Food: September 2007 Archives
Wow! Another incredible weekend in Madrid. Question: "Am I Spanish Yet?!" When do I get my Merit Badge?
It all started Friday afternoon when I met my good Valencian friend Damián for a paella lunch at La Buganvilla. La Buganvilla is an "Arrocería"
- a restaurant which specializes in rice dishes. AND DO THEY
SPECIALIZE! Wow, what a great meal we had. VERY complete from beginning
to end.
It's located just off the Plaza Alonso Martinez (metro: Alonso Martinez) in a nice, clean, somewhat upscale neighborhood in an elegant building. We had reservations to try this place as it was purported to have "The Best Paella in Madrid". So I just had to try it!
We arrived and were first toured the restaurant and its many small rooms - each with about 5 tables - when we were seated. The restaurant had a mariner's "theme" and was exceptionally clean top to bottom. Many nicely-dressed people eating their rice dishes around us.
I'm so happy Damián went with me to this place because everyone knows that Valenciano's - as Damián is - are connoisseurs of rice dishes, paellas, and the like. Who better to advise me on the ins-and-outs of rice and to judge the quality of such? Damián was the right man for the job. Not only is he great company, intelligent, and a conversationalist (in both English and Spanish) but he also really knows his rice, something his mother makes very well, as he described in mouth-watering detail.
We started with croquetas de marisco (seafood croquets) on a bed of lettuce. Very good, hot, tasty. At the waiters suggestion, we ordered the "Arroz Mixta" served in a paella pan. This has rabbit, chicken, clams, shrimp, squid (I think) and rice cooked to near perfection. Damián said it was the best rice he'd had in Madrid so far. So there you go! If HE says it was good - it's good. The bread was very good as was the bottle of red wine, a Rioja which was suggested by the waiter - something we felt was odd with a paella meal as it's usually more appropriate to choose a white or rosé wine with rice dishes.
After the meal, I chose a berry sorbet and Damián had an elegantly "sculpted" chocolate affair with swirls of this and that across the plate. To top it all off we were offered "chupitos" (selection of liqueurs) to..."help aid digestion". I love this reason/excuse. We tried all 4 of the liquers; crema de orujo, liquer de hierbas, orujo, and another one I can't remember. Wow. That's some hard-yet-tasty alcohol! Sure warmed the digesting contents in my stomach!
After the delicious meal, we spoke at length with our host, Miguel Ángel, who had come to our table several times throughout the meal to see if everything was to our liking - IT WAS! Damián made some comments and observations of the likenesses and differences in this paella and the paellas he's had in Valencia.
What a positive experience. What a good meal. And what good company! Damián and I said our goodbyes, I got on the metro and went home for a few hours of work.
A little later I took the bus BACK downtown and met some friends who were going to a play in the Teatro Albéniz. We had a few beers at the "El Anciano rey de los vinos", a VERY old bar across the street from the theater on Calle de La Paz, 4. This place is small and SPANISH SPANISH. It was in this bar where I saw well-known veteran flamenco dancer "El Guito" just before watching him dance at the same Teatro Albéniz last spring. He was sitting right next to me with his flamenco colleagues.
The friends went to the play and I was on my way back home and decided to stop in the Plaza Mayor to have a "caña" (small glass of beer). I started in the corner bar of the Plaza Mayor nearest the Arco de Cuchilleros and had one beer in each of those three bars while making my way "left", each place giving a free tapa with the drink order. Two places gave a plate of olives and one place gave a kind of salad mixture of onion-octopus for the free tapa.
After the third place, I walked around the gallery of the Plaza Mayor to the far side where I stopped in at the "Bar La Torre del Oro". This place has bullfight memorabilia, framed photos, and STUFFED BULL'S HEADS adorning (??) the walls. This too is a VERY Spanish bar for its bartenders but the clientèle is mostly tourists but there are always a few Spaniards peppering this bar. They too ALWAYS give a free tapa with each drink. (a dish of white beans + small cup of gazpacho for me) The bartenders are always cheerful and friendly too. I had one beer and started talking to the traveling Australians to my left as they commented on the bullfight stuff surrounding them. The conversation was good so I ordered another beer - my last - before heading to my bus stop in the Plaza de Isabel Segundo and got home at about 11:30pm - STRAIGHT TO BED with a heavy head.
Saturday. Slept late. Wow. Whoaaa... Rollll slowly out of bed, have breakfast, and get to work until lunchtime. At about 4pm I leave the house for a bus+metro trip to meet my English buddy Steve at Plaza de Toros Las Ventas for the 5:30pm bullfights. This was a bullfight with younger bullfighters so the price was cheap (13€) for decent seats. After the "event" we made our way to the same nearby bullfight-themed bar we found at which we found ourselves the previous weekend after the bullfights; the Restaurante Los Clarines, just off the Calle de Alcalá as heading into the city.
