Sign up for a free recipe e-book →

Clarissa's Blog

,

Barely Awake In Madrid

Published by

Clarissa

on

After three flights and several travel disruptions, I’m finally in Madrid. I have already dragged myself to a grocery store and cooked because I’m no longer in a condition to skip meal times. The veg here in Spain is extraordinary. In Mexico, too. I ate a tomato in Mexico yesterday, and I don’t think I will be able to forget that tomato for the next decade. In Madrid, I got some bell peppers and carrots, and I now want these vegetables to adopt me and make me part of their family. And I’m not even going to mention all the different kinds of sausage.

Now it’s 4:40 pm here, and I absolutely have to drag myself to a bookstore because otherwise I will fall asleep and mess up my sleep cycle. There is literally nothing that can make me stay awake at this point other than a visit to a bookstore.

Oh, and something funny: the owners of this Airbnb are Argentinian, and they left me, as a gift, some beer and a chocolate bar. Exactly two things that are of no use to me.

8 responses to “Barely Awake In Madrid”

  1. methylethyl Avatar
    methylethyl

    Grocery shopping is one of the things I miss most from our overseas adventures. The chard in Lima was beautiful all year round and tasted like it was grown in heaven. I must have been 20% chard by weight when we returned.

    Like

    Reply
    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      Chard! I love good chard, but it’s very hard to find.

      Like

      Reply
  2. cliff arroyo Avatar
    cliff arroyo

    “ate a tomato in Mexico yesterday, and I don’t think I will be able to forget”

    I’m still thinking of the tomatoes I had in Bulgaria…

    Like

    Reply
    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      They must be similar to the ones we have in Ukraine. Those tomatoes have an aroma. They’re not plasticky like the ones you get in America.

      Also, Spanish carrots are outstanding. Every time I come to Spain, I buy a whole bag, and they are like dessert. American carrots often taste like soap. I have no idea how the soapy taste gets communicated to them, but European carrots are sweet and refreshing.

      Like

      Reply
      1. cliff arroyo Avatar
        cliff arroyo

        ” in Ukraine. Those tomatoes have an aroma”

        Almost all European countries have really nice tomatoes in season but these were next level. I don’t remember them so much in previous visits but hadn’t had them by themselves but in shopska or other similar salads. This time one morning I had a couple slices at breakfast and kept going back and back…

        “American carrots “

        I think most American produce is selected for size and durability and not taste and with GMO, who knows…..

        Like

        Reply
        1. Clarissa Avatar
          Clarissa

          I will never forget how, in a small town in Spain, we went to eat the famous local salad made of their homegrown, ugly tomatoes. The salad was destroyed by the terrible idea the local cook had to plunk a cheap can of tuna on top of it.

          Like

          Reply
      2. oldcowboy3 Avatar
        oldcowboy3

        Heirloom varieties are usually much superior to commercial varieties that developed to be capable of transporting well. One can often find them sold in Amish or Hutterite markets. Brandywine tomatoes are amongst the best, my wife grew several plants of those for her favourite sandwiches. Pole bean varities Blue Lake and Kentuck Wonder and Oregon Trail peas are also old heirlooms that are hard to beat. But modern Bolero carrots are actually superior, crisp and sweet no matter how large they become.

        Like

        Reply
  3. Avatar
    Anonymous

    Welcome to Madrid!! Next week temps will be milder. At least it’s dry heat.

    Like

    Reply

Leave a comment

A conservative literary critic and college professor

Recent posts