Food on La Meseta beyond abysmal

[Perambulating Griffin]

I think all these phrases that put different countries at different levels are likely to be fraught. I can well imagine someone taking umbrage at being told their country is still developing while my country is developed, like theirs was not as mature or evolved.

Not to mention that the "developed" countries have massive areas where people struggle with existential threat to their well-being.

 

[Walkalong]

With all due respect, it’s not a problem.

It's just part of what makes a camino the wonderful experience that is can be.

The OP seemed more than a little patronizing, with a touch of victim blaming.

I wonder if it isn’t a reflection on the new wave of the privileged, on a schedule, expecting to be catered to while disturbing the peace, leaving trash, tissue paper and excrement. To what end? A piece of paper? Bragging rights? Checking a box? Whining that they’re ‘not feeling it', yet?

The Caminos are a great testament to the graciousness of those that tolerate and welcome us with kindness. They, and their villages, are not a problem.

 

[CWBuff]

Well... the "abysmal" and "3rd World Country" apparently just scored a Number 1 spot:

The World's Best Burger Is in... Spain

 

[Kirkie]

Sorry I don’t understand re chopsticks. What do you mean?

Forgive me. I used a word that may not be universally understood? What do you call the eating tools in the image?

 

[lalaone]

I think Kirkie is sharing a parable - "long spoons" or "long chopsticks" can both be used to communicate the message

Allegory of the long spoons - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[domigee]

you certainly would get more vegetables in Thailand and Vietnam

We can't have been to the same shops in Spain. What kind of vegetables couldn't you find???

 

[CWBuff]

I think Kirkie is sharing a parable - "long spoons" or "long chopsticks" can both be used to communicate the message

As long as its not "Longshanks"!!!!

 

[SabsP]

Another thought. I find it rather strange or peculiar ( for lack of a better word ) that some pilgrims feel so hesitant to ask a local person for some tips or general advise. Not only when it comes to food btw.
Even if the pilgrim has limited knowledge of Spanish there is mostly a local around who speaks English.
I remember a month ago when I was in Silleda that a pharmacist and I got into a conversation about Compeed and before I knew he gave me a suggestion about a good restaurant in Santiago.

So please for those who feel shy : don't be! Ask politely and you will be surprised! And yes, google maps is handy .

 

[Bob008]

We can't have been to the same shops in Spain. What kind of vegetables couldn't you find???

Well, tell us which pilgrim meals or restaurants along the Camino that serve dishes that consist of a heap of all kinds of sauteed vegetables in a big plate, which is ubiquitous in Thailand/Vietnam at few dollars? No, potatoes do not count.

 

[SabsP]

Well, tell us which pilgrim meals or restaurants along the Camino that serve dishes that consist of a heap of all kinds of sauteed vegetables in a big plate, which is ubiquitous in Thailand/Vietnam at few dollars? No, potatoes do not count.

Verduras a la plancha at Casa Barquiero in Negreira ( en route to Finisterre ) among many other places!

Or this one in Leon!

Carta – Restaurante Alfonso Valderas

restaurantevalderas.com

An example of the menu!

Puerros de Fresno de la Vega con salsa romesco y vinagreta
Verduras a la plancha
Etc etc...
Then again, aside from my first Camino in 2011, I never ate a menu del peregrino on other Caminos.

In Ourense : Maria Tapas.
Lots of veggies.

https://www.happycow.net/reviews/maria-tapas-ourense-250856

 

[Kirkie]

As long as its not "Longshanks"!!!!

According to this wiki entry, I have a new learning for today. Never despair, there is always hope for one new learning at least!
Thanks, @lalaone , and thanks, @CWBuff

Edward I of England - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[peregrina2000]

I haven’t been paying careful attention to this thread, but I think that the OP has unfairly focused on one small segment of the available food on the meseta — the pilgrim menú — and from there generalized about the quality of food overall.

If you limit yourself to pilgrim menus, you will eat food that is intended to be cheap, caloric, easy to prepare, and uninteresting. I’m not knocking it - where else can you get a 3 course meal for 12 euros? But to suggest that it is representative of what Spanish people on the meseta eat, or that it is representative of what is available to you if you “break out” of the pilgrim menú, is just not accurate. It is true that meseta food leans towards heavy meat dishes, but I think pilgrims who are not happy with pilgrim menús have two options — go to the grocery store/fruit and vegetable store and make your own meals; or spend more money and forego the pilgrim menú for either a menú del día or a la carte items on the menu of better restaurants. There are many restaurants in towns on the Camino Francés in the meseta that do not cater to pilgrims and where you can get excellent food.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

Verduras a la plancha at Casa Barquiero in Negreira ( en route to Finisterre ) among many other places!

Or this one in Leon!

Carta – Restaurante Alfonso Valderas

restaurantevalderas.com

An example of the menu!

Puerros de Fresno de la Vega con salsa romesco y vinagreta
Verduras a la plancha
Etc etc...
Then again, aside from my first Camino in 2011, I never ate a menu del peregrino on other Caminos.

In Ourense : Maria Tapas.
Lots of veggies.

https://www.happycow.net/reviews/maria-tapas-ourense-250856

yep... I've never been in want for a verduras a la plancha, or a massive plate of pimientos de Padrón, a tray of white asparagus and a massive salad with protein added.
Quince with cheese...

I'll take these any day over a plate of slimy, squishy sautéed peppers and strings of carrots.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

These kinds of posts are what give rise to the forbidden "Pilgrim vs. Tourist" arguments.
Pilgrims are responsible for taking care of their own needs. They adjust themselves to the path, they do not demand the path adjust to them. If the restaurants do not meet your demands, go to the grocery store and buy ingredients and make your meals to suit yourself.
Millions of Spaniards do that, every day, and their life expectancy is way longer than most anyone's.
If you don't like what's on offer, do something to fix it. Don't go online and slam an entire region. (Meseta cuisine can be exquisite if you step outside the cheap-and-easy "pilgrim menu" and order from the Carta!)

