Pining
We were told we wouldn't get many vegetables in Spain, and that just wasn't true. This was the lunch we got at a cafe in Sevilla after wandering around the Alcázar. Granted, half of that salad came from a jar, and the Spanish sure seem to have a liking for limp canned asparagus, but the gazpacho was fresh and tasty. Of course, the fried fritter-like things were ubiquitous (and delicious), quite possibly canceling out the positive vegetable forces.
This was one of our best meals, but the night before we had one of the worst. The tapas we had for dinner that night were neither great nor horrible, but the rodent-size cockroaches scuttling across the wood floor were a bit alarming. I know there are vermin in every restaurant, but I don't expect to see them playing Red Rover between the table legs while we're eating. Also, I noticed halfway through the meal that one wall of the restaurant was covered with pictures of dudes in red or white robes with pointy hoods -- attire we associate in this country with a certain hate group, but which I think means something different in Spain? Maybe a fraternal order? Although part of me wants to associate it with the Spanish Inquisition, which also is more than a little unsettling? Anyone know what that's about? Please enlighten me, because Google isn't helping and I'd really like to know.
I got some of the best pizza I have ever eaten in Spain: paper-thin and wood-fired, with just a light dusting of cheese, just the way I like it. We made pizza at home for dinner tonight. It was pretty good, but certainly thicker than paper and definitely not cooked in a wood-burning oven. A few stalks of canned asparagus and I might have convinced myself for just a moment that we were back in Sevilla.
November 26, 2007 10:26 PM
