Wake up and smell the coffee...

If there is one thing that defines life in Spain, it's not flamenco, it's not tapas, it's not even the passion for La Liga although many do possess this attribute. It's the need to take a coffee in the morning. It may be with or without milk, and some may even add a drop of brandy or whisky to it. But bars in towns and cities do a brisk trade every morning, as the Spanish people generally are coffee addicts.

I've been told that here in Madrid, many bars stay profitable mainly due to the morning coffee trade. And it's easy to see why if you look around a typical hostelry at that time. Every few minutes a fresh batch of office or shop workers will come in and order their coffees, often with a snack serving as breakfast. Croissants and Nepolitanas are popular here, as are warm offerings like toast, chunks of tortilla or pork slice rolls. But the famous breakfast snacks in Madrid are churros and porras, not always taken with coffee as the famous combination is "chocolate con churros" popular with all-night clubbers.
It now seems that these essential Spanish hot drinks and snacks are becoming available worldwide - according to this article in Smartplanet, franchises selling these products are spreading worldwide. "Churros seem to be the next cupcake or cronut. Chefs around the world are trying to make them, although there’s often a twist on the basic oily dough, sometimes stuffed with things like with cheddar, green tea, and eggs. "
Meanwhile back in the more humdrum world of the Offside bookshop, we are still feeling the effects of the current cold and wet weather in Madrid (2C this morning with sleety rain outside). This has a definite negative impact on shoppers, so it's just as well we sell online in Spain too, via the omnipotent Amazon. The book which we've sold most of online is the Spanish version of Marcus Zusak's "The Book Thief" (La ladrona de libros), and in fact we are currently out of stock. The best selling book in-store has been Sid Lowe's "Fear and Loathing in La Liga" - we still have copies instore, and offer a great price online for customers throughout Spain. Please support our bookshop by buying this great book.