Food, cider, and music

Yesterday was my biggest dose of Basque culture since I've been here. Yesterday a small group of us from my program went have lunch at a sidreria in San Sebastian, which is something we would consider a cider house. The cider is made right there onsite and were are two huge rooms lined with cider barrels bigger than you can imagine.

I had no idea what to expect when I got there, mostly because I went into blindly after the idea got tossed around one day and it sounded fun. It's different than anything I've done in the States because everyone eats the same three course meal and everyone who reserved to eat at the sidreria that day all eats at the same time and stays for a couple hours. 

We of course were the first ones there because we were not entirely sure how everything worked. But like by little, after our tour of the cider house the whole place filled up with people of all ages. We ate and drank like nobody's business and I probably ate the best steak I've ever eaten in my life. And the cider was great, fresh and straight from the tap of the barrel. And we learned how to correctly tilt the glass when serving yourself from the spewing tap.

As the each course was brought out, the people were getting louder and more cider was being consumed. Some people were eating, some were mingling by the cider barrels, but everyone was happy. It was the most friendly I've ever seen Basque people for that matter and I believe it was because their shell was already broken and they were in the comfort zone of their own food, friends, and culture.

Later on there was music and dancing and all of us Americans were asked to sing their Basque songs with them which was pretty tricky... I was really just making noises. It was so much fun to see the big mix of people, everyone from 5 years old to 85 years old was in one place drinking, eating, and enjoying life. After the lunch was over everyone was asking us to join them at the bar down the street.

After a countless number of cider glasses we had all consumed, we made our way out to find we were all fairly intoxicated and it was still light out. In fact it was still the middle of the day. To our surprise the bar everyone was heading to was actually raging and it was before 4 p.m.

Needless to say we stayed there for a few more hours and continued to rage the day away with some who looked to be older than my mother. Regardless, it was one of the best days I've had since being here. However drinking in the middle of the day does have it's consequences like when you stop drinking and have to get on an hour long bus ride home, it turns out you're experiencing the onset of a hangover and you haven't even gotten in bed yet.