 

[C clearly]

These kinds of posts are what give rise to the forbidden "Pilgrim vs. Tourist" arguments. Pilgrims are responsible for taking care of their own needs.

When I am a tourist, I am still responsible for taking care of my needs.

 

[Perambulating Griffin]

When I am a tourist, I am still responsible for taking care of my needs.

On both counts... I think what you are really talking about is taking care of one's *desires*....
I don't want to engage in such precision for no reason; the entire hospitalero system does take care of needs, and does it so very well, is so dedicated to that... as I know @Rebekah Scott is (as are so many others here). I don't want to erase that dedication or make it seem as though the needs for safety, shelter and calories won't be there... And let's face it: the very most rudimentary pilgrim meal (and many communal meals are far beyond rudimentary) is far beyond the bread and beer rations that the original monasteries had on offer.

 

[CWBuff]

I had, admittedly not many, a number of vegetarian dishes throughout my walk. OK, maybe they dont compare to the ones from VietNam or Thailand ... but why compare? We are not in either of those places! By that standard I should make a big fuss about Ensalata Russa which is not quit the same as it would be in either Russia or Ukraine... but thats what the dish is in Spain, and so it shall be.
very good billimbob in Albergue Orion in Castrojeriz, a very plentiful and satisfying vegetarian dinner at Albergue El Beso... I dont know if the veggies were 'as fresh as Vietnamese' but they surely didnt smell funny

 

[TravellingMan22]

View attachment 178555
Forgive me. I used a word that may not be universally understood? What do you call the eating tools in the image?

I know what they they are (I use them all the time) but didn’t understand the context of your comment. .

 

[domigee]

Well, tell us which pilgrim meals or restaurants along the Camino that serve dishes that consist of a heap of all kinds of sauteed vegetables in a big plate, which is ubiquitous in Thailand/Vietnam at few dollars? No, potatoes do not count.

I must admit I haven't had a pilgrim meal for a long time, in fact since my 1st camino in 2012, I never liked the main course nor the pudding! (I am not a big meat eater and I prefer cheese to sweet dishes). But I never suffered from lack of food or 'abysmal' food in Spain! Whichever region...

If you order a 'menu del dia' like the locals do, you'll have much more choice. As others above have mentioned, you can also get a big plate of vegetables a la plancha.

Also look at their 'carta': in season, they have wonderful dishes of small artichokes (alcachofas) cooked on a parrilla, broad beans (habas), leeks in vinagreta (puerros), always a wonderful tomato salad etc etc
It'll probably coast more than in Thailand or Vietnam (never been to Vietnam but used to go to Thailand frequently) but... it is certainly cheaper than my own country (France) and definitely much much cheaper than the country I live in (England).

Try it next time, I don't think you'll be disappointed
I am not just saying this to you of course but to any others who may have had problems with food on the Camino.

If on a budget, the alternative is to buy your own ingredients (they WILL be available) and share with other pilgrims. Unless it's a Sunday or a fiesta day lol (But I have had small shops opening especially for us pilgrims on the VdlP!)

 

[Dani7]

The OP started a big pot of hot sauce and then left the kitchen. Has not been online in the forum since Wednesday.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Indeed. Shame he’s been run out of town though he didn’t help himself. He is professionally qualified so it’s good to have those sort of people on board, and a broader debate may have been useful. I didn’t agree with him at all, and his manner was not the best, and I think they were some good responses, but I also think some are too quick to ‘write off’ anyone who is remotely critical of anything on the Camino. Just an observation maybe for another day.

 

[ParisOslo]

The OP started a big pot of hot sauce and then left the kitchen. Has not been online in the forum since Wednesday.

Perhaps it is time to close this discussion.

 

[VNwalking]

The OP may have disappeared, but it's worth saying again before the thread closes: don't go for the cheap and not so nice pilgrim menu. Menu del día choices are always much more tasty, even for vegetarians (I tend to order 2 primero, thus avoiding the meat and fish).

The game-changer for me was realizing I could eat the big meal of the day in early to mid afternoon, and that's usually enough. That time of day Spanish restaurants are open, and menus del día available.

 

[Dani7]

I don’t know much having only done one Camino, the Frances last year… but one thing I do know following this forum for 7 years now, is most of us are quite passionate and somehow tied forever to the unforgettable experiences we had and shared along « The Way ». Members and moderators contribute so much to helping and supporting each other with all things camino.

I agree with @TravellingMan22. Words matter. The OP used words that perhaps rattled our wonderful memories of the camino, including the Meseta however we should be able to share our opinions, even when it awakens uncomfortable and not so positive feelings…as long as we respect the forum rules of conduct.

None of the rules were broken in my view in this thread.

 

[Hertsseasider]

Foreign country has different eating habits shocker !!!

 

[Peterexpatkiwi]

like your last line, “solve the problem”, but that requires that a problem be recognized. It seems to me that many do not see this as a problem, but for the OP, for me, and maybe others, it was a problem that deserves attention. It can certainly be challenging to come up with solutions that would be realistic, respectful of the local customs while at the same time addressing the challenges facing the pilgrims. “It’s their country” is accurate, but is that a reason to not attempt to address an issue

You are of course correct: it is a problem that needs addressing.
I think the point being raised by many is that as pilgrims it is us that should address the problem not the locals.

It is true that many of us who have responded have either walked a number of camino's and/or have traveled extensively. This means that we are used to addressing these issues, and have long since come up with solutions. Yes, it takes a little extra effort - looking for an open Tienda/ supermarket at the end of the day when all you want to do is sit and put your feet up is not always optimal. Especially when it's raining! Making the effort can however improve our overall experience substantially.

Carrying a couple of long life yogurt drinks and a bag of nuts, a banana and a tin of tuna, cheese etc to supplement our diet adds weight to our rucksacks.
But better to have yoghurt, bananas and tuna than a packet of chocolate biscuits or some cupcakes. Not that I don't enjoy those too: however as you yourself found sweet snacks were frequently available in cafes and vending machines, quality snacks not so often.

This approach is exactly what has happened with wayfinding : you mentioned the arrows. For some, this is not enough, and they still get lost. So others ( not the locals) developed various apps. Problems with finding accommodation? Likewise.

