Mmmm…. true, different quality= different price; but put in the average salaries and do the equation. There is no way around economics: the USA is cheaper for basically EVERYTHING because it is a larger, more advanced market, most states no VAT, lower duties, and yes, GM food /hormones/intensive agriculture/Chinese imports (I am referring not only to food) and all too…
About Spain’s food: I do not find Barcelona particularly cheap. If you want the REALLY good stuff, you have to pay for it, like in any country. Distribution systems are fairly primitive here; unless you shop at Carrefour, prices tend to be high in small supermarkets.
Eating out in Spain is expensive, especially in large cities. Daily menus are hardly exciting, but sometimes, if you find the right place and are not too thirsty, they are good value.
Just my 2eurocents..
Rokipatel claims food is more expensive in Spain than it is in the US. Is he comparing the same stuff? Everyday food is much better quality in Spain than the US (unless you search out farmer’s markets and so on in North America). When I’m in Spain I buy jamon serrano, hand-made sheep’s milk cheese, artisan bread and pastries, ultra-fresh fruit, veg and fish, extra-virgin olive oil, organic lamb and goat meat, wild mushrooms… This stuff is all affordable and widely available in Spain, whereas in the US and even the UK you’d have to go to specialist stores and pay a fortune. Basics like rice, pasta, garbanzos, coffee or whatever are cheap here too. So what’s more expensive in Spain - imported Hershey’s and Cheerios? Marshmallow fluff? No shit, Sherlock. As for eating out, I’ll accept that you can spend a good deal in a Spanish restaurant these days, but I don’t know where in the States you would find the equivalent of the 7 or 8 euro menu del dia consisting of three courses of real food and wine. Or for that matter, a couple of exquisite tapas and a glass of good wine for the price of a burger and a soda in the States. One of the great joys about life in Spain is the enjoyment of really, really good quality, local and seasonal food on a daily basis, within a sophisticated and knowledgeable culinary tradition where everyone is an expert. Even France has fallen behind in this, in my opinion, although Italy and Portugal are still comparable. The food culture in the States is barbaric by comparison, whether it’s cheap or not.
