
I forced some salad last night, but it was difficult. My food aversions apply to anything and everything except carbs and fruit. The saltier, the better.
Sparkling water helps me; I was guzzling ginger ale, but felt nervous with all the sugar so I switched to the flavored water. That’s helped a lot.
I figure I can get back to healthy eating once this first trimester is done, but I am still trying to force down one healthier meal a day. Best of luck!
I have to admit that potatoes are my No. 1 “can’t live without” splurge food. As much as I love coffee and wine (both help your microbiome!), I could go through life without them. But potatoes, now that would be tough because they’re just so darn satisfying. The question is, are potatoes nutrition packed or are they a diet no-no?
