My Beef with the Tapas Food Trend

My beef isn't with Tapas- at least not the kind they enjoy in Spain. It's with our North American interpretation of them and their corresponding abuses that's maddening.

I LOVE Tapas. And by that, I mean the kind consumed in tapas bars in Spain. All over the country, tapas are a prelude to dinner, and more recently, as the main event itself, hopping from one tapas bar to another to enjoy each bar's specialties. One tapas haunt may serve the best grilled calamari, another, the best patatas bravas in their own secret hot sauce. Flitting from one bar to the next is half the fun- since in many cities in Spain, several stand-up bars line streets, one butted up next to eachother.

So what's my problem? It's this- in North America- particularly in Toronto, the "tapafication" of dishes means something completely different. And no, I'm not a purist who believes that everything named "tapa" should be Spanish in every ingredient and preparation. I'm referring to a recent dinner in Toronto where for $120 (two glasses of wine included), my husband and I walked out a little hungry- and I have a good appetite, but I'm not a HUGE eater.

In Spain, the same 4oz. piece of fish we had as one of our tapas for $15 here, would have cost about 3 Euros in Spain. The Torontonian take on patatas bravas for $8 would have been around 1-2 Euros. My point is this- the morphing of our dishes in North America is ridiculous- we don't need a mountain of fries and 16 oz. steaks to feed ourselves. Hence part of the reason behind our obesity problem. But I also don't agree that offering up "small plates" and charging full price makes any sense either. I have no problem with spending money on good food- but let's make it worth our while. As customers, we know when we're getting soaked AND we vote with our wallets. I know I will!