Absolutely, when nothing physically exists then of course that needs to be addressed at a local level. But needs create opportunity and when sufficient opportunity exists sooner or later somebody will step into fill that gap.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Well, tell us which pilgrim meals or restaurants along the Camino that serve dishes that consist of a heap of all kinds of sauteed vegetables in a big plate, which is ubiquitous in Thailand/Vietnam at few dollars? No, potatoes do not count.

Firstly, there isn't a "the Camino", there are many Caminos across Spain. This is, I think, key to understanding your options when you walk towards Santiago in Spain.

I am loath to compare prices between Spain and Thailand/Vietnam because there are many variables and so I will ignore that aspect of your question.

Somewhere above your question someone posted an explanation of some of the cultural aspects of different regions of Spain. The potato holds a special place in the cuisine of some areas in Spain and beyond that during relatively recent history the Spanish government at that time passed laws that required a "menu del día" that was required to be offered at a relatively low price.

Those laws are no longer in place but they created a tradition that many small restaurants still follow because their customers often requested it. From this concept many small restaurants that often served pilgrims also developed a cheaper version that they call a pilgrim menu or something similar because their customers requested it.

Given the requirements for low cost most of these menus feature a lot of carbohydrates because carbs are cheap and provide energy. Potatoes, beans and other cheap vegetables usually feature, depending on the region.

Of course, if you and other pilgrims on the Camino Frances want to look further afield you will find a greater variety of food at a variety of prices.

I posted some photos earlier in the thread, mostly in a spirit of fun but all those dishes were purchased in places that are part of established Camino de Santiago paths and some of them are from the Camino Frances just a month or two ago.

The food that you desire is available if you want to go look for it, it may not be at Thailand or Vietnam prices but Spain isn't Thailand or Vietnam.

If you are interested in the tradition of menu del día then look on the Internet and here is a couple of random ones (via Google search) to get you going.

The Spanish Menu del Día (Menu of the Day)

Conceived by a dictator, a tradition that cheaply opens up local eating opportunities

blairmastbaum.substack.com

The strange history and brilliance of Spain’s Menu del Dia

Franco did a lot of terrible things, to be sure, but one thing he did right: create the Menu del Dia. In 1964, he designed a set-price menu…

medium.com

The Menu del Dia is the Economical Way to Dine in Spain

The menu del dia is the most economical way to eat the large midday meal in Spain. It has three generous courses for a single price, including drinks.

www.thespruceeats.com

 

[dreaming]

My problem is that I am a slow walker and would be even slower if I stopped and had a big lunch in the middle of the day followed by a couple more hours walking. I only like to snack walking. It makes me feel uncomfortable if I eat a big lunch and then walk. I will just have to visit the supermarket on arrival for extras.

 

[dougfitz]

I like your last line, “solve the problem”, but that requires that a problem be recognized. It seems to me that many do not see this as a problem, but for the OP, for me, and maybe others, it was a problem that deserves attention. It can certainly be challenging to come up with solutions that would be realistic, respectful of the local customs while at the same time addressing the challenges facing the pilgrims. “It’s their country” is accurate, but is that a reason to not attempt to address an issue?

I agree that there might be a problem to address, but I am concerned about correctly identifying what the problem might be, and who might be best placed to resolve the issues. I would also be very concerned to ensure that it starts with looking at what we do or change doing as pilgrims to use what is available to support us, and not with what locals should be doing differently to make our lives more convenient.

 

[C clearly]

I will just have to visit the supermarket on arrival for extras.

NO, don't rely on doing that, as mentioned many times in the thread. There is no guarantee of an open supermarket at the right place and right time every day! You should carry some food to supply the "extras".

 

[Lindsay from Scotland]

Hello,

I am posting this having just completed the Burgos to Ponferrada leg of Camino Frances. This would take my Camino mileage up to around 1,300km over a few shorter trips, so while I would not consider myself a veteran I do consider myself to have some experience of the Camino, and of walking and hiking more generally.

The fact that I am a professionally qualified nutritionist that has an interest in endurance sports is incidental, but I mention it solely because I make these comments from a place of having some nutrition education.

The title speaks for itself. The food on the La Meseta stretch of Camino Frances is beyond absysmal. Protein and vegetables are always a challenge on the Camino, but it reaches new heights on La Meseta. I realise that I may have been unlucky the odd day, but I don’t think that unlucky.

Between low protein child sized portions of pilgrim meals in albergues at night, followed by 4cm of white baguette toasted the following morning masquerading as breakfast, to nowhere near enough protein along the route to satisfy the nutritional guidelines of a sedentary person never mind an active pilgrim, to places being closed at the times people need to eat, to croissants wrapped in plastic bags, to bocadillo after bocadillo the food situation along La Meseta is an embarrassment to the Camino. I generally would eat anything put in front of me, but I struggled continually to get adequate nutrition.

I never come on the Camino looking for an easy time, but the people in hospitality along this part of the route seem to have given up. Perhaps they are exhausted after a long and exceptionally busy season, but regardless it’s extremely disappointing.

You are obviously “special” person. I found the grub on the mesata fantastic but everything on the the Camino is fantastic
I love you anyway
Lindsay

 

[Helen Robinson]

Doug…I am talking about “availability” of nutritious food along the route, including supplementary to that available in albergues, restaurants, or otherwise…not an inability to look after myself, or a lack of money or other resources to buy or prepare food where there were options to do so.

I have traveled extensively in the world and have eaten better in third world countries.

You cannot buy or prepare what is not available.

You've never heard of tortilla for breakfast instead of boccadillo? The famous jamon available everywhere? Jars and jars of beans and lentils available in every supermarket? I find this post embarrassingly whiney. Maybe your journey is to discover what real hardship is along the Camino.

 

[t2andreo]

According to this wiki entry, I have a new learning for today. Never despair, there is always hope for one new learning at least!
Thanks, @lalaone , and thanks, @CWBuff

Edward I of England - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I try to learn at least one new thing each day. As I accelerate into my 70s, I find it helps keep me focused on A future. Any new knowledge is respected.

