Dinner Culture... and Lawyers
A typical Spanish meal, and next in Escaping America: Lawyers and Visas
Spain has a strong and distinct culture around the timing and performance of their meals.
An average meal schedule goes like this:
~7:00 am -9:00 am - El desayuno
Breakfast. Often just coffee with a pastry. Could also include freshly squeezed orange juice, churros with chocolate, or pa amb tomàquet.
10:30 am - Noon - El almuerzo
This means lunch in Latin America, but here it’s an optional snack.
2:00 pm - 4:00 PM - La Comida
Literally, “The Meal”. This is usually the biggest meal of the day and it can go on for hours. Schools and workplaces tend to give off a minimum of 2 hours, and then people go back to work for a few hours after. 2:00 pm is the most standard time for this, but I’ve had Comidas start as late as 4:30, 5:00 pm even.
5:00 pm - 7:30 pm - La merienda
You may eat this snack to tide yourself over for dinner, but it’s optional. Similar to el almuerzo, it’s often something sweet.
9:00 pm -11:00 pm - La Cena
This is dinner in Spain, and you will rarely see Spanish people start this before 9:00 pm. If you make a reservation for 8:30 pm, you will likely only see foreigners at the beginning. This meal is usually a bit lighter than La Comida and often consists of shared plates. It’s illegal to order paella for dinner.
Spanish meal times are one of the biggest culture shocks that I experience, even when I fully know to expect it. My natural inclination is to have a big lunch around 11 or noon and dinner around 7, which always flabbergasts Spanish people. Of course, living here, I can eat whenever I want in my own home, but it’s very hard to find restaurants open earlier than their normal meal hours.
Here is a pretty typical shared dinner.
At this meal, we had gambas al ajillo (Spanish garlic shrimp), a few in-season vegetables prepared very simply, some fried and grilled fish, a steak, and dessert (flan and profiteroles). Since we were a group of 7 people, this meal felt pretty light, because you are not going to town on a steak individually.
Escaping America: Visas and Lawyers
Visa and Lawyers
There are many types of visas you can apply for. I decided to go for the Telework Visa (also dubbed the “Digital Nomad Visa,” although I avoid that term like the plague). Other options include student visas, “highly qualified workers” visa, investor visa (aka golden visa), and “non-lucrative” visas (usually for retirees).
For my visa, you can apply from a consulate in your home country or apply within Spain after entering as a tourist. Coming to the US as a tourist and then changing the purpose of your visit is very illegal in the US, but it’s actually encouraged in Spain.
There are a few advantages to applying for a visa within Spain, namely:
The visa is initially approved for three years vs one year if you apply at a consulate.
A lawyer can apply on your behalf in Spain.
If a lawyer applies for you, you don’t need a NIE (foreigner identification number like an SSN) before applying. However, if you do it in your home country, you need to make an appointment at the consulate to apply for a NIE before applying for the visa.
If you apply within Spain, the immigration officers reviewing your application will be familiar with the specifics of your visa. Consulate workers have to be jacks of all trades, and they may not know the details of your visa. This makes them a bit stricter because if your application feels complicated or atypical, they are more likely to deny it.
Lawyers can submit appeals and receive feedback if the visa is denied. You may be able to appeal in your home country, but I don’t think you get feedback.
They are supposed to process my particular visa within 20-30 working days. I don’t believe the consulates have specific time constraints like this.
Even though I have a degree in Spanish, the paperwork is a bit daunting, and I was worried I might accidentally fill something out wrong. I found a Spanish law firm to help, and they charged about $700 to walk me through the entire process, which I felt was worth it, especially when 1 hour of a NYC lawyer’s time can be more than that.
That’s all for this post, but I’ll have a recipe in the next one!
xx jer
Made Honey, Lemon chicken last night. So good. Looks like you are enjoying so far.