I have to say thank you HO, for bringing us together. I LOVE this part!
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To nosh generally means to snack or to graze. rather than eating or food in general. If you have a nosh, it means a snack or a little portion of something, rather than a full-fledged meal. At least, that’s how I grew up using it.
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Jesus Greg you fat bastard! Thanks for making us American’s look like gluttons!!
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So I’ve read through a lot of / most of the comments and posts in this thread and all I can really say is “wow”.
Wow…just wow. Look as an overweight American and having never traveled to Spain or Europe I can see both sides of this discussion. I am overweight, if you were to see me and without knowing or meeting me you got the first impression I’m fat and or lazy then so be it. That’s your right to your opinion, when I see overweight people I might assume the same. You know what…I’m overweight, that’s lifestyle “choice” I’ve made, so how can I complain if I give the public the ammunition to have these thoughts about me? If you allow your anti-overweight biases to preclude yourself from getting to know me then that’s on you. Even as I said when I see someone overweight and I have that first opinion, I don’t let it stop me from getting to know the person, I don’t let my own prejudice stop me from treating the person with the same respect I feel I deserve. The bottom line, my problems are mine, not yours, if you judge me so be it, that’s on you not me.
You or anyone can give your observations about American’s being obese and overeating etc. and overall I would probably tend to agree with you. I think my esteemed neighbor from NJ Mr. @gcaggiano did hit on a few points, especially in today’s world, I think much of this country is eating more as a comforting mechanism. We are certainly living in difficult and uncertain times, so there can be a lot of comfort found in a plate piled high with some mashed taters, fresh biscuits some kind of fried or broiled or grilled protein with an ample amount of gravy poured all over it, yeah…that’s good ole’ USA comfort food right there!
(My personal alcohol consumption during these times have also hit some record highs…why? Well I guess I really can’t stand my family as much as I should. lol But why? Really? Just to try and escape the reality of our lives. I have a fairly good life and I find it intolerable from time to time.)
Why is this a thing? I think like so many things America has taken pride in “size”. Dare I say we has a nation of been size queens for some time. From our outsized cowboy / 10 gallon hats, to our penchant to “Super-Size” our fast food, to our cars being land yachts and our favor for gas guzzling SUV’s while the rest of the world pursues smaller more economically and environmentally friendly vehicles.
For some reason American’s have long felt that BIGGER IS BETTER and I think that translates a lot into our food as well. It’s an observation from an foreigner, no harm, no foul.
"
Be well all…enjoy.
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Vegetables are usually a starter, for example: Legumes (lentils, white beans, chickpeas etcetra), artichokes with clams, Roman green beans, and depending where you go for lunch, a pasta with vegetables such as Pasta Primavera, or white asparagus.
They are not commonly served with a protein at lunch time but as a starter.
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Yes, depending on the establishment …
The Menu del Dia is in the Constitution and was created by the former Dictator Franco in the 1940s.
It is a complete main meal lunch. Dinners are much lighter or they are taken as Tapas in a local bar / restaurant.
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I’m from a different part of the UK than @Harters but like JohnI have always used understood it mean food in general rather than snacks or a small amount.
Quite a few years ago there was a very funny spoof cooking show with Richard E Grant called Posh Nosh on the BBC. There are some episodes on YouTube.
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I also wanted to note that I also photograph my plates up close to show more details of the food like @gcaggiano (causing the portions to look larger than they are). Also, some (not all) of the restaurants in the US do give larger portions to make their customers happy and give them their money’s worth (especially if you are spending $40 to $50+ for an entrée). We always order more food to get a taste of everything, but also have leftovers for another meal at home. Mrs. P always takes a few bites of everything and then takes it home. I take more than a few bites but will leave some over of dishes that contain huge portions. I also very briskly walk (wog) 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 miles a day on the treadmill to burn about 500 calories so I can afford the dining out indulgences on the weekend. Dinner is my biggest meal. During the work week I just have a little Fiber One cereal with figs, and quinoa and cauliflower rice for lunch. On the weekend I skip lunch altogether in anticipation of the larger dinner out.
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This is my usual serving of broccoli and brussel sprouts.
Please forgive me. I have sinned, obviously.