 

[markss]

I presume you are talking about the Meseta here in this.

If it was evident to you that you weren't getting sufficient, well balanced meals from albergues and other places you stayed, what did you do in response? There is no promise, on the camino or anywhere else, that your nutritional needs will be completely satisfied by the food made available in albergues, cafes and similar establishments. Other than in some limited circumstances like prisons, ships at sea and perhaps some remote mining sites, it would clearly be up to you to ensure that you satisfied yourself on this score. It doesn't seem to me anyone's responsibility but your own that your nutritional needs are satisfied. If that means supplementing what is being provided in albergues, cafes, etc by purchasing appropriate food supplies along the way, that is as much part of the camino journey as anything else.

The only person I would be disappointed in here is you. You claim to have the specialist knowledge to understand what your needs were, and where any shortfalls were present. If you did nothing about it, posting here to blame 'people in hospitality' doesn't seem to be a rational response.

Amen!

 

[Lurch]

I completed the last 200 miles of the Camino last April.. To be honest, at the end of most days I was just happy to get something to eat and some wine to wash it down with. Although, I do remember getting the greasiest chicken I ever ate in Atapuerco. Folks in Spain seem to prefer their food less cooked than in the US. Still, tasted OK and I survived.

 

[Ferdie]

I struggled there too, especially with portion sizes, I ended up bringing some snacks to help.

 

[Blister Bill]

At the risk of being another me too;
1. Not my experience.
2. Always do my own breakfast for flexibility and my own preferences.
3. Rarely do a pilgrims menu going for what I want (usually steak) on the main menu - usually better bang for my buck - eat like a local.
4. I fit my pilgrimage around the meal timings of Spain (the host country), which I feel privileged to visit, as I do when visiting any country.

I don't eat fish. Living for weeks in a place where the staple was fish heads on rice makes you adapt

It can be hit and miss sometimes, but as Mr Gump said life is a box of chocolates...

Can I suggest as you rethink your experience in the light of the overwhelming responses above let the immortal words of Gunny Highway guide you for the remainder of your sojourn: Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.

 

[MichelleElynHogan]

Let us go back a few hundred years. The Pilgrim of the Day would set out with very little, I imagine they were priests, for the most part so they may have begun with nothing. In that day, numbers were few and they had to survive on the blessings of many as they made their way along the route, likely with no markers to keep them on the path.

So, perhaps we have more than enough to sustain us, after all...on this Pilgrimage... Buen Camino!

 

[Reggitano52]

I presume you are talking about the Meseta here in this.

If it was evident to you that you weren't getting sufficient, well balanced meals from albergues and other places you stayed, what did you do in response? There is no promise, on the camino or anywhere else, that your nutritional needs will be completely satisfied by the food made available in albergues, cafes and similar establishments. Other than in some limited circumstances like prisons, ships at sea and perhaps some remote mining sites, it would clearly be up to you to ensure that you satisfied yourself on this score. It doesn't seem to me anyone's responsibility but your own that your nutritional needs are satisfied. If that means supplementing what is being provided in albergues, cafes, etc by purchasing appropriate food supplies along the way, that is as much part of the camino journey as anything else.

The only person I would be disappointed in here is you. You claim to have the specialist knowledge to understand what your needs were, and where any shortfalls were present. If you did nothing about it, posting here to blame 'people in hospitality' doesn't seem to be a rational response.

Well replied.

With all due respect, it’s not a problem.

It's just part of what makes a camino the wonderful experience that is can be.

The OP seemed more than a little patronizing, with a touch of victim blaming.

I wonder if it isn’t a reflection on the new wave of the privileged, on a schedule, expecting to be catered to while disturbing the peace, leaving trash, tissue paper and excrement. To what end? A piece of paper? Bragging rights? Checking a box? Whining that they’re ‘not feeling it', yet?

The Caminos are a great testament to the graciousness of those that tolerate and welcome us with kindness. They, and their villages, are not a problem.

Right on!

 

[pusser]

I presume you are talking about the Meseta here in this.

If it was evident to you that you weren't getting sufficient, well balanced meals from albergues and other places you stayed, what did you do in response? There is no promise, on the camino or anywhere else, that your nutritional needs will be completely satisfied by the food made available in albergues, cafes and similar establishments. Other than in some limited circumstances like prisons, ships at sea and perhaps some remote mining sites, it would clearly be up to you to ensure that you satisfied yourself on this score. It doesn't seem to me anyone's responsibility but your own that your nutritional needs are satisfied. If that means supplementing what is being provided in albergues, cafes, etc by purchasing appropriate food supplies along the way, that is as much part of the camino journey as anything else.

The only person I would be disappointed in here is you. You claim to have the specialist knowledge to understand what your needs were, and where any shortfalls were present. If you did nothing about it, posting here to blame 'people in hospitality' doesn't seem to be a rational response.

Hear hear.

 

[kamleman]

Well actually coming from a “third world country” (yes some of us do walk the Camino, more than once sometimes) I must agree with the OP that the food we eat is way better than “first world” American food. I mean, Tom Yam, Banh Mi, Curries, Tandoori, Babi Guling, the list goes on, and my waistline proves the point.

But Spanish food is great. Chuleton, baby lamb, the lovely tomatoes we had in Estrella. And many nice dinners on the Meseta too from memory, simple but tasty. I remember one place where the lady made the two of us a basic but very yummy paella. Although to be fair there was also that perfectly horrible meal at Hornillos or somewhere, but we drank a lot of wine to make it more palatable.

It’s the Camino. You have the privilege of walking through many places that most Spanish people don’t know. You are in the hicks, the boonies. The Michelin guide does not cover them. No point complaining. Go with the flow, and next time do like us third worlders and take some instant noodles and Serunding (it’s like a dried spicy meat floss, great in sandwiches) to tide you over the bad days.

Buen Camino!

 

[trecile]

Tom Yam, Banh Mi, Curries, Tandoori, Babi Guling, the list goes on,

You're making me hungry!