This time we did not go for the Rabo de Toro but instead went all seafood, ordering a ración of the Gambas al Ajillo (olive-oil-cooked shrimp and garlic) AND, again, the lemon-juice-showered Chopitos (small, lightly breaded, fried squid) along with good bread ("¡para mojar!"). This time they served us 30% more chopitos than the last time! All this great food and we ordered a bottle of cold white Rueda wine. Wow, that goes down easily with seafood. Mmmm... The 50-something Spanish bartender now seemed to remember us from the previous weekend and give us a free tapas to start off, later another free tapa of salchichón (a kind of sliced sausage), AND FINALLY, a free glass of sorbete de cava for dessert. The all-Spanish wait-staff is always very nice with us, we, the ONLY NON SPANIARDS IN THE PLACE. We felt privileged to be there, in their company.
Full, heavy headed, and happy, Steve and I say our goodbyes and I make my way to the nearby metro station. Arrive home. Alka-Seltzer. A big glass of water with a couple aspirins just-in-case. Bed.
Sunday, today, is mostly uneventful, just doing some work by morning, had Chinese food for lunch (I know, NOT very "Spanish" - but give me a break once in awhile, eh?! hehehe...), and reading about yesterday's/Saturday's United States university football games. My Ohio State Buckeyes beat University of Minnesota and going UP in the POLLS!
So today is DEFINITELY "a day of rest" for me. I've been in Spanish-Overdrive for the last two days. Tomorrow begins a new week in Madrid! Autumn's here, it's obvious. Skies are more often cloudy, cooler temperatures, and the sunsets are earlier and further to the southern horizon. I'd rather be nowhere else in the world.
It all started Friday afternoon when I met my good Valencian friend Damián for a paella lunch at La Buganvilla. La Buganvilla is an "Arrocería"
- a restaurant which specializes in rice dishes. AND DO THEY
SPECIALIZE! Wow, what a great meal we had. VERY complete from beginning
to end.It's located just off the Plaza Alonso Martinez (metro: Alonso Martinez) in a nice, clean, somewhat upscale neighborhood in an elegant building. We had reservations to try this place as it was purported to have "The Best Paella in Madrid". So I just had to try it!
We arrived and were first toured the restaurant and its many small rooms - each with about 5 tables - when we were seated. The restaurant had a mariner's "theme" and was exceptionally clean top to bottom. Many nicely-dressed people eating their rice dishes around us.
I'm so happy Damián went with me to this place because everyone knows that Valenciano's - as Damián is - are connoisseurs of rice dishes, paellas, and the like. Who better to advise me on the ins-and-outs of rice and to judge the quality of such? Damián was the right man for the job. Not only is he great company, intelligent, and a conversationalist (in both English and Spanish) but he also really knows his rice, something his mother makes very well, as he described in mouth-watering detail.
We started with croquetas de marisco (seafood croquets) on a bed of lettuce. Very good, hot, tasty. At the waiters suggestion, we ordered the "Arroz Mixta" served in a paella pan. This has rabbit, chicken, clams, shrimp, squid (I think) and rice cooked to near perfection. Damián said it was the best rice he'd had in Madrid so far. So there you go! If HE says it was good - it's good. The bread was very good as was the bottle of red wine, a Rioja which was suggested by the waiter - something we felt was odd with a paella meal as it's usually more appropriate to choose a white or rosé wine with rice dishes.
After the meal, I chose a berry sorbet and Damián had an elegantly "sculpted" chocolate affair with swirls of this and that across the plate. To top it all off we were offered "chupitos" (selection of liqueurs) to..."help aid digestion". I love this reason/excuse. We tried all 4 of the liquers; crema de orujo, liquer de hierbas, orujo, and another one I can't remember. Wow. That's some hard-yet-tasty alcohol! Sure warmed the digesting contents in my stomach!
After the delicious meal, we spoke at length with our host, Miguel Ángel, who had come to our table several times throughout the meal to see if everything was to our liking - IT WAS! Damián made some comments and observations of the likenesses and differences in this paella and the paellas he's had in Valencia.
What a positive experience. What a good meal. And what good company! Damián and I said our goodbyes, I got on the metro and went home for a few hours of work.
A little later I took the bus BACK downtown and met some friends who were going to a play in the Teatro Albéniz. We had a few beers at the "El Anciano rey de los vinos", a VERY old bar across the street from the theater on Calle de La Paz, 4. This place is small and SPANISH SPANISH. It was in this bar where I saw well-known veteran flamenco dancer "El Guito" just before watching him dance at the same Teatro Albéniz last spring. He was sitting right next to me with his flamenco colleagues.
The friends went to the play and I was on my way back home and decided to stop in the Plaza Mayor to have a "caña" (small glass of beer). I started in the corner bar of the Plaza Mayor nearest the Arco de Cuchilleros and had one beer in each of those three bars while making my way "left", each place giving a free tapa with the drink order. Two places gave a plate of olives and one place gave a kind of salad mixture of onion-octopus for the free tapa.
