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shutitdown: taking one for the anecdote

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September 20, 2006

Oink: suckling pig, jamon, and pig's ears in Spain.

I'm back from my trip, 4.7 pounds heavier and stricken with bronchitis. Seriously, my scale is very precise.

The second day of my trip, I went on a walking food and wine tour of Madrid. (WalksOfSpain.com) We went to an a historical Madrid tavern, a traditional Madrid restaurant where we had Paella and meat that we cooked ourselves on a large, hot brick, andwine bar where I had the best jamon of my life. As a fan of jamon, this is no small statement. On a side note, do you remember The Heat of the Meat, when I smuggled ham out of Spain on my last trip?

Anyway, the tour was amazing as it focused primarily on eating and drinking rather than walking. I'll always choose the former over the latter given the opportunity. It was a beautiful kickoff to a trip that consisted of very little other than eating and drinking. Near the end of our trip, we went out with the tour guide, Andres, who is now my best friend. He took us to 6 or 7 tapas joints and peer pressured us into eating things Americans usually spit out into their napkins. He even introduced us to his friend, Dr. Love.

Things I ate in Spain:

Cochinillo asado, roast suckling pig at the oldest restaurant in the world. This is what I imagine the sweetest, most even-tempered deep-fried baby to taste like.

Pina Colada beer

Churros and chocolate at 8 am after a night of dancing and 23-year-old Spanish boys.

Tomatitos Ibericos de la "Sierra", basically baby tomatoes wrapped in what appeared to be bacon fat in Sevilla.

Queso cabrales con crema de Castanas, goat cheese on toasted bread with sweet cream of walnut spread in Sevilla.

Gambas al Ajillo, deep fried shrimp served boiling in a few cups of butter. Yum.

Ham, and lots of it.

Mussels, in many forms.

Bocadillos of all kinds in Cadiz, brought to me while I lay sick in bed, my lungs filled with sputum. Some had pate and ham!

Five types of sherry and deep-fried shark in Jerez de la Frontera.

Pasta tapas with an interesting Moorish influence.

Pig's ears. I finally understand why my brother's dog likes them so much.

A full plate of raw beef accompanied by Manchego cheese.

4.7 pounds. Sigh. In other news, I move to Dublin in less than two weeks.

Posted by Lina at 11:42 PM | Comments (2)
File under: food, world travel