Why .
. .
Last year, I was given an opportunity
to travel in Europe.
I went to Madrid, the Canary Islands and spent New Years holiday
in Barcelona.
When I arrived in Barcelona, It
took me two days just to figure out how to eat.
The restaurants and stores open and close at unusual times. With
my jet-lag and time difference, I ate many chocolate croissants
and Gelato(available everywhere) until I began to figure out the
patterns.
First of all, I am learning Spanish. I was with my friend who
is fluent in French.
I could not figure out how to communicate very well.
However, my friend was doing well with his French. What is going
on?
Well I noticed there were signs all over that were saying Catalunya
is NOT Spain.
I found out, that the language in this area is Catalan. (a language
banned as recently as 1979)
Catalan has similarities to Spanish but sounds and appears more
like French.
Ok, with a little Spanish, lots
of French and much hand language and pointing,
we were beginning to learn how to communicate.
Luckily, we met Glenn Santana a University Student in Barcelona
studying Cinema.
Glenn did not go home to Mayagüez Puerto Rico for the holidays
and was more than happy
to be our personal tour guide as well as being a very good friend.
With Glenn's help, we were able to see the "inside"
of the workings of Barcelona.
It is with Glenn's wonderful assistance that I am able to bring
a taste
of Catalunya to Charlotte North Carolina!
Scheduling
Well, as is common in Europe,
this area is on a quite regular schedule.
The workday is from 10 am until
10 pm, however most businesses close around 2 pm until around
6 pm.
Lunch is around 2 pm. The city comes to a standstill for several
hours while everyone is on their Siesta.
At 6 pm people go for what some
may consider "tapas".
Many times I watched local Spaniards, Italians and French folks
enjoying this meal eat like there is no tomorrow.
This is the meal I was most impressed
with. The items are "A La Carte"
Everyone orders plates of different foods (and they are not little
plates)
and all the people at the table enjoy a rather sizeable meal.
(Six olives on a plate for $8.50 seems to be an American invention)
When I go out with friends, we
each order dinner,
however we may put the dinners in the center of the table
and get more empty plates so everyone tries everything!
The entire style of this evening meal in the Catalunya region
is exactly how I love to eat.
Not to mention that the food was
always VERY fresh,
well seasoned, perfectly cooked, and accompanied by the best bread
ever.
There was always the cruet of wonderful Olive oil
to top off everything and the faithful cruet of balsamic vinegar
always in sight.
Delicious espresso was a must.
The extra touch . . .
Every place we ate, there was
always something "extra"
that was a specialty of the house and at some point in your meal,
you were presented with a sample taste of food, an apertif,
or an exquisite dessert as a gift from these friendly people.
There is no doubt that i left
my heart in Catalunya.
The experience in Placa Catalunya on New Years Eve I will never
forget.
Thousands of people, and while standing in one place,
I heard conversations in at least 13 languages going on around
me.
(and these people seem to have no trouble communicating without
understanding
each others languages... especially when it comes to food!)
Melting Pot . . .
Catalunya is certainly a melting
pot, and similar to places like New Oleans, San Francisco and
New York, there has been a melding of so many cultures which create
a cuisine and a style that is unimaginable unless you can make
the trip and try it.
Trips . . .
If you have an opportunity, I
urge everyone to take a trip to Catalunya.
Go see Barcelona, Villanova, Girona, on the west of the Pyrenees
and Languedoc or Roussillon on the French side of Catalunya.
Until that time, come see us at
Catalunya Cafe
and get a sample of the experience that is awaiting you!
Benvingut!
I have no doubt, I left my heart
in Catalunya!
My friend Glenn Santana who showed
me the
"inside" of Barcelona . . .
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