After the third place, I walked around the gallery of the Plaza Mayor to the far side where I stopped in at the "Bar La Torre del Oro". This place has bullfight memorabilia, framed photos, and STUFFED BULL'S HEADS adorning (??) the walls. This too is a VERY Spanish bar for its bartenders but the clientèle is mostly tourists but there are always a few Spaniards peppering this bar. They too ALWAYS give a free tapa with each drink. (a dish of white beans + small cup of gazpacho for me) The bartenders are always cheerful and friendly too. I had one beer and started talking to the traveling Australians to my left as they commented on the bullfight stuff surrounding them. The conversation was good so I ordered another beer - my last - before heading to my bus stop in the Plaza de Isabel Segundo and got home at about 11:30pm - STRAIGHT TO BED with a heavy head.Saturday. Slept late. Wow. Whoaaa... Rollll slowly out of bed, have breakfast, and get to work until lunchtime. At about 4pm I leave the house for a bus+metro trip to meet my English buddy Steve at Plaza de Toros Las Ventas for the 5:30pm bullfights. This was a bullfight with younger bullfighters so the price was cheap (13€) for decent seats. After the "event" we made our way to the same nearby bullfight-themed bar we found at which we found ourselves the previous weekend after the bullfights; the Restaurante Los Clarines, just off the Calle de Alcalá as heading into the city.
This time we did not go for the Rabo de Toro but instead went all seafood, ordering a ración of the Gambas al Ajillo (olive-oil-cooked shrimp and garlic) AND, again, the lemon-juice-showered Chopitos (small, lightly breaded, fried squid) along with good bread ("¡para mojar!"). This time they served us 30% more chopitos than the last time! All this great food and we ordered a bottle of cold white Rueda wine. Wow, that goes down easily with seafood. Mmmm... The 50-something Spanish bartender now seemed to remember us from the previous weekend and give us a free tapas to start off, later another free tapa of salchichón (a kind of sliced sausage), AND FINALLY, a free glass of sorbete de cava for dessert. The all-Spanish wait-staff is always very nice with us, we, the ONLY NON SPANIARDS IN THE PLACE. We felt privileged to be there, in their company.
Full, heavy headed, and happy, Steve and I say our goodbyes and I make my way to the nearby metro station. Arrive home. Alka-Seltzer. A big glass of water with a couple aspirins just-in-case. Bed.
Sunday, today, is mostly uneventful, just doing some work by morning, had Chinese food for lunch (I know, NOT very "Spanish" - but give me a break once in awhile, eh?! hehehe...), and reading about yesterday's/Saturday's United States university football games. My Ohio State Buckeyes beat University of Minnesota and going UP in the POLLS!
So today is DEFINITELY "a day of rest" for me. I've been in Spanish-Overdrive for the last two days. Tomorrow begins a new week in Madrid! Autumn's here, it's obvious. Skies are more often cloudy, cooler temperatures, and the sunsets are earlier and further to the southern horizon. I'd rather be nowhere else in the world.
Supermarkets, or "grocery stores" as we call them often in the United States, are found in every Madrid neighborhood and also outside the city in the "Centros Comerciales". You have your Dia (cheap), PLUS (cheap), Lidl (cheap), Maxcoop (average), Carrefour (average), Alcampo (average), Mercadona (average), Caprabo (average), Champion (average), El Corte Inglés Supermarket (expensive), and a number of others. Here in my immediate neighborhood we have Dia and Maxcoop and a Caprabo farther away.
LOCAL SHOPPING:
First, you have WALK. The walking TO the supermarket doesn't bother me - it's the returning with heavy bags and then climbing 4 flights of stairs which bothers me. This is particularly difficult and uncomfortable in summertime when it's hot. Second, the lines in the supermarkets are often very long and few cash registers open to accommodate the public. Third, with all the people waiting behind you in line you STILL have to bag your own groceries. And fourth, neighborhood grocery stores in Madrid are small and so the selection is very limited.
OUT-OF-TOWN SHOPPING:
Going to the "Centros Comerciales" outside of the city, like to a Carrefour, is a different experience altogether. First, you need a car to get there - something I don't have - and traffic in these areas can be crazy. Second, on busy days/hours there can be long lines and difficulty parking in the underground parking garages. Third, these places are HUGE and so the lines at the cash registers can be SUPER LONG. Fourth, at busy times there's lots of shopping cart traffic with lots of left-or-right-looking drivers. They never look forward. Fifth, the selection IS GREAT and the prices are usually very good too. This is really the only positive to going to places like these. Six, on busy days there can be a shortage of shopping carts, causing you to wait for one to be returned - or go searching on different floors. And you'd better have the proper coin for the security lock. And seven, AFTER going back home, I have to carry up a dozen or so bags up four flights of stairs. Exhausting.
ON the UP-side, at Carrefour, customers have the option of requesting a "pedido", having the food sent to your home either the same day or the next day. There's a charge for this but when filling a shopping cart with food and spending 150€, the extra 5€ delivery charge doesn't bother me in the least. Luckily I work at home so this is very convenient - WHEN I can find someone to drive me to the shopping center in the first place. But UNluckily, almost without exception, I leave places like Carrefour with a throbbing headache from all the stress. These excursions can take up to 4 hours. A royal pain in the ARSE. Traffic, long lines, crashing carts, long lines, heavy carts with 4-wheel-independent-movement. ARGH! I really dislike shopping in supermarkets in Madrid as well as in places like El Corte Inglés for the same reasons - with the exception of the shopping carts.
