There is one thing that is never thought of as a good thing for your body in California – and that is dessert. Dessert is what you indulge in then feel badly about later. Dessert rots your teeth, adds inches to your belly, and takes the place of the healthy stuff that you are supposed to be eating.
But in Spain dessert is much more than the sweets. To be honest, Spanish desserts just aren’t that spectacular. The ice cream is mediocre (Italian ice cream in Madrid not included), there are no pies, and there are only a few cakes. At least the the flan is good.
What they do have that is fantastic is the fruit. Melon, tangerines, oranges, pears, bananas, hell, even an apple. If you are at someone’s house or in a restaurant, they will always ask, “Postre?” (Dessert?) It is a great opportunity to eat a balanced diet. Go for the fruit, maybe a yogurt, sometimes they even offer a glass of milk.
It seems odd to Americans since to us “dessert” equals “ sugar”. Something we got from the Brits? I'm not sure why this is but I do know that thinking of "dessert" as a piece of fruit is one of those very simple, but life changing habits, that we can learn from Spain. It ranks right up there with olive oil.
