Sobremesa: Food for the Soul

There’s a word in Spanish with no true English equivalent: sobremesa. It describes the time spent after a meal, not eating, but simply enjoying each other’s company. Reflecting on my time in Montevideo, I’m not just grateful to know what sobremesa means. I’m grateful to have lived it, and to have experienced why such a word exists at all.

When I first arrived in Uruguay, our resident coordinator mentioned the tendency during orientation. She explained how common it was to spend hours at the table after eating, just talking. I heard her and nodded my head in understanding. But I didn’t quite believe it would apply to me. Even with my favorite people and in my most comfortable places, meals always wrapped up at what felt like an “appropriate” time. There were dishes to do and leftovers to store or checks placed on tables with a subtle pressure to leave. The table was for eating and catching up for some time—and then, life resumed.

But within a week, to my own surprise, I found myself partaking. I realized I had felt so comfortable lingering, that I had bypassed rushing up. Over time, I grew to love the pace, patience, and joy of sitting still. I didn’t even realize how much I had been rushing until I was shown another way.

In restaurants, no one hurried us. No server dropped the check prematurely. No one glanced at their watch or bounced their knee in silent urgency. The meal was only half the experience; the real magic began when the plates were cleared but the enrichment continued.

At my homestay, sobremesa happened every day. Over mate, over dinner, or over nothing at all—we talked about everything under the sun. Regardless of whether we were feeling animated or quiet that day, our time was always shared and always well spent.

When people ask me about my time in Montevideo, they often jump to ask, “How was the food?” And while the empanadas, steak, and alfajores deserve their own spotlight, I’ve left Montevideo with a more lasting impression of what happens after the last bite.

Sobremesa taught me that the true nourishment often begins once the eating ends, from the lingering, the unplanned pauses, and creating space for each other, long after the meal is over. Food may be what feeds you, but the connection that comes from sobremesa is food for the soul.