What I DO like about shopping in the neighborhood are the individual, specialized stores - also found in markets. Specialized stores might sell ONLY meats, ONLY chicken products, ONLY fruits and vegetables, ONLY bread, or ONLY potato chips! Shopping like this takes more time but the quality of products is usually better and fresher than when bought in supermarkets. And the products aside, it's always a nice way to meet your neighborhood store owners, exchange some casual conversation about vacations, family, or weather. These store owners always recognize you, can sometimes guess your order, are quick to send a smile your way, and if you're short on cash they'll often allow you to pay the balance on your next visit. You can't get THAT kind of treatment at a supermarket.
I really dislike going to the supermarket for a number of reasons:
LOCAL SHOPPING:
First, you have WALK. The walking TO the supermarket doesn't bother me - it's the returning with heavy bags and then climbing 4 flights of stairs which bothers me. This is particularly difficult and uncomfortable in summertime when it's hot. Second, the lines in the supermarkets are often very long and few cash registers open to accommodate the public. Third, with all the people waiting behind you in line you STILL have to bag your own groceries. And fourth, neighborhood grocery stores in Madrid are small and so the selection is very limited.
OUT-OF-TOWN SHOPPING:
Going to the "Centros Comerciales" outside of the city, like to a Carrefour, is a different experience altogether. First, you need a car to get there - something I don't have - and traffic in these areas can be crazy. Second, on busy days/hours there can be long lines and difficulty parking in the underground parking garages. Third, these places are HUGE and so the lines at the cash registers can be SUPER LONG. Fourth, at busy times there's lots of shopping cart traffic with lots of left-or-right-looking drivers. They never look forward. Fifth, the selection IS GREAT and the prices are usually very good too. This is really the only positive to going to places like these. Six, on busy days there can be a shortage of shopping carts, causing you to wait for one to be returned - or go searching on different floors. And you'd better have the proper coin for the security lock. And seven, AFTER going back home, I have to carry up a dozen or so bags up four flights of stairs. Exhausting.
ON the UP-side, at Carrefour, customers have the option of requesting a "pedido", having the food sent to your home either the same day or the next day. There's a charge for this but when filling a shopping cart with food and spending 150€, the extra 5€ delivery charge doesn't bother me in the least. Luckily I work at home so this is very convenient - WHEN I can find someone to drive me to the shopping center in the first place. But UNluckily, almost without exception, I leave places like Carrefour with a throbbing headache from all the stress. These excursions can take up to 4 hours. A royal pain in the ARSE. Traffic, long lines, crashing carts, long lines, heavy carts with 4-wheel-independent-movement. ARGH! I really dislike shopping in supermarkets in Madrid as well as in places like El Corte Inglés for the same reasons - with the exception of the shopping carts.
What I DO like about shopping in the neighborhood are the individual, specialized stores - also found in markets. Specialized stores might sell ONLY meats, ONLY chicken products, ONLY fruits and vegetables, ONLY bread, or ONLY potato chips! Shopping like this takes more time but the quality of products is usually better and fresher than when bought in supermarkets. And the products aside, it's always a nice way to meet your neighborhood store owners, exchange some casual conversation about vacations, family, or weather. These store owners always recognize you, can sometimes guess your order, are quick to send a smile your way, and if you're short on cash they'll often allow you to pay the balance on your next visit. You can't get THAT kind of treatment at a supermarket.
Two weekends ago I went to a flamenco show at Corral de la Pacheca and last Saturday night I went to one at Las Tablas. Both were very different shows in very different places.
Corral de la Pacheca is obviously built for visitors (i.e. tourist), has a very large indoor space, and houses overhanging second-level above. The views are great from up there, easy to see the very large stage. It's all located near the Plaza Castilla and in a very nice neighborhood. Meals are served but we were there for just the show and the free-drink included. The show was good and included a large "cast". One of the dancers really impressed us and imagine she'll be famous someday soon - certainly she's well known already. I also heard this place, Corral de la Pacheca, was the location for a weekly 1980s program on Madrid television where they hosted different flamenco singers, many of already famous - or would-be famous. The clientèle was totally non-Spanish.
Las Tablas is well-located near the Plaza España on the second level of the building facing the Cuesta de San Vicente. To enter you must go around the back and up the stairs. The owners, Antonia (left in photo) y Marisol (right in photo), were also the dancers when the show started. They were both very obviously technicians in their art and we enjoyed watching the show. The stage is smaller, lower, and a bit more difficult to see the feet of the dancers. We were also very impressed with the singers. No smoking was allowed during the performance and no flash was allowed for photos either - making photo-taking nearly impossible. Still, the show was good and the price was cheaper (22€) than any flamenco tablao I'd visited. The place is smaller than most and does not have the typical rustic "tablao" look but I was told by one of the owners that the space is also used for theater, photo expositions, and other artistic events so this is why they decided to go with a more neutral decor. There's no kitchen so food cannot be ordered - which is probably why the entry prices are cheaper - but one drink is included in the entry price. The clientèle was mainly Spanish.
What a last week it's been for me. The more things like this I do the more I feel I'm becoming SPANISH! But surely no Spaniards live like me!
