Carne, por favor!

An article in the SpainAir in flight magazine told me that eating meals hefty in protein for breakfast and lunch and meals heavy on carbs. for dinner help to re-set your internal clock and therefore help with reducing jetlag. Hm. I thought. I wonder if that works? It seems as though everyone has their own "theory" as to what will help reduce jetlag. I still haven't found one that really works for me, so why not give this one a try?

The next day, after checking in to my hotel in the centro of Sevilla, I wander into the street searching for some protein-rich food for lunch. Glancing up and down the two lane street, I notice that, not to my surprise, most of the stores and cafes are closed. Today is Sunday. The entire world of Spain closes on Sunday. Spaniards do not like to work, especially on Sundays. So finding food will be interesting.

After stopping into a couple of places that were not serving food, I stumble across one cafe that does happen to be serving food. The woman there is very friendly and is speaking very quickly to me. Or maybe it sounds quicker because I haven't heard Spanish in several weeks since I've been home? I order a Coca Cola Light (the Diet Coke of Espana), and look at the menu. Hmmm. Protein, protein.

Placing my Coca Cola on the table, the waitress proceeds to tell me that the full menu is not available right now (because it's Sunday and they don't want to have to cook too much, claro - clearly). She starts talking to me about what she can offer -- she mentions croquettes. Croquettes! I love croquettes! They are kind of like hushpuppies filled with warm cheese and ham -- delicious!

I'll have some of those, please! I tell her.

But where is my protein? I doubt that the tiny specks of ham in the croquettes will suffice for re-setting my internal clock.

Carne! Carne means meat in Spanish. The waitress describes some meat that they are serving today -- it is delicious! she tells me. She says that the other people in the cafe are eating it right now - it is so rich, so good! Wow, I think. This must be some meat. She is speaking very quickly, telling me about the meat. All I can really understand is that (a) The food is meat. and (b) The food has something to do with "cola." Cola means "line" in Spanish. Like, you wait in a "cola" (you wait in line). Maybe she means it's a line, like a stack, of meat? I've had something like that here in Spain before, and it was amazing.

Ok, I tell her. I would like that too!

I wait, sipping my Cola, reading my book, lifting my head occasionally to people watch.

The croquettes come - familiar and delicious and satisfying. And then, the mystery carne cola meat comes. It smells kind of like a pot roast that your mom has been cooking for hours -- fresh, warm, seasoned. Ok...this smells good at least! I look at it. It is not a stack of meat like I expected, rather it is several different pieces of round shaped pieces of brown meat in a small bowl.

Hm.

I notice that in the middle of each piece of meat there is a bone.
Brown. Round shaped. With a bone in the middle.
Don't think about what you are eating, Brittany....just eat it. You know the rule abroad! You can't think about what you are eating....and you have to be fair and give the food at least three full bites.

Fork and knife in hand, I dive in. Placing the meat in my mouth, it feels chewy and soft. Squishy almost. Chewing, chewing. Hints of ham and bacon being to come alive in my mouth, but it's not quite ham, and it's definitely not bacon. Ok....it's not bad, but it's not great.

Bite two....the texture is horrible. Way way way too squishy. What am I eating?
What if this is what I think it might be.
What if this is what I have heard is a popular dish here in Spain.

Oh my goodness.
This is bull's tail.

Don't think, Brittany...you don't know that! Take at least one more bite! Bite three....and I'm done. Putting down my fork and knife, I surrender to the carne. The mystery meat wins. I do not like it.

As I pay for my food, I glance at my check. It reads "Cola de toro." Oh dear, I think. Toro means bull....

Returning to my hotel, I whip open my laptop and google the meaning of "cola" in English....And just for your information folks, "cola" does indeed mean line in Spanish, but it also means tail. :)