A British woman who moved to Spain two and a half years ago has shared the “unspoken rules” around Spanish food and dining customs that she finds “really difficult to understand”
13:37, 28 Apr 2026Updated 13:37, 28 Apr 2026
The woman has struggled with so-called “rules” around food in Spain (stock image)(Image: Justin Paget via Getty Images)
A British woman who moved to Spain two years ago still finds certain aspects of her new life “difficult to understand” – particularly when it comes to food. Lots of UK residents opt to leave the country in search of pastures new, with Spain proving a favoured destination thanks to its consistently warm weather, reduced cost of living, enhanced quality of life, and a more leisurely pace of life.
British mum Susie exchanged the overcast skies so commonly linked with Great Britain for life in the sought-after Mediterranean climate. Despite moving two and a half years ago, there’s still several cultural differences that take her by surprise. Like many others, Susie has turned to social media to chronicle her experiences and in a recent video uploaded to TikTok, she expressed her bewilderment regarding “unspoken rules” surrounding food.
Susie began: “There seem to be all these unspoken rules about what you can eat and when you can eat them, and I’ve lived here for two and a half years and I still haven’t figured it out.
“I was talking to my husband today about what to have for lunch and I suggested, ‘well, we could have puré de calabacín (a Spanish vegetable soup with zucchini, potatoes, onions, and leeks) for first course, and then we could have ensaladilla rusa (potato salad) for second course.’
“And he’s like, ‘no, those are two first courses – we can’t have two first courses, can we?’ And I’m thinking, ‘oh, I didn’t realise that they had to specifically be for first courses. Can’t we just have one, then have the other?’ But no.”
Susie pointed out how this contrasts with the UK, where meals including a first and second course are more commonly associated with “a special occasion”, while everyday evening meals tend to be a single course with “everything all on one plate”, possibly followed by dessert.
She admitted Spain’s so-called “rules” about what’s appropriate to eat and at what time has been “really difficult to understand”.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
Susie went on: “I’ve been told there’s a general rule to help figure this out; if you use a spoon, it’s a first course, and if you use a knife and fork, it’s a second course – but what about ensaladilla rusa? I mean, I use a fork to eat that but apparently, that’s a first course.
“And what about croquetas (croquettes)? I mean, you use your hands to eat those, don’t you? So where do they go? How do you categorise a first course and a second course? I need to know.”
She then shared her confusion over the popular rice dish paella, which “you can’t eat for dinner in Spain”, and wondered whether this applied to all rice dishes.
Susie added: “It’s these little kinds of things that no one really prepares you for when you move abroad, and I think you’ll only truly understand when you actually live in the place for a while. I’ve lived in Spain for two years and I’m still figuring everything out as I go along.”
In the comments section, viewers were eager to weigh in with their thoughts and advice. One TikTok user pointed out: “You have funny things too… like eggs are only for breakfast!”
Another said: “I haven’t figured it out either, don’t stress about it lol.” A third said: “Dinner is just usually lighter. Generally, second courses include a fish or a meat. Honestly, you can do whatever you agree on. We only do two courses on weekends.”
And another added: “Generally, in Spain, the second course is the most elaborate, usually a meat or fish dish. Ensaladilla rusa, for example, is a ‘tapa’ or starter meant to be shared with the whole table, just like croquetas. And yes, dishes that are typically eaten with a spoon, like soups and purées, are the first course.”