So first I go to Corral de la Pacheca on a Friday night (14 Sept.). Monday (17 Sept.) I go for a good Paella Valenciana lunch at Restaurante La Paella de la Reina (see photo at right), then after-lunch drinks in the Plaza de Chueca. Wednesday I get together with the guys for the movie, drinks on a terraza afterwards, and then dinner on the Plaza Mayor! Friday I'm downtown again taking late-afternoon and evening photos of the city, later getting together with friends for a tapas dinner near Puerta del Sol. Last Saturday night I'm having jamón serrano, lomo, y queso at a nearby bar before the flamenco show at Las Tablas. Sunday I'm at the bullfights in Las Ventas. After that we have rabo de toro (bull's tail stew) and chopitos (very small, fried squid) at a nearby bar/restaurant while watching a Real Madrid game on TV, getting home at 1am.
Is this the true "Spanish Life"? Doubt it. But I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
Corral de la Pacheca is obviously built for visitors (i.e. tourist), has a very large indoor space, and houses overhanging second-level above. The views are great from up there, easy to see the very large stage. It's all located near the Plaza Castilla and in a very nice neighborhood. Meals are served but we were there for just the show and the free-drink included. The show was good and included a large "cast". One of the dancers really impressed us and imagine she'll be famous someday soon - certainly she's well known already. I also heard this place, Corral de la Pacheca, was the location for a weekly 1980s program on Madrid television where they hosted different flamenco singers, many of already famous - or would-be famous. The clientèle was totally non-Spanish.Las Tablas is well-located near the Plaza España on the second level of the building facing the Cuesta de San Vicente. To enter you must go around the back and up the stairs. The owners, Antonia (left in photo) y Marisol (right in photo), were also the dancers when the show started. They were both very obviously technicians in their art and we enjoyed watching the show. The stage is smaller, lower, and a bit more difficult to see the feet of the dancers. We were also very impressed with the singers. No smoking was allowed during the performance and no flash was allowed for photos either - making photo-taking nearly impossible. Still, the show was good and the price was cheaper (22€) than any flamenco tablao I'd visited. The place is smaller than most and does not have the typical rustic "tablao" look but I was told by one of the owners that the space is also used for theater, photo expositions, and other artistic events so this is why they decided to go with a more neutral decor. There's no kitchen so food cannot be ordered - which is probably why the entry prices are cheaper - but one drink is included in the entry price. The clientèle was mainly Spanish.What a last week it's been for me. The more things like this I do the more I feel I'm becoming SPANISH! But surely no Spaniards live like me!
So first I go to Corral de la Pacheca on a Friday night (14 Sept.). Monday (17 Sept.) I go for a good Paella Valenciana lunch at Restaurante La Paella de la Reina (see photo at right), then after-lunch drinks in the Plaza de Chueca. Wednesday I get together with the guys for the movie, drinks on a terraza afterwards, and then dinner on the Plaza Mayor! Friday I'm downtown again taking late-afternoon and evening photos of the city, later getting together with friends for a tapas dinner near Puerta del Sol. Last Saturday night I'm having jamón serrano, lomo, y queso at a nearby bar before the flamenco show at Las Tablas. Sunday I'm at the bullfights in Las Ventas. After that we have rabo de toro (bull's tail stew) and chopitos (very small, fried squid) at a nearby bar/restaurant while watching a Real Madrid game on TV, getting home at 1am.
Is this the true "Spanish Life"? Doubt it. But I'm enjoying it nonetheless.
Bread. Milk. Eggs. These are definitely the staples of an average diet in the United States. But here in Spain it's bread.
"Si no hay pan, no hay comida" is a famous saying in Spain. It means, "Without bread it's not a meal." THAT'S how important bread is to the Spanish diet. There's something so basic, so natural, so necessary about going to buy the daily bread. Bread, which goes without saying, is required everyday.
Panaderías are bread bakeries and can usually be found on every street corner. In the USA you can find places which sell bread but the same places sell cakes, pies, pastries, and other baked goods. Here, pastelerías (pastry shops) also usually sell bread as well but not always.
Panaderías really only sell breads. But how can they stay open selling bread so cheaply? A long, average bar of bread costs about 60 eurocents - although the price has recently gone up due to the increase in the price of grains. So how can they stay open? VOLUME. VOLUME. VOLUME. Just about EVERYONE buys bread daily even though many actors, singers, and sports people have said they don't eat bread because it's generally fattening.
I know people who eat an entire bar of bread DAILY. When I first came to Spain I tried to adapt to this custom, going downstairs to the local bread shop to buy my bread and chit-chat with the owners. For me it was more of a social custom than the need for bread. Finally, about 9 months later I gave it up. I just couldn't eat so much bread and always ended up throwing away half or two-thirds of the bread so it wasn't worth it. I was wasting more than I was eating. Plus, it's fattening - and I don't need any help in this regard. Not that I'm fat (yet) but I'm certainly not doing myself any favors by eating bread!
What is enchanting is seeing people in the street with their bar of bread under their arm. Sometimes the bar in a brown paper bag or white plastic bag. Other times it's wrapped in a single sheet of brown paper, wrapped only around the middle so the top and bottom points of bread are exposed. Almost without fail you see people picking off the ends and eating the bread while walking home, crumbs falling to the ground. To me, for me, this is such a quaint scene. BREAD (and wine) is SO European! Seeing someone walking the streets of Columbus, Ohio USA with a bar of bread under his arm would look so...... STRANGE!
