Un poco más de la cultura Español - "A little bit more of Spanish culture"

Here's some more typical Spanish culture that I'm growing accustomed to:

Dos Besos: Dos besos or "two kisses" is a tradition in much of Europe, and definately here in Spain. Instead of a handshake, it is customary to give a kiss on both cheeks both when meeting someone for the first time and when greeting them everytime after that. A kiss on the left side, then on the right side is customary. As my actual university classes haven't begun yet, and the majority of the people I've been introduced to here have been other exchange students (many from the U.S., but some who are not), it's been quite a funny process trying to figure out if I go for the handshake or the dos besos. I love the awkward moments when I think I'm being introduced to another American though really they're not, and they lean forward (me thinking they're going for the handshake) though really they're going for dos besos, so I reach my hand out and grab theirs, awkwardly receive one kiss, then realize I'm now giving a handshake while doing dos besos. Yes it has happened. I'm sure it will happen many more times. Maybe I'll just be safe and stick to dos besos!

Tapas: Tapas are typical appetizers or snacks in restaurants and cafes served mostly late at night. It is typical to go out for tapas between getting off work and when eating dinner (dinner in Spain is always late, 9 pm often). There's a wide variety of types of tapas. A few nights ago a large group of us went out for tapas and experienced about 10 different kinds: ground beef in tomato paste, cracker type crust with some sort of salty seafood paste and an anchovie on top, empenadas, tortilla española (Spanish omelette... an egg omelette with potato), Murcian salad (tomato, olives, peppers, hard boiled eggs in a sauce, no lettuce), fried potatoes, Spanish pizza, and several others! Some were amazing, some definately were not, but we enjoyed the experience. Tapas are also amazingly cheap, between 1 and 3 euros a plate (which has more than enough to share). Another popular dish here in Spain is slices of toasted french bread served with crushed tomatos, olive oil, and salt. The taste is amazing, and definately something I'll be making for myself all the time in the United States. They eat it for every meal here! The man working at the restaurant we ate tapas at kept bringing us more and more tapas. We were incredibly full by the end of the tapas experience. But, the waiter was very nice and gave free shots of limonchello (sugary lemon alcohol shots) to our entire group of about 20. I'll document some of my favorite tapas and get the recipes so I can share the experience with all my friends and family in the U.S. upon my return!