Tapas in Andalucía, Spain

The tapas in Southern Spain are ubiquitous--and that is a very good thing indeed.  In Granada, when you order a drink, alcoholic or not, it comes with a little plate of food.  In other parts of Andalucia, you order the drinks and the food seperately.  The thing I like best is that you do not get too much.  If you don't care for it, leave it--there isn't much there to begin with and it is not a terrible waste.  If you love it, order another one.  If you didn't order enough at first, order more--the food comes fairly quickly.  This leaves one open to trying things that you might otherwise avoid, or would not an entire appetizer portion of.  A tapas is more of a taste than an appetizer, and in many places you can place your order as one of three sizes--tapas, 1/2 portion, or full portion.  Once you  know what you like, you can decide on how much of it you want.

Unlike other places, the drinks in Andalucía are very reasonable--even if they did not come with a tapa they would be reasonable--and the tradition of food coming with every drink encourages one to linger in a cafe.  I like the culture of sitting down, relaxing, having a little something to eat, then moving on, and starting all over again a little bit later.  The pressure to pick the right restaurant is relieved by the ability to try a dish or two, and if it doesn't suit, then going elsewhere.  The ability to try multiple things is another advantage--it was easy to get used to eating in this way, and hard to go back to having only one choice.