Pesca'o Frito/Fried Fish

Fried fish is the local specialty around these parts, and lucky for me my Spanish girlfriends from the Masters class, "Las Chavalas" as I like to call them, offered to take me out for an almuerza of pesca'o frito ('chaval/a' is a local term for someone you'd call referring to either a young girl or boy or someone with whom you are on familiar, friendly terms).  Almuerza is lunchtime at around 2:30 p.m., is the big meal of the day and can easily last for over 2 hours.  Tapas are generally served the rest of the day at meal times, which of course are very different from in the States. 

Café con leche is whenever you get up and get around to it.  Desayuno (breakfast) is anywhere from 8 a.m. to noon and generally consists of nothing more than toasted bread with olive oil and tomato or some sort of florescent-looking pork spread I have not yet had the nerve to try.  Tapas are then served from around noon to 2 p.m. to tide you over until almuerza, the big meal of the day.  Then is marienda (afternoon snack), which can be anywhere from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., and finally cena, what we know as dinner, is served at around 8:30 to 11 p.m.  A side note:  I have yet to see traditional American-style coffee served here in Cádiz, and although I do miss it I like the fact that there are no Starbucks here even more.

Now, unbeknownst to Las Chavalas, the day they chose to take me out for pesca'o frito (pesca'o is local for pescado, which is Spanish for 'fish') is the day I decided to have my oath of office for the Navy Reserves administered.  Since my friend Emily, also a Naval officer and, therefore, someone who is qualified to administer the oath for me, was joining us for almuerza, I thought why not?  Since I didn't yet have the verbal communication skills to explain to Las Chavalas what all was about to happen after lunch that day, I had Emily, who's lived here for two years already, assist with the translation.  Las Chavalas were thrilled.  So much so that I kept hearing them say, ¡Qué guay!, ¡Qué guay!, which I later learned means, 'How cool!'

And so, below is the scene that took place in the Plaza de Flores where I took the oath of office for the Navy Reserves.  I love the fact that it took place in that particular spot, the place in town where they sell flowers, with my new Spanish girlfriends present and eagerly observing, and especially that Emily is the officer who administered the oath for me.  This is one oath of office ceremony that I will never forget.

¡Qué guay!