 

[Camino Chrissy]

You're making me hungry!

I was thinking the same thing...yum!

 

[henrythedog]

Meat floss? Notwithstanding that it supports the OP’s general point, it certainly needs rebranding - is it just the usual ‘meat’ or a particular species?

Sounds like it doesn’t weigh much though.

 

[Rebekah Scott]

In working-class agricultural villages of rural Spain, vegetables, fruit, and beans are day-to-day home-made fare. Fresh meat and fish, (aside from sausages and cold cuts and tinned tuna and sea creatures), is something special. Eating at a restaurant is a real treat. Thus, restaurant meals without meat or fish are seen as cheapskate rip-offs, or just weird. And so travelers expecting vegetarian options walk into a cultural mismatch.

 

[WayWalker]

Doug…I am talking about “availability” of nutritious food along the route, including supplementary to that available in albergues, restaurants, or otherwise…not an inability to look after myself, or a lack of money or other resources to buy or prepare food where there were options to do so.

I have traveled extensively in the world and have eaten better in third world countries.

You cannot buy or prepare what is not available.

We too found carb heavy breakfast inadequate so we always had boiled eggs at the ready. Fresh fruits and vegetables ẁere always available and cooking for ourselves or sharing with others was always an option. Sorry your experience was less than satisfying.

 

[naplesdon]

Hey, mods can we stop this food fight before someone gets their feelings hurt or will I have to resort to my reference material and list the dozen plus restaurants I have eaten at between Burgos and Leon that would rate as Michelin star eateries, not including a list of the finest restaurants in Burgos and Leon.

 

[SabsP]

Hey, mods can we stop this food fight before someone gets their feelings hurt or will I have to resort to my reference material and list the dozen plus restaurants I have eaten at between Burgos and Leon that would rate as Michelin star eateries, not including a list of the finest restaurants in Burgos and Leon.

I am more than happy to start such a thread. Can also add good places on the Vasco Interior, Inglés and Sanabrés .

 

[Tincatinker]

Hey, mods can we stop this food fight before someone gets their feelings hurt or will I have to resort to my reference material and list the dozen plus restaurants I have eaten at between Burgos and Leon that would rate as Michelin star eateries, not including a list of the finest restaurants in Burgos and Leon.

Don, go for it! Just don’t mention the Mesón los Templarios in Villalcázar de Sirga. Oops sorry

 

[naplesdon]

I am more than happy to start such a thread. Can also add good places on the Vasco Interior, Inglés and Sanabrés .

I am traveling in Portugal at the minute, so I have no access to my notes. I have listed some of my favorites before on this Forum. When I get home, I will post a list if you want to start a thread. I am a foodie at heart and after walking numerous Caminos between 2011 and 2019, I have a list that I can attest to being superb for menu del dia, etc. Some American pilgrims just miss the point that the main Spanish meal is at mid-day and expect to eat on their routine schedule. This is ridiculous!!!

 

[naplesdon]

Don, go for it! Just don’t mention the Mesón los Templarios in Villalcázar de Sirga. Oops sorry

For sure, if it was good enough for Pope Paul II to eat there; maybe it is too good for pilgrims and then just 5k away is ****hotel and restaurant San Zoila.

 

[Tincatinker]

There is a pub not far from where I live that offers “traditional” English beer (mostly lagers) and “traditional” English “Fayre” including Chicken Tikka Masala, Weiner Schnitzel and Hamburgers. Now that is ridiculous

 

[Rita Flower]

Possibly my taste for street food and pastries might also have something to do with my weight gain.

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Wow. I saw one of those giant BBQs in Zafra during their annual agricultural fair. Amazing.

 

[Heal_to_toe]

I can see Paul288's point of view. Does anyone put ON weight when doing a Camino? I suggest not. I am a Pescatarian, my Spanish is very basic, so asking for particular food is sometimes daunting and I find the eating times in Spain difficult to grasp. I eat at albergues if possible, otherwise I eat at cafes or restaurants. I agree that most albergue meals are like junior school dinners but in someway this is the intention of the Camino. It isn't meant to be a holiday or a 5 star tourist jaunt. You suffer on walking all day and you suffer for accommodation. You are forced out of your comfort zone every day. It's a challenge and you have chosen to take it on. But yes, albergue meals could be better but you buy into the whole thing from your first step on the very first day.

 

[TravellingMan22]

In the UK I use the ‘Yuka’ app which you can scan on the bar code on each product in a supermarket which shows you the nutritional value of an item and shows you a score and a summary. I have found it to be quite a revalation. Not sure if it works in Spain or if there is a Spanish equivalent.

 

[WGroleau]

I don't expect restaurants to cater to my particular needs, especially …

… especially given the language barrier? One restaurant in Navarra had a sequence of sandwiches with diferent names. Each added one protein to the one before, except the last. It added lettuce to ham, turkey, egg, and cheese. Its name was "vegetarian."
"

 

[dick bird]

Perhaps it is time to close this discussion.

But everyone is having so much fun. What I find hard to understand is that a nutritionist was apparently unable to supplement the (admittedly somewhat uneven) pilgrim menu meals by going to a shop or another restaurant. There is very good food in Spain and it doesn´t take much effort to find it.

 

[trecile]

You suffer on walking all day and you suffer for accommodation. You are forced out of your comfort zone every day

You may suffer while walking and for accommodation, but not everyone does. On my first Camino I was definitely out of my comfort zone, but now the Camino is my comfort zone. Otherwise I wouldn't keep going back to it.

 

[andylm65]

Hello,

I am posting this having just completed the Burgos to Ponferrada leg of Camino Frances. This would take my Camino mileage up to around 1,300km over a few shorter trips, so while I would not consider myself a veteran I do consider myself to have some experience of the Camino, and of walking and hiking more generally.

The fact that I am a professionally qualified nutritionist that has an interest in endurance sports is incidental, but I mention it solely because I make these comments from a place of having some nutrition education.

The title speaks for itself. The food on the La Meseta stretch of Camino Frances is beyond absysmal. Protein and vegetables are always a challenge on the Camino, but it reaches new heights on La Meseta. I realise that I may have been unlucky the odd day, but I don’t think that unlucky.