Although I rarely have it, my favorite breakfast is toasted bread with garlic and olive oil - and sometimes a tomato spread ontop of all that. Mmmm.. SO tasty and such a common breakfast meal in Spain. The same exists for "merienda" - which is the 6pm, midday snack with coffee. I mainly have this breakfast while traveling in Spain. And it's so easy to find in most all bars. It's easy to order, eat, digest, and oh-so-Spanish! What a better way to start each Spanish day?
"Si no hay pan, no hay comida" is a famous saying in Spain. It means, "Without bread it's not a meal." THAT'S how important bread is to the Spanish diet. There's something so basic, so natural, so necessary about going to buy the daily bread. Bread, which goes without saying, is required everyday.
Panaderías are bread bakeries and can usually be found on every street corner. In the USA you can find places which sell bread but the same places sell cakes, pies, pastries, and other baked goods. Here, pastelerías (pastry shops) also usually sell bread as well but not always.
Panaderías really only sell breads. But how can they stay open selling bread so cheaply? A long, average bar of bread costs about 60 eurocents - although the price has recently gone up due to the increase in the price of grains. So how can they stay open? VOLUME. VOLUME. VOLUME. Just about EVERYONE buys bread daily even though many actors, singers, and sports people have said they don't eat bread because it's generally fattening.
I know people who eat an entire bar of bread DAILY. When I first came to Spain I tried to adapt to this custom, going downstairs to the local bread shop to buy my bread and chit-chat with the owners. For me it was more of a social custom than the need for bread. Finally, about 9 months later I gave it up. I just couldn't eat so much bread and always ended up throwing away half or two-thirds of the bread so it wasn't worth it. I was wasting more than I was eating. Plus, it's fattening - and I don't need any help in this regard. Not that I'm fat (yet) but I'm certainly not doing myself any favors by eating bread!
What is enchanting is seeing people in the street with their bar of bread under their arm. Sometimes the bar in a brown paper bag or white plastic bag. Other times it's wrapped in a single sheet of brown paper, wrapped only around the middle so the top and bottom points of bread are exposed. Almost without fail you see people picking off the ends and eating the bread while walking home, crumbs falling to the ground. To me, for me, this is such a quaint scene. BREAD (and wine) is SO European! Seeing someone walking the streets of Columbus, Ohio USA with a bar of bread under his arm would look so...... STRANGE!
Although I rarely have it, my favorite breakfast is toasted bread with garlic and olive oil - and sometimes a tomato spread ontop of all that. Mmmm.. SO tasty and such a common breakfast meal in Spain. The same exists for "merienda" - which is the 6pm, midday snack with coffee. I mainly have this breakfast while traveling in Spain. And it's so easy to find in most all bars. It's easy to order, eat, digest, and oh-so-Spanish! What a better way to start each Spanish day?
Sometimes it's so nice to go down a local bar for breakfast - just as I did this morning. I really missed them during their one-month absence for August vacation.
The place was established in 1952 just as the neighborhood was being constructed. The bar itself doesn't appear to have changed - outside or inside - since then and that's just the way I like it.
It's a street-corner-bar on a not-so-busy one-way street and, luckily, I can see its green-glowing neon lights from my balcony. This line-of-sight has saved me many trips down/up down 5-flights of stairs, dejected, hungry, & morning-grumpy.
You walk into this place and are immediately greeted by the 70-something original owner and his 50-something son whom are CLEARLY a father-son team. The constantly wiped stainless steel bar follows the L-shape of its street-corner orientation.
I'm somewhat of a "regular" of this bar but only for morning porras and coffee. So when I walk in the owner asks somewhat gruffly and without smile, "¿Cuantas?" or "How many?" The answer is alway the same [3] and he assumes my "café con leche" order.
So what are porras? Since there's nothing like them in the USA I can only describe them as 10-inch long, 1-inch diameter, air-pocket-filled, deep fried dough. They don't have much flavor and are not sweet at all. They don't sound very appetizing, do they? No they don't. Churros, the more popular cousin to the porra, are smaller, rope-like strands of fried dough, usually with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Generally speaking, I don't care much for sweet things so I prefer the blander porras.
Porras were first introduced to me for breakfast immediately upon arriving to the neighborhood, my first visit to Spain/Madrid in 1995. Upon seeing them I said, "I'm not eating that!" but was convinced to open-my-mind and try them. So after the first couple I felt like I had a brick in my stomach. BLAH! I though, "NEVER AGAIN!" Ha! Now I have them only once a month.
Here, about 40 meters away, the bar down the street is PURE, TYPICAL Spanish. There are always people having their coffee for breakfast, including the Spanish police, neighborhood people, and workers before starting their day. When I pay and leave the bartender gives me a smile. I say to them and to the rest of the bar with my voice raised a bit, "¡Hasta Luego!". The bartender, now with his back to me, replies with the same as do just a few of the coffee-drinkers. The rest of them, however, simply give me curious, cautious stares with eyes open wide. Hahaha... I can always imagine what they're thinking..., "Who's that? He doesn't belong here! And why's he wearing shorts and sandals in the morning??!" But I'm not offended in the least. This is how it is.
I don't KNOW the bartender or his son but they always greet me with a wave of the hand and a shout of "¡Hasta Luego!" when they see me passing by the bar on my way to who-knows-where. Little details like this always make a person feel at-home in the neighborhood. I get the same in-passing greetings from the "Chicken Lady" at the neighborhood Pollería, butchery, fruit-store, and convenience store owners.
