Turned out to be an interesting day... I was on my way to the supermarket to do some shopping for lunch (we eat at 3 p.m. here followed by dinner at 9 and sometimes 10) when a friend told me I should, instead, go to the city market... a large building that has 50 or 60 small specialty shops selling everything from squid to sweet potatoes.
What a fascinating place it turned out to be, filled with amazing sights and smells... I got some really nice tuna steaks, potatoes, snap peas, onions and green beans for lunch for me and my friend Elena's son Josep (she was out for the day with friends who wanted to say goodbye... she's only going to be in New Zealand for four months but I'm learning that here in Catalunya people will seize upon any excuse whatsoever to get together to eat and drink and just hang out... my sense is that if she was going away for a year they might well hold a week-long festival complete with fireworks.
Anyway, prices were cheaper in the city market than in the supermarket and the food was fresher so it was a good day for shopping,
I'm planning to go back to the city market tomorrow because I'm making chili for 10 people for Thursday's lunch. Chili is an exotic food here because it's virtually unknown, something which surprised me when I was first told that. I learned just how exotic it is when I visited here in October and was asked to make a couple of gallons of chili for some friends who were throwing a party. I did and word kind of got around about it so now more people want to try it. This time, however, I'm toning down the recipe... I made what I thought was a mild version last time and people nearly died eating it... The reason: Contrary to what some people might tell you, Spanish food (unlike Mexican food) really isn't very spicy so habaneros and jalapenos are out, at least this time.
After lunch Elena's friends who are coming for lunch want to watch "Casablanca," which I have on DVD, and listen to my Frank Sinatra CDs... who knew?
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