Between low protein child sized portions of pilgrim meals in albergues at night, followed by 4cm of white baguette toasted the following morning masquerading as breakfast, to nowhere near enough protein along the route to satisfy the nutritional guidelines of a sedentary person never mind an active pilgrim, to places being closed at the times people need to eat, to croissants wrapped in plastic bags, to bocadillo after bocadillo the food situation along La Meseta is an embarrassment to the Camino. I generally would eat anything put in front of me, but I struggled continually to get adequate nutrition.

I never come on the Camino looking for an easy time, but the people in hospitality along this part of the route seem to have given up. Perhaps they are exhausted after a long and exceptionally busy season, but regardless it’s extremely disappointing.

Did you try stopping at a supermercado and choosing your own protein and veggies. I haven’t done the Frances, but that is what I did on the Norte whenever there was one open.

 

[KiwiJohn]

Excuse the pun mate, But SUCK IT UP, it's the Camino not a food odyssey

Thank you @MelMc, for saying what was needed to be said.
I completed my Camino at the 'youngish' age of 72 last September.
The food on those long days on the Meseta was always plentiful and nourishing.
'Some' people are never happy!

 

[andylm65]

That was not my understanding when I went into this. I’ve been under the impression (now completely dispelled) that everything closed from 2-5 PM, so my experience was bewildering as an inexperienced rookie, as I could never make sense on why in some places I could eat at certain times but it would be different in another town. It seemed more predictable in bigger cities but I simply couldn’t grasp the logistics of it, when I was told something different each time. That was my experience. Add to that the different “Dias de descanso”, the exhaustion after walking 20+km/day and feeling too tired to walk a single additional step (particularly with blisters), arriving mid afternoon to find out that the only store in town was closed and the following day had nothing available for 10+Km, made it very challenging. I’m sure those more experienced than me can figure these things out quickly, but for me it was a very steep learning curve.

Maybe stop of stage. Do a shorter day to allow yourself more choices.

 

[TravellingMan22]

I don't think your experience was so different! I think it is easier to eat poorly on the Camino than it is to eat healthily. That is probably true when you go on the road anywhere for weeks, or if you were working a few weeks of a different shift, or if your kitchen was being renovated. I certainly get tired of eating in restaurants of variable quality, as often happens while one is walking for weeks on a Camino.

In those situations, we either need to adapt creatively, or accept the period of less than optimal diet. Some people are fussier than others and may be less flexible.

In all cases, there is no reason to be stuck with low blood sugar with no food in your backpack.

Certainly this is the most salient point in this debate to me. I am currently transitioning back to a ‘fixed abode’ lifestyle after a number of years (4) on the road. I am good at adapting and ‘getting the job done’ (and worked in travel and travelled my whole life) but it’s hard living a healthy lifestyle (both nutritionally and lifestyle). In fact one of the reasons for transitioning back is health as I am putting weight on, drinking too much, etc. I used to love eating out in restaurants, but now I can’t think of anything better than walking around a supermarket with my ‘nutrution scanner’ and cooking my own food! Happy to never darken a restaurant door again! Some of it is down to willpower which miraculously seems to disappear when I am on the road but raises its head when back in the UK.

I have done 5 Caminos in that time and don’t really regard them as healthy pursuits which I know is counter initiative given we are walking 20km a day but unless you are ‘super disciplined’ I think you are less likely to eat as well as cooking at home.

All that said I do find Spain just about the best / easiest place to make a decent go of eating well in Europe, certainly better than most European countries, though that may be impacted by the fact that I know Spain probably better than most countries, although I know Germany probably equally as well and it’s tougher there I find.

 

[TravellingMan22]

Excuse the pun mate, But SUCK IT UP, it's the Camino not a food odyssey

Well a lot of folks find food an important part of any trip especially overseas, and it tends to shines a lens on the culture, people, traditions etc of any nation, certainly in Europe and Asia anyway!

 

[WGroleau]

Did you visit any supermercado? Surely you noticed the fresh counter of fruit and veg?
Ok, only Burgos and Leon have the big Mercadona but smaller towns on the Meseta have supermarkets like Lupa ( Carrion de los Condes ) or Proxim ( Castrojeriz ) or Casa Ruiz ( Fromista ).

I didn't go in, but "Alimentación" in Hornillos del Camino looks big enough to have a selection. Their sign says (among other things) bread, fruit, dried fruit, cheese, soup, ham, salami, chorizo.

Another place I haven't been is the convenience store at the north edge of Hontanas on the pedestrian path Calle Iglesias.

Supermercado Aro Rojo in Castrojériz.

There is also a street market—but on Wednesday only.

Mercadillo de Castrojeriz

Información del Mercadillo de Castrojeriz, en Burgos: día de celebración, mapa de ubicación, , fotos de puestos, requisitos para vender, etc.

www.mercadillosemanal.com

Frómista has a Proxim

I could go on. A village of any size has at least some abarrotes. Even the tiny village (official population 117, actually less) I worked in had Tienda Markiola. with veggies, cheese, bread, meat, …

 

[kamleman]

There is a pub not far from where I live that offers “traditional” English beer (mostly lagers) and “traditional” English “Fayre” including Chicken Tikka Masala, Weiner Schnitzel and Hamburgers. Now that is ridiculous

Though Chicken Tikka Masala is a real British invention that doesn’t exist in India. My mum, who was Indian loved it, and returned from every trip to the UK with bottles of CTM paste. Can’t speak to the other dishes though!

 

[kamleman]

For sure, if it was good enough for Pope Paul II to eat there; maybe it is too good for pilgrims and then just 5k away is ****hotel and restaurant San Zoila.

And I can attest to the quality of the suckling lamb there.

 

[kamleman]

Meat floss? Notwithstanding that it supports the OP’s general point, it certainly needs rebranding - is it just the usual ‘meat’ or a particular species?

Sounds like it doesn’t weigh much though.

