1.   In Spain, the midday meal almost always starts with tomato salad.

2.   The meal cannot start until everyone is seated.

3.   Meals start early and end late.

4.   Most meals started with some kind of cabbage soup.

5.   Nearly every meal started with barley soup, and every menu offered a range of kebabs.

6.   On a recent visit, the morning meal started with fresh rhubarb in custard, fresh orange juice, a pot of coffee and Russian tea cake.

7.   The meal starts with a daunting amuse-bouche that can consist of as many as four mini-dishes of near-appetizer size.

8.   The meal could start with black bean soup, and cool down with citrus-avocado salad, made with fresh Florida oranges, grapefruits and avocados.

9.   The meal never started until he was there.