World Different part 2: The Real Gastronomy Capital

I didn't believe the waiter when he told us the list of food that was available on the menu, and moreso the fact that it was only 15€ for the appetizer, main dish and dessert as well as wine (unlimited), entrance salad and toast combo with fresh charcuterie.

I remember coming home last Friday and dreading the reading on the scale.  The 128.5 flashed and burned into my brain and I thought, where did I gain 3 lbs from in 2 weeks? Looking back at this restaurant the answer became depressingly clear.

He listed off the names of the items in rolling Spanish, myself only listening for the things I really wanted to order. Rrsshh blaah blaahhh, rlshshh, blah, Gazpacho, sshhh.

"Gazpacho por favor".

Now onto main dish,

Psshh, rrrssiii, possifh, bacalao con all i oli...

"Bacalao para mi".

Rosado.

One thinks that because a menu is a mere 15€, the quality would be moderate.  The gazpacho arrived, a giant bowl, placed at my fingers.  I took one bite and was in heaven.  How could this little local spot have such amazing food for so cheap?  Well, it wasn't on the sea, it was mostly a spot for locals of Alcossebre and they reflected the prices that local people could pay.

With every course I ate, every fresh seafood product, each paella I chowed down and tapas that I exploded in my belly... I decided that Spain, especially the Catalunyan Region, should be the gastronomic capital of the world.  How could it not?

There are pork legs dried and strung everywhere in every corner of the streets, the paella has this soft subtly and a hint of saffron.





Seafood is captured fresh each day by local fisherman and delivered, hand delivered to the local restaurants.

There are scams, don't get me wrong, there were restaurants we visited where we were disgusted at the price... but when the delights were found it was 10x better than my favorite Lyonnaise restaurants.

The tapas.. how can something as simple as a grilled piece of toast with some smeared on tomatoes and garlic taste as fabulous as it did?

They don't do cheese well, but the one cheese they have mastered is by far the best- Queso Manchego.  Creamy in texture, deep in flavor, it melts in the mouth and offers a beautiful taste of a local product.

I remember that although the Paella Marisco was to die for, I was perfectly happy eating toasts with local charcuterie, queso manchego and chilled rosado wines.

This sparkly bubbly wine was a treat at the Con Paixano, pictured left, where we gorged on sandwiches, bubbly and queso manchego.  I think that was 1 lb there.

How is it all so amazing and yet so un 'haute cuisine' like in France? Simply put, the products.  Spain has the most incredible products, you can't drink the water from the faucet, granted, but those tomatoes made me drool.  They had chips that were fried in Olive Oil giving them this taste that I'd never had before- so much I smuggled a bag in my backpack to France.




I think next time I'll shoot to gain 5 lbs.  We only live once- right?

World Different part 1: Barcelona (Can Paixano)

My trip to Spain was a selection of different experiences that would take too many words to detail; instead I will be writing a series of my favorite memories in order to high light the adventure in Spain, now, first of Can Paixano:

It was a warm day when Bri and I packed our bags to head to Barcelona.  Not a typical vacation, we left to partake on a shared apartment with his parents and brother.  The first stop, however, in order to avoid traffic and given there was no place in the car, was to go to Barcelona via EasyJet (for only 80 round trip!).

It was surprisingly simple, we packed our bags a week in advance, we boarded with no problems and we landed in sunny Barcelona at about 12pm the 6th.  Strapped with just our overnight clothes we made our way to the center using their AeroBus system and popped off to purchase some metro passes.

We already knew what we wanted to see, it wasn't the hovering tower nor the fantastic church.  A friend of mine once gave me the name and address to a secretive local tapas bar, supposedly known to have the cheapest cava and the best tapas.  Of course, true gastronomes, we decided that to be our first destination.

