Well I'm nearing the end of my wonderful trip to Pontevedra. It's been the best of times...at times!
Yesterday we travelled on the autopista which sounds like an efficient machine to get drunk, to Valenca, the first town over the border into Portugal.
After my host had thrown all of the change over the floor at the toll barrier we arrived in Valenca and then proceeded to drive on the autopista again when the driver missed the turn.
We ate goat at a delightful roadside restaurant which was full of the cast of extras from Cocoon, not to mention a few Nuns too. We were in great company. It was considerably quieter here and the only loud babbling conversation was our own!
After a short siesta I walked around the ruins of Valenca. Tui in Spain and the aforementioned town in Portugal used the battle the hell out of each other. Valenca faired the better and now the remains of the fort house a multitude of cafes all serving the same food and gift shops all selling the same cotton goods and trinkets. The bridge between Tui and Valenca was designed by Gustave Eiffel and is similar to the iron lattice work you will see on that little tower he designed in Paris.
On the way back we stopped off at Santa Tecla which is an Iron Age fort on the top of a mountain. It offered 360 degree views and was absolutely beautiful. I was slightly concerned by the lack of safety barrier, not to mention an awful selection of tacky gifts at the top!
I finished off some Jamon last night. Whilst not bellota, it was €10 for 100g which is still rather expensive. It was delicious though. Washed down with Vinho Verde, the slightly fizzy 'green wine' from Portugal which is wonderfully light. Behind the hills on the far side of Pontevedra there was a dazzling lightning show last night well into the night. It was a memorable end to a memorable day.
It's been the best of times...at times!
Thursday 25 August 2016
Saturday 20 August 2016
I read on the BBC website this morning that certain countries provide financial incentives to its gold medal winners. Some of these include Singapore who gives a prize of $745,264 to all gold medal holders. Other countries include:
Moldova $132,000
France $55,000
But there are other countries who provide non-monetary incentives. These include Iran who award gold shoes, Belarus who, with a sausage company, provide a life time supply of sausage and the USA who allow you to cheat the full force of the law if you make up a drunken story and lie to the police.
GB don't officially get any monetary incentive however they will stand a good chance of being included in the Honours list and access to high profile sponsorship campaigns. They should also receive a good welcome when they return but no doubt allegations of doping and foul play will continue to rear their head in the media.
Yesterday I spent a delightful few hours in Pontevedra Museum. There are two parts to it; an art gallery over four floors and a collection of pottery, carvings, ancient artefacts and modern art. I surprised my host when I said I had seen a Miro, a Picasso and a Dali in the museum section of the building as he said he had missed these. I wonder what creative gems we miss when they're right under our noses. Take time to explore your local museum or art gallery. Leeds Art Gallery is one such example.
Finally on the subject of art, I have become increasingly interested in the Gallician painter, caricaturist, writer and politician Alfonso Castelao. He was a prominent voice in the 1920s and 30s initially then set up various bodies and groups to support persecuted peoples, especially in Galicia. Anyway I'm not an expert so the above biography is sketchy at present. However the art he produced is beautiful, comical and in places extremely thought provoking. More on him to follow but if you check out his Arenga you will get a flavour of what he is all about.
Moldova $132,000
France $55,000
But there are other countries who provide non-monetary incentives. These include Iran who award gold shoes, Belarus who, with a sausage company, provide a life time supply of sausage and the USA who allow you to cheat the full force of the law if you make up a drunken story and lie to the police.
GB don't officially get any monetary incentive however they will stand a good chance of being included in the Honours list and access to high profile sponsorship campaigns. They should also receive a good welcome when they return but no doubt allegations of doping and foul play will continue to rear their head in the media.
Yesterday I spent a delightful few hours in Pontevedra Museum. There are two parts to it; an art gallery over four floors and a collection of pottery, carvings, ancient artefacts and modern art. I surprised my host when I said I had seen a Miro, a Picasso and a Dali in the museum section of the building as he said he had missed these. I wonder what creative gems we miss when they're right under our noses. Take time to explore your local museum or art gallery. Leeds Art Gallery is one such example.