Yes, some things don’t translate well. In Malaysia and Indonesia it’s called Serunding. My favorite lost in translation dish is “Saliva Chicken”. A cold Szechuan dish - the intent behind the name is Chicken so good it will make your mouth water. But yes, first time I heard it it didn’t attract me too much!

Abysmal. A dark word. It was noted above that the op seems to have left the room. Maybe just lurking. I just composed a magnificent epistle. It is of course in the bin. Where it belongs. I really would love to have something helpful and constructive to say. One thing I have reluctantly observed about myself is I do go on... so best to say just this: perhaps the thread could have begun with these words: In my opinion/experience...
I would love to see this thread rising out of the ashes, like the Phoenix of mythology,
And one more thing: a large round table. Food that needs chopsticks. Many people seated. Nobody can manage to eat anything. Chopsticks are far too long. Solve the problem.

Lazy Susan?

 

[WGroleau]

And one more thing: a large round table. Food that needs chopsticks. Many people seated. Nobody can manage to eat anything. Chopsticks are far too long. Solve the problem.

Feed the guy across the table.

 

[dick bird]

There is a pub not far from where I live that offers “traditional” English beer (mostly lagers) and “traditional” English “Fayre” including Chicken Tikka Masala, Weiner Schnitzel and Hamburgers. Now that is ridiculous

Good tip if you are in the UK: avoid any establishment that spells fare FAYRE, in fact any establishment that refers to food as ´fare´. Apparently, Masala was invented in the UK because British customers found chicken tikka too dry, they wanted gravy with it. Yes, I know. A few years ago there was an excellent movie entitled ´Ploughman´s Lunch´ about the iniquities of the advertising business, the name deriving from the fact that ´Ploughman´s Lunch´ was a pure invention, (and if it existed certainly never contained Camembert - at that time what few ploughmen were left in England usually had fish fingers, chips and peas for lunch.) But we digress. The point is you can find bad food anywhere as well as good food, it´s just that the latter takes a bit more effort to find.

 

[Kirkie]

Yes, some things don’t translate well. In Malaysia and Indonesia it’s called Serunding. My favorite lost in translation dish is “Saliva Chicken”. A cold Szechuan dish - the intent behind the name is Chicken so good it will make your mouth water. But yes, first time I heard it it didn’t attract me too much!

Lazy Susan?

Well done for your effort to understand me! One of my (forum) friends tells me the truth: he doesn't quite get how I see the world!
@lalaone got it and helpfully linked to the source.
You are so right about things not translating well.
However, I know well that I do have a butterfly mind, the oddest connections fly into my line of vision. I know the story of the long chopsticks is not actually relevant to the opening post.
Why did I bother? I was trying to deflect from being negative in response to the op. If the op is lurking: come on, don't be silenced, come back to the conversation.
Now I will say something I often think: I have no idea who is in and who is out on this forum. And I could not care less. In? Out? Come on people! This is a flat colourless page on a screen. We have more to do than bother about clubs. The signature note, aspiration, goal, of the forum is, well, scroll and read it, up at the top. That is what it is all about. If anyone is worried about in crowd or out crowd, there are other platforms. Just don't use rumour to tar this forum with the one brush. We have an ignore button. You might not even be able to read my words of inestimable wisdom if you have used it for me!
My rant of the last few sentences relates to a now closed thread where someone began with 'I have heard' Don't listen.
Ok, to save you scrolling:




Happy Sunday.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

Ahhh, @Kirkie, you were an esteemed member of the "Not Serious" thread for a few years, and I learned that your wit is priceless. I still enjoy the "odd butterfly" that often pops into your mind.

 

[Tony Lenton]

I presume you are talking about the Meseta here in this.

If it was evident to you that you weren't getting sufficient, well balanced meals from albergues and other places you stayed, what did you do in response? There is no promise, on the camino or anywhere else, that your nutritional needs will be completely satisfied by the food made available in albergues, cafes and similar establishments. Other than in some limited circumstances like prisons, ships at sea and perhaps some remote mining sites, it would clearly be up to you to ensure that you satisfied yourself on this score. It doesn't seem to me anyone's responsibility but your own that your nutritional needs are satisfied. If that means supplementing what is being provided in albergues, cafes, etc by purchasing appropriate food supplies along the way, that is as much part of the camino journey as anything else.

The only person I would be disappointed in here is you. You claim to have the specialist knowledge to understand what your needs were, and where any shortfalls were present. If you did nothing about it, posting here to blame 'people in hospitality' doesn't seem to be a rational response.

A perfectly concise and balanced response.

 

[Kirkie]

Alrighty then. I dunno. Last time I checked, Spaniards didn't enter into the world to serve pilgrims. Always struck me as sort of a side gig. I found enough freshies to carry a few days and was grateful for ANYTHING I got to eat. Ate exactly 1 Pilgrim's dinner and that was enough for me. Just completed my 3rd walk to Santiago and found enough. It's only temporary. I'll be home soon to my first world country where I can eat whatever I want. Not THAT different from what I found in Spain. I eat simple and not so much. With lower expectations EVERYTHING is pretty good.

My walking companion is from the Basque country. We always had what we needed. Either by buying items, or by choosing from the rare menu del peregrino - we worked on a budget without frills. I walked the Frances in 2006. I am still alive.

 

[LTfit]

… especially given the language barrier? One restaurant in Navarra had a sequence of sandwiches with diferent names. Each added one protein to the one before, except the last. It added lettuce to ham, turkey, egg, and cheese. Its name was "vegetarian."
"

Luckily I speak Spanish And have learned that the Spanish (in general) don't consider ham or tuna meat.

 

[dick bird]

I walked the Frances in 2006. I am still alive.

A fact for which we are all extremely grateful.

 

[Pelegrin]

Luckily I speak Spanish And have learned that the Spanish (in general) don't consider ham or tuna meat.

Yes, ham is ham, but where is tuna considered meat ?

 

[VNwalking]

Yes, ham is ham, but where is tuna considered meat ?

I've had a waiter tell me on the Francés, "That's not meat, that's fish." Amusing to me at the time, because my loose and probably inaccurate native NA English understanding includes anything fleshy as meat - whether from fish, fowl, or someone with hooves.

