Does It Exist In Spain?

[Natori]

Got another one:  HAND SANITIZER. When I'm away from home, I'm NEVER without hand sanitizer.  Can this be found easily in Spain?  Or at least disinfecting hand wipes?

[RebeccaG]

Natori --- hand sanitizing gel and wipes are widely available at most supermarkets.
 
  Rebecca
 

[Stellar7225]

Natori, I'm not sure if you've been to Spain before, but judging from your posts, it's looking like you're quite keen on cleanliness. I just want to let you know that standards there are a bit different. It's very common for butcher shops to have meat hanging on the walls, for bar patrons to just throw their napkins/trash on the floor instead of clearing it off the table, and for people to generally eat with their hands (tapas ). I just don't want you to freak! I've never been much of a germaphobe so it didn't phase me but my friend who came to visit was horrified by some Spanish behavior.

Got another one:  HAND SANITIZER. When I'm away from home, I'm NEVER without hand sanitizer.  Can this be found easily in Spain?  Or at least disinfecting hand wipes?

[halydia]

Natori, I'm not sure if you've been to Spain before, but judging from your posts, it's looking like you're quite keen on cleanliness. I just want to let you know that standards there are a bit different. It's very common for butcher shops to have meat hanging on the walls, for bar patrons to just throw their napkins/trash on the floor instead of clearing it off the table, and for people to generally eat with their hands (tapas ). I just don't want you to freak! I've never been much of a germaphobe so it didn't phase me but my friend who came to visit was horrified by some Spanish behavior.

Don't forget that they almost always prepare food without gloves on and how pinchos or raciones tend to sit on the bar all day!  That one took me awhile to get over.

[Natori]

Natori --- hand sanitizing gel and wipes are widely available at most supermarkets.
 
  Rebecca

Thanks!

[Natori]

Natori, I'm not sure if you've been to Spain before, but judging from your posts, it's looking like you're quite keen on cleanliness. I just want to let you know that standards there are a bit different. It's very common for butcher shops to have meat hanging on the walls, for bar patrons to just throw their napkins/trash on the floor instead of clearing it off the table, and for people to generally eat with their hands (tapas ). I just don't want you to freak! I've never been much of a germaphobe so it didn't phase me but my friend who came to visit was horrified by some Spanish behavior.

Aw, thanks for the concern. No, I haven't been but I have watched shows about the food/restaurant culture in Spain and saw the meat hanging in the stalls. I think eating tapas with your hands are okay but only if the hands are clean but I'm not really worried about anyone else's hands but mine (and the person who's cooking the food but honestly does one really know if the cook's hands are clean? So I try not to think much about it).  Now, I have read that the public bathrooms are um....a bit worse than the ones here.  I hate a nasty public bathroom and my not having anywhere else to go to use it, ugh. I wouldn't say I'm THAT obsessed with cleanliness I just don't like the idea of others' germs.

[Natori]

Don't forget that they almost always prepare food without gloves on and how pinchos or raciones tend to sit on the bar all day!  That one took me awhile to get over.

Hmm...I wonder what the rate of food poisoning cases are....you know honestly I just hope that I can find a place with good food...as long as I don't get sick (I hate getting sick), I will try to make the most of it....and try not to think too hard about the rest.  Could be easier said than done though.

[halydia]

Hmm...I wonder what the rate of food poisoning cases are....you know honestly I just hope that I can find a place with good food...as long as I don't get sick (I hate getting sick), I will try to make the most of it....and try not to think too hard about the rest.  Could be easier said than done though.

You can find a lot of places with amazing food. This is Spain, after all!
I've never got food poisoning here. In fact, the last time I got a bad case was in a posh restaurant in the US.

Just try not to think of it. You'll drive yourself nuts otherwise. It bothered me at first, but when I thought about all the nasty things my coworkers (I worked in food service back home) did with gloves on, I figured it's the same.

[speedlite]

Hello! I'm new here. I found this forum because I was looking for spring onions (scallions, green onions) on google. It seems they don't sell them anywhere in Spain 
I'd apreciate if anyone could help me.

About the corn flour. I used to work with a colombian girl and she used to use it for making "arepas" (delicious stuff), you can find it in South American shops all over Madrid. Just ask for "harina de maíz".
Good luck!

You may easily find  "escalonias" or "cebolletas", they are very common.

Corn flour is also easy to find. There is a couple of brands "Doña Arepa" and "P.A.N." in white and yellow variants, it's used mostly by south-americans. In the north of Spain it's much common, specially in Galicia and Asturias to find local corn flour.

Maizena is corn starch, so don't let them give it instead of corn flour,

Has anyone found cream of tartar in a major Spanish supermarket? (There's no American or British stores up here.)

Cremor Tartar (Potassium bitartrate) is not common in spanish kitchens, but it is used for egg stabilisation in baking. You may substitute it with the equal amount of lemon juice (and reduce other liquids accordingly).

In Mercadona they sell "Gasificante Litines" (a mix to make soda). It has two separated components, "Acido Tartárico" (tartaric acid) and "Bicarbonato Sódico" (sodium bicarbonate). Just use the envelope with "Acido Tartarico"

You may find similar mix in any Pharmacy, just ask for "sobres de gaseosa".

Got another one:  HAND SANITIZER. When I'm away from home, I'm NEVER without hand sanitizer.  Can this be found easily in Spain?  Or at least disinfecting hand wipes?

In any Pharmacy you may find hand sanitizer, hand wipes, etc..

Hmm...I wonder what the rate of food poisoning cases are....you know honestly I just hope that I can find a place with good food...as long as I don't get sick (I hate getting sick), I will try to make the most of it....and try not to think too hard about the rest.  Could be easier said than done though.

I've been living in Spain for 40 years an I never had any kind of food poisoning.. except for an occasional alcohol intoxication.. LOL

[nightglede21]

Does anyone know of a place I can buy jalapenos? Or a jalapeno plant? Or any other kind of hot peppers?