Finally on the subject of art, I have become increasingly interested in the Gallician painter, caricaturist, writer and politician Alfonso Castelao. He was a prominent voice in the 1920s and 30s initially then set up various bodies and groups to support persecuted peoples, especially in Galicia. Anyway I'm not an expert so the above biography is sketchy at present. However the art he produced is beautiful, comical and in places extremely thought provoking. More on him to follow but if you check out his Arenga you will get a flavour of what he is all about.
Thursday 18 August 2016
When you are blessed to be in one of the most providential places in the world for fine foods you should take more time reading up on what is on offer in order to fully appreciate it.
The first time I came to Galicia I simply experienced the cuisine. This time I have attempted to refine my experience. If my host allows a third trip at his pleasure then no doubt this will be another level of gastronomic delight.
My most recent foray into fine cuisine has been Jamon. We visited a deli yesterday morning to order some wine, including the excellent Terras Gauda Albariño of which I still have one bottle at home. Truly beautiful. But we were blessed in the fact that there was a guy slicing and preparing Jamon for sale. Not any old Jamon however and this became apparent when I was given a sample. It was the most intense and beautiful flavour ever. One cannot begin to describe it effectively in words. In fact one journalist went so far as to say it was the most perfect taste in the world. This, dear readers, was bellota Jamon aka acorn ham, named after the diet of the pigs that go into making it.
Jamon is given different bands and headings depending on the diet of the pigs, the hanging time, the quality of the pigs involved; all sorts of things. The stuff you can get in Aldi at Christmas time is far removed from the best on offer here. I saw Bellota Jamon advertised for nearly £2000 a leg in the UK. Still overpriced but considering the taste I can see why some pay it. If you ever get the chance then do it!
Pigs form a huge part of the gastronomic experience of Spain. Part of their popularity, legend has it, is down to the expelling of Muslims and Jews and to test whether you were a true Christian you were fed pork. Whether this is true or not, I have certainly had my fair share of pork already. In this respect, as in others, I can be called Christian.
Today I travelled up into the hills to be fed a 3 course meal with half a litre of wine plus coffee for €8.50. It was, apparently, typical Galician food. We had fried pescaditos or fish to start with a beautifully dressed green leaf salad. The main was pork stew, affectionately known as 'everything but the tail.' A delightful smokey stew flavoured by an intense ring of chorizo, there were borlotti beans and cabbage as well as potato and pigs ear, boiled ribs and loin steak. It resembled the pink intensity of gammon but without the saltiness. A real contrast from the Jamon but still well received. There were nearly 100 diners each coming to taste this genuine food. Yet again I was the only non-Spanish speaker there but this only added to the experience. I do enjoy not having to hear tedious discussion or indeed let other hear mine!!!
The first time I came to Galicia I simply experienced the cuisine. This time I have attempted to refine my experience. If my host allows a third trip at his pleasure then no doubt this will be another level of gastronomic delight.
My most recent foray into fine cuisine has been Jamon. We visited a deli yesterday morning to order some wine, including the excellent Terras Gauda Albariño of which I still have one bottle at home. Truly beautiful. But we were blessed in the fact that there was a guy slicing and preparing Jamon for sale. Not any old Jamon however and this became apparent when I was given a sample. It was the most intense and beautiful flavour ever. One cannot begin to describe it effectively in words. In fact one journalist went so far as to say it was the most perfect taste in the world. This, dear readers, was bellota Jamon aka acorn ham, named after the diet of the pigs that go into making it.
Jamon is given different bands and headings depending on the diet of the pigs, the hanging time, the quality of the pigs involved; all sorts of things. The stuff you can get in Aldi at Christmas time is far removed from the best on offer here. I saw Bellota Jamon advertised for nearly £2000 a leg in the UK. Still overpriced but considering the taste I can see why some pay it. If you ever get the chance then do it!