The city is not easy to figure out, even lined with a GPS we got lost several times, we finally walked the 2 miles to get to the sea and hung a left straight to the tapas bar.  Can Paixano is a hidden spot located off a dingy street near the port.  The bar is stand up only, and elbows are needed in order to get something to eat.  The air conditioning rambles away in the background as the local clientale (mostly construction workers) are screaming out, "HOLA! EY HOLA!" to get the attention of the bar guy.  We got lucky and found ourselves a spot at the bar, and quickly ordered a bottle of the Cava Rosat for 5€, and an array of charcuteries and sandwiches.  If you are faint of the heart or slightly OCD, this place is not for you.  The trash can is the floor, once a sandwich is finished the thin paper gets tossed to the ground.  The kitchen is open plan, so the workers are constantly trudging around in old leftovers, the sandwiches made with no gloves.  Who said hygiene equals good food any way?

Halfway through our Rosat, we snapped a picture trying to eternalize the emotion or the sentiment surrounding the bar.  Our little glass of Rosat, our cheap bottle, the action... unfortunately we were too involved in enjoying to even snap the photo.

Bri waves over the barman, another cava, on our second bottle we are feeling Spanish.  The people surrounding us are only speaking in that beautiful lispy language, cheering each other, demanding more food.  Bri turns to a group of local construction workers and begins a conversation in his Fringspanol.  They cheer, pour more cava into our cups, order the local specialty in charcuterie and invite us to go dancing.  They smile and introduce themselves, call me muy guapa and continue the festivities.

It's finally 4pm when we wander out of the Can Paixano.  Where were we?  Suddenly we are feeling the heat of Barcelona and the effects of 2 bottles of Cava wine.  We decide best action is to go to the sea, in our underwear.

Which is exactly what Bri does, wandering off into the sea, smiling and overjoyed at the previous 2 hours we just spend gorging ourselves and welcoming ourselves to Spain.  The sea was warm, that gentle mediterranean sea that floats around you.  No one took notice that Bri was in underwear, nor that we were intoxicated and full.


It's decided, we will come back tonight and show his parents the magic.  Except, hours later, when we return it's a different world.  Suddenly all the locals are gone and are replaced with a myriad of tourists getting drunk and not eating.  The air conditioner has started leaking and the parents are extremely disappointed.  We realized that the Can Paixano, like a manic depressive relative, has decided to show a darker and unpleasant side.  At day, a local eatery known for high quality and good company, at night, tourists taking advantage of pricing and getting drunk before 10pm.

We head off to our hotel, deflated but yet satiated from the whole day and prepare for our next departure.

Two Months... déjà?!

It's been awhile since I wrote because life in Europe picked up.  I went with the flocks of French who vacation in August and visited a beautiful little town near the coast in Spain called, "Alcossebre".
I tried to do a bit of research about Spain and especially about Alcoceber before I got into the car with my French family.  Unfortunately, Alcoceber was simply a small fishing village that seems to have been caught up in tourists from Britain and France.  The culture in Spain, however, is one that is absolutely incredible.

To begin, in France it is common for people to vacation in either July or August.  The typical resort or escape is to the South, whether it be the South in Provence and Marseilles, or South in Spain.  French people drive the distance, and during this trip I was able to learn a new word: Bouchon. Traffic.

Traffic in route to a travel location is the most horrid experience.  We were lucky to leave on a Friday and cut about 4 hours of the bouchon on the way there.

Once in Spain, there are several cultural differences.. I'll try to summarize what I liked the best:

Family Style Eating
If you order a salad, it doesn't come on individual plates.  The salad is placed in the center of the table, everyone has forks ready and you dig in.  This experience was very amusing considering our salad went flying... to our laps, our tablecloths, sometimes to our mouths.  Another way to share food at a table in Spain is by tapas. Tapas is a variety of smaller dishes, ranging in prices from 4-6 € that usually consists of fried or steamed seafood, potatoes smothered in a rich cream sauce and others.  One takes their forks and eats where they wish, with a nice refreshing beer or sangria on the side.