 

[jonbeau]

Hello,

I am posting this having just completed the Burgos to Ponferrada leg of Camino Frances. This would take my Camino mileage up to around 1,300km over a few shorter trips, so while I would not consider myself a veteran I do consider myself to have some experience of the Camino, and of walking and hiking more generally.

The fact that I am a professionally qualified nutritionist that has an interest in endurance sports is incidental, but I mention it solely because I make these comments from a place of having some nutrition education.

The title speaks for itself. The food on the La Meseta stretch of Camino Frances is beyond absysmal. Protein and vegetables are always a challenge on the Camino, but it reaches new heights on La Meseta. I realise that I may have been unlucky the odd day, but I don’t think that unlucky.

Between low protein child sized portions of pilgrim meals in albergues at night, followed by 4cm of white baguette toasted the following morning masquerading as breakfast, to nowhere near enough protein along the route to satisfy the nutritional guidelines of a sedentary person never mind an active pilgrim, to places being closed at the times people need to eat, to croissants wrapped in plastic bags, to bocadillo after bocadillo the food situation along La Meseta is an embarrassment to the Camino. I generally would eat anything put in front of me, but I struggled continually to get adequate nutrition.

I never come on the Camino looking for an easy time, but the people in hospitality along this part of the route seem to have given up. Perhaps they are exhausted after a long and exceptionally busy season, but regardless it’s extremely disappointing.

Thanks for your post. As a global pilgrim for decades, I try to avoid these forums. But I thought I should comment out of concern for hospitaleros and for the poster. I've been walking the Camino for years and have never had anything but a great culinary experience. Yes, even those plastic-wrapped croissants were delicious and just the thing. But after so many years I remain at a loss as to complaints about any pilgrimage (or any journey). The Camino (yes, even the Frances, complaints about which I've never understood) remains a complete, delicious and gifted adventure in every way. I stay in albergues the whole way (and on other pilgrimages) and eat what I can find, which in Spain will be for forever a delight, an adventure, and a gift. I have years of culinary pilgrim advice to offer, but a journey (if that is what one truly wants) requires one to discover for themselves. Buen Camino.

 

[Pelegrin]

I've had a waiter tell me on the Francés, "That's not meat, that's fish." Amusing to me at the time, because my loose and probably inaccurate native NA English understanding includes anything fleshy as meat - whether from fish, fowl, or someone with hooves.

I didn' t know that tuna was considered meat in English speaking countries. Here in Spain " bonito con tomate" and " marmitako" are clearly fish dishes.

 

[SabsP]

I didn' t know that tuna was considered meat in English speaking countries. Here in Spain " bonito con tomate" and " marmitako" are clearly fish dishes.

Not only in Engish speaking countries. Here in Belgium we call it tonijnvlees although we know of course it is fish.
But with the meaty structure of the tuna I do not find it farfetched.

Also on many menus in restaurants : " tonijnsteak".

Dutch wikipedia page also mentions " meat " when talking about tuna.

Tonijnen - Wikipedia

nl.wikipedia.org

 

[VNwalking]

I didn' t know that tuna was considered meat in English speaking countries. Here in Spain " bonito con tomate" and " marmitako" are clearly fish dishes.

In English I guess there's also that understanding. But if someone's a vegetarian they don't eat animal flesh, whether from fish, reptile, bird, mammal, or sundry invertebrates. So a vegetarian salad would definitely not have any of that on it, however it's labeled.

 

[Juno]

Hello,

I am posting this having just completed the Burgos to Ponferrada leg of Camino Frances. This would take my Camino mileage up to around 1,300km over a few shorter trips, so while I would not consider myself a veteran I do consider myself to have some experience of the Camino, and of walking and hiking more generally.

The fact that I am a professionally qualified nutritionist that has an interest in endurance sports is incidental, but I mention it solely because I make these comments from a place of having some nutrition education.

The title speaks for itself. The food on the La Meseta stretch of Camino Frances is beyond absysmal. Protein and vegetables are always a challenge on the Camino, but it reaches new heights on La Meseta. I realise that I may have been unlucky the odd day, but I don’t think that unlucky.

Between low protein child sized portions of pilgrim meals in albergues at night, followed by 4cm of white baguette toasted the following morning masquerading as breakfast, to nowhere near enough protein along the route to satisfy the nutritional guidelines of a sedentary person never mind an active pilgrim, to places being closed at the times people need to eat, to croissants wrapped in plastic bags, to bocadillo after bocadillo the food situation along La Meseta is an embarrassment to the Camino. I generally would eat anything put in front of me, but I struggled continually to get adequate nutrition.

I never come on the Camino looking for an easy time, but the people in hospitality along this part of the route seem to have given up. Perhaps they are exhausted after a long and exceptionally busy season, but regardless it’s extremely disappointing.

You will get some criticism for your comments but don’t take them too much to heart. As a new member, is this your first Camino? I personally enjoy Spanish food and although occasionally repetitive, the menu del Dia is good. If you ate in a restaurant anywhere every day it wouldn’t seem healthy but you’ll always get a choice of salad or soup on the Camino, which is nutritious. Sometimes it’s best to eat at lunch as often cafes and restaurants are closed in the evenings in small towns. I personally found the French Camino and the Meseta no problem at all for food. If you ever get hooked on the Camino then wait till you’ve done the Via de la Plata. I completed it this July and sometimes I had to make do with an energy bar and a banana after a 30km walk as there’s very little infrastructure in some areas. However it’s also best to leave your knowledge of food and nutrition at home and just see what each day brings. I do take snacks and lots of water whenever I see a supermarket just Incase now after several Caminos under my belt.

 

[dick bird]

I didn' t know that tuna was considered meat in English speaking countries. Here in Spain " bonito con tomate" and " marmitako" are clearly fish dishes.

Tuna isn´t considered meat in English-speaking countries. They are, however, considered to be animals, which is why vegetarians don´t eat them.

 

[Kirkie]

Tuna - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org