Pigs form a huge part of the gastronomic experience of Spain. Part of their popularity, legend has it, is down to the expelling of Muslims and Jews and to test whether you were a true Christian you were fed pork. Whether this is true or not, I have certainly had my fair share of pork already. In this respect, as in others, I can be called Christian.
Today I travelled up into the hills to be fed a 3 course meal with half a litre of wine plus coffee for €8.50. It was, apparently, typical Galician food. We had fried pescaditos or fish to start with a beautifully dressed green leaf salad. The main was pork stew, affectionately known as 'everything but the tail.' A delightful smokey stew flavoured by an intense ring of chorizo, there were borlotti beans and cabbage as well as potato and pigs ear, boiled ribs and loin steak. It resembled the pink intensity of gammon but without the saltiness. A real contrast from the Jamon but still well received. There were nearly 100 diners each coming to taste this genuine food. Yet again I was the only non-Spanish speaker there but this only added to the experience. I do enjoy not having to hear tedious discussion or indeed let other hear mine!!!
Wednesday 17 August 2016
Last night we hosted a dinner party. I was intending on cooking for four people I knew however after some exchanges of text messages, it was more like 8, some of whom I didn't know. Then at the last moment it went down to 6 in total. Not only that but I would expect to welcome people from about 7 to eat at 7.30 however this is practically unheard of over here. The neighbours were coming and couldn't make it until 9. Even then they were late. One of the neighbours ate her dinner but kept leaving to speak on the phone then fell asleep afterwards. I was told not to take it personally.
One thing I wanted to cook, as Colin doesn't get it here, is smoked mackerel pâté. It's a very simple dish when all you have to do is go to Aldi and get smoked mackerel fillets. It's slightly more tenuous when you have to buy fresh mackerel, fillet it yourself then cure and smoke it. Very rewarding though, if only to tick another kick off the culinary list. Not to mention seeing Chief Scout Colin make a fire!
Mackerel is a very cheap fish and is underused here. It's €3 a kilo. When I asked if the Spanish ladies liked the pâté all I heard was 'fantastico' which is OK to me!
I also did roasted peppers in homemade pesto and chicken and chorizo stew. All washed down with Rioja and Albariño of course!
Finally: Michael Moore has suggested in the Guardian this week that Trump's campaign is an elaborate ploy to get a better deal on TV and has therefore started to derail his own campaign with further outlandish statements and beliefs. Yet there are still people who believe everything he says and have conviction in him as their future leader. No applause needed tonight.
One thing I wanted to cook, as Colin doesn't get it here, is smoked mackerel pâté. It's a very simple dish when all you have to do is go to Aldi and get smoked mackerel fillets. It's slightly more tenuous when you have to buy fresh mackerel, fillet it yourself then cure and smoke it. Very rewarding though, if only to tick another kick off the culinary list. Not to mention seeing Chief Scout Colin make a fire!
Mackerel is a very cheap fish and is underused here. It's €3 a kilo. When I asked if the Spanish ladies liked the pâté all I heard was 'fantastico' which is OK to me!
I also did roasted peppers in homemade pesto and chicken and chorizo stew. All washed down with Rioja and Albariño of course!
Finally: Michael Moore has suggested in the Guardian this week that Trump's campaign is an elaborate ploy to get a better deal on TV and has therefore started to derail his own campaign with further outlandish statements and beliefs. Yet there are still people who believe everything he says and have conviction in him as their future leader. No applause needed tonight.
Tuesday 16 August 2016
When the toreadors or bull fighting comes to town there seems to be a number of collectives that assemble in uniform colours to celebrate and basically get absolutely slaughtered in the booze. Whilst some of these go to see the bullfighting, many, I suspect, don't tend to agree but join in the revelry in town regardless. These are known as Peña and certainly light up the town. They assemble in two of the squares in town; one for the youngsters and another for the mid 20s to 30s. Normally the Police would move this type of activity on but a few times a year they make this exception.
