Lalola- Our local diner

In terms of Spanish food, we have a diner located directly below our apartment that offers a wide range of Spanish cuisine. The diner has become a common place for my roommates and I to eat on Sunday nights when everything else in the city seems to be closed. The staff has begun to recognize us and they always have a smile for us when we come in. My first time to eat there, I was introduced to the bikini, which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich. Although this seems to be a more American dish, I see the locals eating Bikinis all the time. The next time I went to the diner I upgraded my sandwich to a Trikini, which has ham, pork loin, eggs, and tomatoes on it… absolutely delicious. As I became more accustomed to the menu and the general feel for Spanish food, I began to order various kinds of tapas and appetizer meats. The diner has all kinds of great sausages and meats that you just can’t find in America. The diner brings out a dish of olives every time we eat there, but I have yet to warm up to the taste of the olives. They are marinated in some kind of strange sauce that has a relatively vile taste; I don’t think I will be eating the olives on this trip. The diner has an extremely extensive menu and I’m sure I will try almost everything by the time I leave Barcelona, due to the fact that we eat there almost three times a week.
Another thing I have noticed about Lalola is the service and the attitude of the waiters. The food comes out extremely fast and is always delicious, but the waiters basically ignore you unless you get their attention. This is not a bad thing, just very different from the United States. In the US, waiters seem to hover over your table waiting to be useful because they are working for a tip. Since tipping is not a cultural custom in Spain, waiters only do what they need to. Initially this was a little strange for me, but the more that we go to Lalola, the more I like it. I wish I could go back to the United States and bring the custom of no tips, but I don’t think that would go over to well. Anyways, Lalola is our go-to restaurant and I’m sure I will eat there about 100 times this semester.