Late Dinners
A true Spanish person would not show up to a restaurant to eat before 10.  It was very usual for us to eat early in the morning and then snack in the afternoon, and then gorge around 10 or 11.  Much of this, I assume, is due to the heavy heat around Spain.  People close shops around 2pm, which is considered the 'hora di siesta'... nap time.  Just like big babies, we all lumber into the safety of our shaded homes, lay down or relax, maybe read, patient for the sun to become less harsh.


The Sea
The sea in Spain along the coast is the most beautiful and calm body of water I have seen.  Warmed by the sun, salty and swarming with sea critters that are unharmful to humans.  I got the chance to fish watch with some big goggles... lots of little Nemos swimming around nibbling on my toes.


Spanish Cuisine
As Anthony Bourdain said, "Spain is a culinary jackpot, the best place in the Western world to eat."

Well, he is not wrong, by any means.  From breakfast to dinners, Spain has this knack to stuff you with amazingly simple, well spiced dishes that make you keep eating until you are about to explode.  Let me elaborate.

Paella
Literally a saffron infused rice concoction made in giant metal paella pans.  Stuffed with vegetables, meat, seafood- depending on the variety.  Swimming with crustaceans and fresh sea fish... made on command as you order and incredibly sensuous.  The one in the picture is a 'Paella di Marisco", paella of the sea.  Full of shrimp, mussels, langoustine, octopus and squid.  Flavored with seafood broth which only intensifies the organic structure of the seafood paella- incredible.  I could eat this for breakfast and dinner... yummm...

Arroz Negro
Similar to Paella, except made with squid ink.  I got the ability to try this at a restaurant with a 15 € menu, everything included and drinks.  This was my entrée...  The big glop of white goo is actually something called "ali y oli", or aioli.  It was so rich with flavor.  The squid ink actually adds this dynamism to the dish that makes you feel like you are really enjoying the squid.

Fresh Fish Galore
Many of the dishes I ate while there were fresh seafood dishes, the kind where it was probably alive before it was killed and eaten- as you order.  Follow the images below to read what I ate.

Salt Cod Filet with Aioli

Cuttlefish, a big-headed version of squid.
 

Buttery Shrimp with Baby Eels

Sole Fish with Langoustine Reduction

Fresh Mussels with my French "Brother"

Shrimp and Salt Cod, Tomato based sauce

Eating at Home: Charcuteries, Salads
Sometimes we'd stay in and eat some local produce and charcuteries.  Spain is the professional of pork charcuterie- and if you are a vegetarian, you're not going to experience the glory that is encased meats.  We ate a range of products from chorizo with the slight spicy bite, to the gooey meat called, "sobrossada".  Often served with tomato rubbed toast, garlic, queso and a lovely fresh salad.

Pan con Tomate y Ali y Oli

Fresh Salad

Local Produce: Tomatoes, Onions

Charcuteries galore.. ham, chorizo, sobrassada, sausage, and a cool rosado wine

It was a vacation I will never forget; I gained a couple of pounds to enjoy and a few shades of tan.  Now I'm back in Lyon and the life here begins again.

Which reminds me.. I need to buy a baguette for dinner!

Bri and I have decided to try to lose some weight, and let me say it is a complete pain in the butt to NOT eat the delicious fatty foods.  But I figure, since I'll be here for a long stretch, it's better to be in good shape and enjoy the food, than overweight enjoying the food.  Our daily regime is to literally not use any fats whatsoever- no cheeses, no butters.  We eat lean meats, healthy cereal for breakfast, green tea... and I incorporate an apple cider vinegar drink.

So far we've eaten:
-pork filets with spinach
-yellow thai curry with turkey and green vegetables (no potatoes)
-turkey mushroom stirfry with side of cooked veggies

Every night is a challenge, but one that is easily accessible in France.  Produce here is a bit cheaper than in the states, and much more organic so it is much easier to eat a range of fresh vegetables every day.

No booze.
No fats.
No potatoes.
No pasta.
Little bread.
Whole grains.
Leafy greens (every day).

Why did I agree to do this where there are so many cheeses and pastries in FRANCE?!?!?!  So sad.