A Foodie’s Dream Experience

Food has always been an interesting topic for me. It was one of the driving factors of my decision to study abroad.

The opportunity to experience new cultural diets and tastes all over Europe was hard to pass up. While I knew that I would be able to further my learning and interest on my own, my IFSA program in Barcelona, Spain offered a class that would take my curiosity to an entirely new level. 

Food Culture and Spanish Society was the first class on my list after I saw it was available in Barcelona. I entered this class with no expectations, not knowing what type of experiences and knowledge I was about to endure. This class taught students many different topics all within the gastronomical field of study and tied it into the everyday life and culture of Barcelona. 

One key takeaway that has stuck with me in my everyday life back in the United States is Michael Pollan’s rule of five. My excellent professor introduced Pollan’s concept of knowing what you are eating before you eat it. If the food you are eating has more than five ingredients, or ingredients that you cannot pronounce, then do not eat it. While this may sound funny at first, I know it did to me, this practice has become a crucial part of my culinary style and gastronomical experiences daily. 

While there were many exciting learning experiences in the classroom, the classes that were held in different places around Barcelona were the ones I found most captivating. One of the first adventures we took as a class was to Mercat de Sant Antoni. This market is one of the largest in Spain and offers a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, locally prepared foods, fish, and meat. There is even an entire section for clothes and books. This market had the most vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables, and the fish was so fresh that it was laid on beds of ice, not behind a glass counter like we are used to in the United States. This experience brought us closer to local flavors and ingredients and I was able to try different foods that I didn’t even know existed! 

Another class excursion that stuck with me was Barcelona Wine Week. Our professor had taught us about the significance of wine in Spanish culture and in Mediterranean culture in general. Wine plays a daily role in the lives of many people in Barcelona, especially while following the Mediterranean diet. During this experience, the class was able to walk around for hours tasting different wines and learning about many different wine regions in Spain. I had the opportunity to speak with a few local winery owners and learned more about the wine-making process and different aspects of each vineyard’s unique story. 

Studying abroad in Barcelona opened my eyes to the world of food and broadened my perspective. I am now much more conscious about what I put into my body and how it is prepared than I was before taking this Food and Culture course. I am happy to say that it has made me feel stronger, healthier, and happier. 

Ellie Stanich | Butler University | IFSA Study in Barcelona | Spring 2024