A Week in Food

Monday:

The final project for my advanced Spanish writing seminar is a magazine featuring articles written by us students.  There were four categories of articles to choose from that were supposed to have between 2-3 students per category.  The magazine is all about Barcelona so one of the sections is dedicated to food and restaurant critiques and I naturally jumped for it but so did three other girls.  This perplexed our dear professor with so many on just one category and I was so afraid I was going to have to move to a different topic...like festivals and holidays (hell no).  I wanted to grill the other girls into submission with my piercing black holes for eyes.  That girl with the fake blonde hair..what did she know?  I am a baby gastronome; I worship Platt and Bittman enough to want a double-t in my last name too; among the things on my Christmas wish-list are a mini blow torch and a whipped cream canister; I started making cocktails when I was fourteen for God's sake!

Long story short, we all toughed it out.  But guess who made a chef-friend come Monday evening?  I did.  That's right fake blondie--I'm better than you.  Nora, a 60-somewhat year-old woman who attends the English classes I teach introduced me to the chef downstairs when I told her about my project.  Amancio runs "Espai Menorca", a restaurant specializing in the cuisine of the smaller of the three Spanish islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, and Menorca.  I walked in and there next to the bar was a precious pup who didn't even look my way as I pet the crap out of him because he was staring at the bar waiting for his next snack of bread and cheese.  Although I had to divide my attention with the dog, I managed to talk to Armacio about the kind of reviews I wanted to do and he gave me some restaurant suggestions along with three samplings of different foccaccias he had lying around.  Updates on our growing friendship to come...

Trau the dog

I was so tired by the time I came back (nearly 9:00 PM) I just mustered enough energy to whip up a quick tortellini with a chorizo-tomato sauce.

But don't worry, there was melted cheese involved

Tuesday:
The next day of class was a field trip to Vinçon, a contemporary design store that charges exorbitant prices for everything.  But the store itself is a converted residential home built at the turn of the century and does an incredible job linking the old modernism with the new.  More than just a shop, you have to treat it like a gallery exhibition.

One of the first things I saw

Reminds me of the story of how my uncle once opened up a radio to find the little people inside

A woman smoking on the inward facing side of La Pedrera, a Gaudí work

The second floor terrace of Vinçon faces the inside of La Pedrera

The coolest fireplace I've ever seen

Grill master needs to pee?....

I was hungry hungry after the trip so I ran over to a Mickey D's where I got the Spanish special menu.  I don't know the name but it was a giant burger with delicious sauce and some ham.  I had to go at some point to test out the special menu which I do in every foreign country I visit but it was more expensive than other lunch specials at local joints; it cost me upwards of 8 euro when I usually eat for about 6.  But I got a free coca-cola glass plus a not-so-free curry sauce with my meal so it sort of paid off.  I'm going to have to go back though so I at least have a set of two of those coca-cola glasses.  Those liberal hippies from my school would kill me if they saw this...

The D's for lunch

I spent the rest of my afternoon food shopping in La Boquería (30 huevos para 1 euro) and at the Asian Supermarket.  Pad Thai for dinner!

Two sauces: one from a packet, the other hand made by yours truly

Wednesday:
Scrounging for a cheap lunch leaves me and my roommate at the door of Pans, the Spanish equivalent of Subway.  All the sandwiches are made on little baguettes but that's pretty much the only good part about what they have.  That and the tiny forks!

A tiny fork for my patata brava: traditional Spanish thick-cut fry 

served with ketchup and mayo

And for dinner?  Tacos.  This was the first time I made stewed chicken and it was surprisingly delicious.  Guacamole and refried beans by Anita across the hall and salsa also made from scratch by yours truly.  That bunch of cilantro we bought at the Asian grocery is going to last us a long as time.

Soft shell the way I like it

Could've been a burrito...

The stewed chicken

And don't forget dessert.  I had store-bought crema catalana in its individual sized tin which came with a little plastic baggie filled with the sugar topping.  I just had to toast it with a cigarette lighter because I don't have a blow torch here (nor at home).  It's the perfect dessert for my sister Christine--tastes like flan but has the brulee of a creme brulee.

Burned myself toasting the top layer of sugar

Thursday:
And finally we get to today.  For breakfast, a chocolate croissant from the grocery that I popped in the microwave and a glass of milk in my beloved coca-cola glass.  How cool is it that it's shaped like a coke bottle (albeit upside down)?!

I can't stay away from La Boquería.  I had some free time in the afternoon so I chatted up the Korean lady at the Korean food stall and got some mandoo and a fresh papaya-coco juice and then sampled a whole lot of other stuff (fried bacalao, turrón, etc.) while walking around.

A man hand-carving some jamón serrano

I explored a little bit of the immigrant corner called Raval right by La Boquería before planting myself at Escriba café next to the market where I enjoyed a quiche and café con leche while reading my book, To Kill a Mockinbird.

A precious afternoon to myself

Quiche de espinaca y queso de cabra

Having promised my friend a home-cooked meal and dragging him home with me, I threw together a fried rice with the cilantro-based soy sauce I had marinating in the fridge since Tuesday.  Then we giggled about how amazing Paul Farmer is and ate mini bon-bon ice creams.

Frozen veggies are fried rice's best friend

Yes, that is melted cheese on top.

Now, it's past midnight and I have to catch a 5 AM flight to Sevilla so if I want to sleep at all, this is where my post is going to have to end.  At least big sister Cathy will be happy I got this up before I left for the next few days.


Just a little something extra:
What I've been listening to all week.