Food and Drink

In the south, you’re never far from the familiar waft of a fry-up. The resorts pander to tourists’ home comforts. Which also explains the proliferation of Indian restaurants. By contrast, Indian restaurants are rather thinner on the ground in the capital, Las Palmas. Instead here the ethnic restaurant of choice is Chinese but as a teaching colleague of mine, thanks Ana, explained this has more to do with
the fact Chinese restaurants are so reasonable than a love of edible China.

Although nothing tastes better than Mama’s food, Canarians do like to eat out. A lot. So the restaurants aren’t just for the tourists. Having said that, if you see more native diners in a venue than tourists, you can assume this is a restaurant steeped in authenticity. Either that or it’s cheap. Canarians love a good grumble and none more so than after reluctantly paying for an expensive meal.

And in these credit-crunch times, the traditional Spanish menú has never been so popular. At lunchtimes, most restaurants will offer a set menu, comprising two to three starters, the same number of main courses, and three to five desserts. While these tend to be meat- or fish-based,
you’re usually able to arrange vegetarian alternatives.