Spanish picnic essentials. Pâté (jamon, tuna, or red pepper) Carrots & mushrooms for dipping Manchego cheese Apple slices Marcona almonds Queso fresco cheese Membrillo (any fruit flavor) Bread and crackers Bottle of wine

Now this was love at first sight. Before even being seated I saw a woman, sitting outside with this indigenous looking stone pot, sizzling with a deep purple and oozing with melted cheese. I knew I just had to try it. My companion, who actually lived in Mexico for over 10 years, was surprised that I'd never tried (name of dish) before. And boy, was this a real show stopper. It was so spicy it made your eyes tear with joy. It was so cheesy it left a queso must...

My friends and I excitingly inhaled two servings of chips and salsa (the second serving will cost ya, how European of them) to tide us over until our jamon y pollo tacos came. On soft corn tortillas, the chicken and ham were chopped and grilled with a touch of oil, salt, lime, and cilantro. Its simplicity not only validated the high quality of the meats, but also made a perfect pair with the lively green and spicier red salsa that came earlier with our chips.

Despite popular belief, Spanish and Mexican food have nothing in common. Tortilla is a dish of eggs and potatoes. Late night cheap and greasy food is not tacos but kebabs. Chips and salsa are a rare commodity, sometimes costing up to 7 euros at a supermercado. And don't even try to make a Spainards food spicy: give them some bread and anything soaked or fried in oil, and they're happy. Just about every Erasmus student from the US is on the hunt for a piece of n...

Love good food? Tight on cash? Go to Granada, Spain. The streets (particularly Corynn recommended street) are lined with bar and tapas bars that have one rule: Buy a drink, get a tapa. A glass of diet coke got me this beauty. Octopus (not fried- the chef came out to personally assure me my chosen tapa was gluten free) served with adventurous sauces. The ingredients, I may never know. Who cares? It was delicious.