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I can help. Just put the sprouts on a separate plate, and spread everything out more.
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I completely relate to everything you’re saying.
I’ve visited Spain twice, and Europe around 2 dozen times.
I will say I am taking any comments or posts by people with English as a second language with a shaker of salt.
I have German relatives and Greek relatives who speak close to perfect English- but some things that come out of their mouths sound harsh in English, or to this Cdn’s ears. I know I probably sound pretty harsh in my caveman Italian, and my mediocre French and German, and proficient Spanish, because I haven’t mastered the subtleties or diplomacy in those languages.
Also, some North American norms seem odd or excessive to some Europeans. I’ll never forget my 17 yo German cousin coming to visit when I was 16. She told my mom that my mom was using too much dishwashing detergent, that the whole lobster in the shell that we ordered in our one night out was inhumane, that our Ontario butter tarts and date turnovers were too sweet. I thought it was obnoxious at the time. She didn’t mean harm- but she was outspoken. She also chose to read a book rather than watch rented movies on the new VCR on NYE, which I found hard to believe at the time.
I think a lot of sweeping and blunt observations a European might make in Spanish, German, Greek, Italian , Polish, etc sound very harsh in English to an English speaker or reader.
My 2 cents.
Also, for whatever reason, Spaniards and Catalonians are skinny, tiny people compared to my people in Northern Greece and southern Germany.
It’s downright depressing to try to find ladies’ clothing in Spain, if you’re a US-Canadian 14/ German -Austrian Size 44/ French 46/ Italian- Spanish 50 (that’s the size I wear) .
Most women in Spain seemed to be under 130 lbs, wearing what would be a size US 0, 2, 4 or 6, on my last visit.
The average female size in the USA and Canada is closer to a size 14 and the average mass was around 170 lbs last time I was on Halls MD.
I just checked Halls MD. 5 foot 6 and 170 lbs would put me at thr 50th percentile for weight for a 45 yo 5 foot 6 woman in the States. I think the average height might be around 5 foot 3 or 5 foot 4 in the States right now. The median weight for a middle-aged woman at the median height would likely be around 160 lbs.
No wonder we look fat to some genetically small- boned skinny minis who enjoy the Mediterranean diet and climate in Spain.
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Thanks for both of your thoughtful posts on this thread @Phoenikia; I too considered ESL for the defensiveness to the OP’s original question, and do give it weighted credence. However, questions about portion sizes, due to their very nature, are inherently loaded. (Like a piled up plate) 
But, we all learn, and ultimately it’s positive, as it increases understanding.
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Just a FYI my “Wow” was more amazement that people were taking the references of: " a piled high plate " or “gravy on everything” as offensive. I was NOT trying to chastise @Barca at all. (My apologies if it came across that way)
I was simply saying being a person who might be the text book definition of a “fat dumb American”, I’m alright with that if it’s what someone thinks. I’ve contributed to that first impression because I am the weight I am. (for the record I’m 6’3 and an even 300lbs) I know my weight has recently ballooned and I’m too heavy for my own good right now. I’m well aware…and I’ll address it and get it back down, but probably not right now. That’s ok because these are all decisions or agreements I’ve made with myself, so if upon visual observation of me by a stranger if they have a bias against me, that’s on them not me. I know who I am and I’m good with it, so I don’t carry other people’s luggage for them.
Like I said in my first post in this thread, I think it’s an “American” thing to have the biggest, best, largest etc. It seems to be a cultural thing and not one that is flattering to use as a society.
My apologies again if my original post made it seem like I was chastising anyone.
Thanks @Lambchop. I’ve had a very similar conversation a few times on the site many of us left.
Some lucky food lovers among us don’t battle the bulge, and if their loved ones , friends or their community, don’t have weight issues, they can be a little tonedeaf when it comes to comments about portion sizes, weight, diet, moderation et al.
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@NotJrvedivici
I suppose I’m remembering an old thread, with another poster.
I don’t mean to chastise Barca. Some of her comments do remind me of comments my relatives make.
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I’m good with who you are too!
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Interesting. Nosh is a Yiddish word, used in the way I described in my post, but it looks like it migrated into British slang as a general term for food.
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