This is MY neighborhood now. I feel AT HOME and sleep well at night.
Saludos, MadridMan
The place was established in 1952 just as the neighborhood was being constructed. The bar itself doesn't appear to have changed - outside or inside - since then and that's just the way I like it.
It's a street-corner-bar on a not-so-busy one-way street and, luckily, I can see its green-glowing neon lights from my balcony. This line-of-sight has saved me many trips down/up down 5-flights of stairs, dejected, hungry, & morning-grumpy.
You walk into this place and are immediately greeted by the 70-something original owner and his 50-something son whom are CLEARLY a father-son team. The constantly wiped stainless steel bar follows the L-shape of its street-corner orientation.
I'm somewhat of a "regular" of this bar but only for morning porras and coffee. So when I walk in the owner asks somewhat gruffly and without smile, "¿Cuantas?" or "How many?" The answer is alway the same [3] and he assumes my "café con leche" order.
So what are porras? Since there's nothing like them in the USA I can only describe them as 10-inch long, 1-inch diameter, air-pocket-filled, deep fried dough. They don't have much flavor and are not sweet at all. They don't sound very appetizing, do they? No they don't. Churros, the more popular cousin to the porra, are smaller, rope-like strands of fried dough, usually with powdered sugar sprinkled on top. Generally speaking, I don't care much for sweet things so I prefer the blander porras.
Porras were first introduced to me for breakfast immediately upon arriving to the neighborhood, my first visit to Spain/Madrid in 1995. Upon seeing them I said, "I'm not eating that!" but was convinced to open-my-mind and try them. So after the first couple I felt like I had a brick in my stomach. BLAH! I though, "NEVER AGAIN!" Ha! Now I have them only once a month.
Here, about 40 meters away, the bar down the street is PURE, TYPICAL Spanish. There are always people having their coffee for breakfast, including the Spanish police, neighborhood people, and workers before starting their day. When I pay and leave the bartender gives me a smile. I say to them and to the rest of the bar with my voice raised a bit, "¡Hasta Luego!". The bartender, now with his back to me, replies with the same as do just a few of the coffee-drinkers. The rest of them, however, simply give me curious, cautious stares with eyes open wide. Hahaha... I can always imagine what they're thinking..., "Who's that? He doesn't belong here! And why's he wearing shorts and sandals in the morning??!" But I'm not offended in the least. This is how it is.
I don't KNOW the bartender or his son but they always greet me with a wave of the hand and a shout of "¡Hasta Luego!" when they see me passing by the bar on my way to who-knows-where. Little details like this always make a person feel at-home in the neighborhood. I get the same in-passing greetings from the "Chicken Lady" at the neighborhood Pollería, butchery, fruit-store, and convenience store owners.
This is MY neighborhood now. I feel AT HOME and sleep well at night.
Saludos, MadridMan
Some evenings the mood will strike me to get away from the computer and go to downtown Madrid. Thank goodness there's a bus stop 20 meters away from my door and the ride only takes about 20 minutes.
The bus takes me directly to the Plaza de Isabel II (a.k.a. Plaza de Opera), just next to the Royal Opera House. Sometimes I'll get off 2 stops early, just to the edge of the Royal Palace in Madrid, and wander about the pedestrian area in front of the Palacio Real and the Plaza Oriente gardens which are between the Opera House and the Royal Palace. This is a particularly nice area around sunset as the sun sets over the horizon over the Casa de Campo park and Spaniards and tourists alike come in droves to enjoy it. Watch out for the skate punks practicing their craft, though.
Other times I'll walk directly towards the Puerta del Sol and join the hustle & bustle of the combined Spanish and tourist crowds, making my way up one of the many little streets towards the Plaza Jacinto Benavente or Plaza Santa Ana in the Huertas Neighborhood. My destination? None, really. It's just nice having Old Downtown Madrid at such easy access. I'll oftentimes just walk to walk and take in the sights, the sounds, and the smells until I stop at some little bar where I may well be the ONLY non-Spaniard in the place, order a 1.20€ beer, get a free tapa or order a pincho de tortilla or patatas bravas. I like ordering patatas bravas in many places, trying to find the best Patatas Bravas in Madrid. Next Stop? The next bar which catches my attention and/or if I'm still hungry. Sometimes the perfect dinner is a light one; a beer and a plate of olives in an authentic Spanish bar, listening to the conversations around me.
It's so nice having Madrid in my front yard, my back yard, and all around me.
Saludos, MadridMan
The bus takes me directly to the Plaza de Isabel II (a.k.a. Plaza de Opera), just next to the Royal Opera House. Sometimes I'll get off 2 stops early, just to the edge of the Royal Palace in Madrid, and wander about the pedestrian area in front of the Palacio Real and the Plaza Oriente gardens which are between the Opera House and the Royal Palace. This is a particularly nice area around sunset as the sun sets over the horizon over the Casa de Campo park and Spaniards and tourists alike come in droves to enjoy it. Watch out for the skate punks practicing their craft, though.
