Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Museums and Marketplaces: Week 3 (1/19/09 - 1/25/09)

And were back! To my loyal readers (all 5 of you), I sincerely apologize for the delay. I tend to write the most when I am unhappy or don't have anything to do, and obviously this hasn't been the case. My first month in Barcelona was one of the best months of my life, and not just because of the food. Living as a Spaniard, la vida es buena. Your days revolve around sangria, siestas, dancing, and just all around merriment. Well, that probably isn't what the typical hard working Spaniard would say, but thats a fairly accurate portrait of my existence in this beautiful country. Now lets get this party started...


Week 3 EN MI CASA: Casa food continues to tumble down from the lofty peak where I had initially placed it. In week 3, I received ALOT of this vegetable featured in the photo. I'm really not sure what it is, but I think they boil it and add ALOT of salt. They throw some chorizo or bacon in for flavor, and serve it hot. Also, horrible/fascinating discovery: all of the bacon that is found in my food comes from a giant pig leg that is situated on a stand on the kitchen counter. Whenever anyone wants a piece, they just chop it off. I didn't notice it at first because it was covered by a cloth, but now that I've seen it, I can't seem to forget it's there. *shudder*


Week 3 EN BARCELONA: Barcelona is home to one of the greatest outdoor markets, La BoquerĂ­a, situated right off of La Rambla, the main pedestrian pathway in Barcelona. Here, you can find all sorts of goodies like brightly colored candies, fresh fruit drinks, meats from basically every animal (including hanging dead rabbits. thanks, but no thanks), emu/quail/chicken eggs and more.



My friend and I decided to go to the source for the freshest food in town, so we found a restaurant/bar situated directly inside the market, in between a fruit stand and a bakery. I ordered the salmon and was delighted to find that for once, I could actually see the whole preparation process from start to finish. The chef pulled a piece of salmon out of a refrigerated shelf. Clearly this salmon had just come from the fish vendor a few stands down. The salmon was cooked simply with some olive oil and fine herbs on the griddle, and then plated with a drizzle of oil, more herbs, and lots of tiny little clams. It was served to me as soon as it came off the griddle, and it was honestly THE BEST SALMON I'VE EVER HAD, EVER. It melted in my mouth. My friend, who ordered some squid that wasn't nearly as good, was a little jealous. Don't worry, I let her try a piece. A small one. (Sorry Patty.)


A few days later, I ventured to the Chocolate Museum with a few friends to find out about Spanish chocolate traditions. This museum turned out to be more of an homage to chocolate sculptures, but at least our ticket was made of dark chocolate (as shown in opening photo), so we got to taste with our mouths and our eyes. We asked the chocolate connoisseur/salesman in the museum's gift shop to sell us the weirdest chocolate available, and he didn't disappoint. He also has probably been reading this blog, because he gave us CHEESE CHOCOLATE. Yes, cheese chocolate. More specifically, "white chocolate with honey and cheese" (see below).



Shockingly, I wasn't a huge fan of this. It tasted basically like white chocolate with little chewy bits of gummy bears (the honey part), but knowing that there was cheese powder in it made me a little nauseous. I know, I know, I love cheese, but some things just aren't meant to be. But maybe I've found a new career path?




Most cultural food of the week: "Soft Self Portrait with Grilled Bacon" by Salvador Dali


Say what????
So, this isn't really a food. I visited the Salvador Dali Museum in Figueres, a town about 2 hours away from Barcelona by train. Apparently, Dali had a thing for bacon, because he decided it was important enough to include in the artistic interpretation of himself. If I was an artist, my self portrait would probably include goat cheese. or manchego. or cheddar. or... well, you get it.

Hasta luego! (Catch you later.)

3 comments:

  1. chard. live it. love it.
    love, mom 2

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  2. yayyy blog! add salmon place to my list for coming to visit ♥

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  3. Hey Caryn! I saw on the facebook that you were writing a blog so i am going to stalk you from now on...k? I really enjoyed all your stories and I love cheese so I love reading about it. I am going to live vicariously through you and pretend that I am going abroad.

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