Res-o-puh-leese

Happy Moanday: Back from Spain!

Well! It has been a fantastic, wonderful, relaxing, exciting two weeks, but I'm finally coming to terms with the fact that I am home in the states again after a whirlwind trip in Spain. It was absolutely wonderful, and I diligently photoed and noted and sampled foods from Barcelona to Bilboa and back again. I am still dreaming of spicy chorizo, pungent queso cabrales, crunchy-sweet crema Catalana, and tangy sidra, and my disappointment that I can't get these things in the U.S. (especially the sidra. That stuff--bubbly hard cider from Basque country--is awesome) is only slightly tempered by the multitude of posts I'm expecting to cull from this trip. I have many, many recipes to share, foods to feature, and delicious/humorous foodie experiences to relate, and expect Res-o-puh-leese--Espanol-style to kick in starting tomorrow.


For the most part, I have to say I completely fell in love with Spanish food, as I'd hoped and expected. Although I often stuck to the Spanish PB&J equivalent of jamon y queso bocadillos (ham and cheese sandwiches), I ventured out to try a variety of new foods (the weirdest stuff I would encourage Dave to get so as I could limit my venturing to a small sampling, see: monkfish in Tarragona). Most everything I tried was absolutely amazing--a blend of flavors and textures unlike anything in the U.S.--and even Dave's and my fledgling attempts at Spanish cooking were pulled off mostly without a hitch (and with lots and lots of Spanish wine).

Of course, I returned to my little apartment awash in humidity and smelly clothes, dreaming of the crisp cool mountain air in Asturias (far from Astoria), and wondering what I would eat after two weeks without American food. My rumbling tummy had all day been asking for one thing and one thing only, something which I saw Spaniards try and epically fail to replicate: my sweet and hearty chicken tikka masala.

I'll get some Spanish-related posts up soon, but until then, buen provecho y me gusta volver al blog!