Other times I'll walk directly towards the Puerta del Sol and join the hustle & bustle of the combined Spanish and tourist crowds, making my way up one of the many little streets towards the Plaza Jacinto Benavente or Plaza Santa Ana in the Huertas Neighborhood. My destination? None, really. It's just nice having Old Downtown Madrid at such easy access. I'll oftentimes just walk to walk and take in the sights, the sounds, and the smells until I stop at some little bar where I may well be the ONLY non-Spaniard in the place, order a 1.20€ beer, get a free tapa or order a pincho de tortilla or patatas bravas. I like ordering patatas bravas in many places, trying to find the best Patatas Bravas in Madrid. Next Stop? The next bar which catches my attention and/or if I'm still hungry. Sometimes the perfect dinner is a light one; a beer and a plate of olives in an authentic Spanish bar, listening to the conversations around me.
It's so nice having Madrid in my front yard, my back yard, and all around me.
Saludos, MadridMan
Mmmm.. It's 10pm, it's still summer, everyone's windows are open, and some of the most amazing, most delicious smells are coming through my window now. Mmmm.. IF ONLY my own kitchen smelled THIS good - but it never does.
Cooking for me usually entails nothing more than opening a bag, pouring contents into a pan, adding water (or not), and heating for 15 minutes. That's a typical MadridMan meal for dinner - when I have dinner, that is. Pathetic, ain't it? Sure it is. Oftentimes I'll only have a light dinner consisting of nothing more than nuts or fruit or a yogurt, all depending on the size and the time I've had lunch. My lunches are usually LARGE, however, and often consisting of soup, or home-cooked pork or chicken fillets, "Cocido Madrileño" from a can, or even the same add-water-and-heat pasta or rice meals. My best lunches, obviously, take place in restaurants when meeting friends downtown. Oh how I long for these meetings to not only meet with good or new friends but also to have a decent meal!
Food in Spain is almost like a religion. And if that's true, I must be an atheist because I'm no cook! I try and sometimes I succeed with something unusual - or at least something good and totally home-made - but that's an irregularity, an anomaly. My effort usually comes when someone says, "Hey, I'm coming over for lunch/dinner" and then I have no excuse but to TRY to makes something fresh. Today's lunch consisted of an American-Style frozen pizza ("Arizona", it was called, "American Style Pizza") and Mexican-style rice from a bag (add water). It was very very tasty and made me a little homesick for REAL Mexican food (i.e. "real" from the United States - which isn't likely to be very similar to Mexican food in Mexico!). I've even eaten at Mexican restaurants here in Madrid and, well, it's just not the same, not as good to these taste buds.
Anyone want to invite MadridMan to lunch or dinner? Send me an email or post an OPEN INVITATION to our message board members HERE! We're frequently having lunchtime get-togethers in downtown Madrid - I LOVE THESE. And from time to time we schedule a nighttime gathering at some bar or terraza.
I think I love typical Spanish food even more than Spaniards themselves! But then, I've only been enjoying it for the last decade of my life. Right now I have an urge for Patatas Bravas! Mmmm.... Guess I'll settle for nuts, yogurt, and a glass of Rueda white wine.
Here's to Spanish food! Raise your glass, world! You're in for a treat!
Saludos, MadridMan
Cooking for me usually entails nothing more than opening a bag, pouring contents into a pan, adding water (or not), and heating for 15 minutes. That's a typical MadridMan meal for dinner - when I have dinner, that is. Pathetic, ain't it? Sure it is. Oftentimes I'll only have a light dinner consisting of nothing more than nuts or fruit or a yogurt, all depending on the size and the time I've had lunch. My lunches are usually LARGE, however, and often consisting of soup, or home-cooked pork or chicken fillets, "Cocido Madrileño" from a can, or even the same add-water-and-heat pasta or rice meals. My best lunches, obviously, take place in restaurants when meeting friends downtown. Oh how I long for these meetings to not only meet with good or new friends but also to have a decent meal!
Food in Spain is almost like a religion. And if that's true, I must be an atheist because I'm no cook! I try and sometimes I succeed with something unusual - or at least something good and totally home-made - but that's an irregularity, an anomaly. My effort usually comes when someone says, "Hey, I'm coming over for lunch/dinner" and then I have no excuse but to TRY to makes something fresh. Today's lunch consisted of an American-Style frozen pizza ("Arizona", it was called, "American Style Pizza") and Mexican-style rice from a bag (add water). It was very very tasty and made me a little homesick for REAL Mexican food (i.e. "real" from the United States - which isn't likely to be very similar to Mexican food in Mexico!). I've even eaten at Mexican restaurants here in Madrid and, well, it's just not the same, not as good to these taste buds.
Anyone want to invite MadridMan to lunch or dinner? Send me an email or post an OPEN INVITATION to our message board members HERE! We're frequently having lunchtime get-togethers in downtown Madrid - I LOVE THESE. And from time to time we schedule a nighttime gathering at some bar or terraza.
I think I love typical Spanish food even more than Spaniards themselves! But then, I've only been enjoying it for the last decade of my life. Right now I have an urge for Patatas Bravas! Mmmm.... Guess I'll settle for nuts, yogurt, and a glass of Rueda white wine.
Here's to Spanish food! Raise your glass, world! You're in for a treat!
Saludos, MadridMan
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