The teenagers, some who look about 13, drink out of those blue mineral water bottles a mix of rum and coke called calimocho and they seem to bloody love it...and hate it after a few hours. We went into town for tea around 7.30 and the street odour resembled that of a public toilet. Go figure! There was also a bit of chunder adorning the pavement slabs too: good work considering the time.
Finally: we got two huge Jamon sandwiches/ baguettes yesterday and a plate of Jamon and beers for €11! I suggested that it would cost twice that in Pound Sterling in the UK. I really do like this place!
The teenagers, some who look about 13, drink out of those blue mineral water bottles a mix of rum and coke called calimocho and they seem to bloody love it...and hate it after a few hours. We went into town for tea around 7.30 and the street odour resembled that of a public toilet. Go figure! There was also a bit of chunder adorning the pavement slabs too: good work considering the time.
Finally: we got two huge Jamon sandwiches/ baguettes yesterday and a plate of Jamon and beers for €11! I suggested that it would cost twice that in Pound Sterling in the UK. I really do like this place!
Monday 15 August 2016
The Grabbing of Beasts
We drove into the wooded hills yesterday late afternoon for an event called A Rapa Das Bestas or the grabbing of beasts. For those of you who have watched Gypsy Wedding you may think this is some sort of dating for desperate people. However it's an annual tradition with country folk which involves rounding up the wild horses and cutting their hair. Some communities also brand the horses to ensure that if they stray into other land, the owners know about them. Yesterday was just cutting manes and I was grateful for this. There is a huge wooded pen and a viewing area around the top. Friends of the farmers sit on top of the wooded pen and shout pleasantries (insults) that would put the cast of Shameless to inevitable shame.
There is a primitive bar and seating area which was "quite clean for rural standards" and as we were leaving, some chaps were boiling pulpo (octopus) and serving it in the local style. The children were riding around on the backs of horses and ponies with no helmet or safety gear and the horse-park had some beautiful horses tied up to trees whilst their owners were wrestling their wild cousins to the floor.
Back to the pen. It's hot and flies dance all over the horses. The lads start cheering then one jumps on the back of a horse, pulling its mane and slapping it on the backside. God knows what his dating technique is like! Then all the lads muscle in and attempt to get the 'beast' to the ground. One mare was so tough that they had to pull her tail and her back leg but once she was on the ground she was quite calm. An old fella came round with buckets of water keeping the horses cool. People from urban UK will no doubt think this is a cruel activity, and as I discussed with my host, there probably are more efficient ways to trim them. However this is a Galician tradition and we have traditions in all communities. These people are continuing to nurture their tradition and I, for one, applaud them.
We drove into the wooded hills yesterday late afternoon for an event called A Rapa Das Bestas or the grabbing of beasts. For those of you who have watched Gypsy Wedding you may think this is some sort of dating for desperate people. However it's an annual tradition with country folk which involves rounding up the wild horses and cutting their hair. Some communities also brand the horses to ensure that if they stray into other land, the owners know about them. Yesterday was just cutting manes and I was grateful for this. There is a huge wooded pen and a viewing area around the top. Friends of the farmers sit on top of the wooded pen and shout pleasantries (insults) that would put the cast of Shameless to inevitable shame.
There is a primitive bar and seating area which was "quite clean for rural standards" and as we were leaving, some chaps were boiling pulpo (octopus) and serving it in the local style. The children were riding around on the backs of horses and ponies with no helmet or safety gear and the horse-park had some beautiful horses tied up to trees whilst their owners were wrestling their wild cousins to the floor.
Back to the pen. It's hot and flies dance all over the horses. The lads start cheering then one jumps on the back of a horse, pulling its mane and slapping it on the backside. God knows what his dating technique is like! Then all the lads muscle in and attempt to get the 'beast' to the ground. One mare was so tough that they had to pull her tail and her back leg but once she was on the ground she was quite calm. An old fella came round with buckets of water keeping the horses cool. People from urban UK will no doubt think this is a cruel activity, and as I discussed with my host, there probably are more efficient ways to trim them. However this is a Galician tradition and we have traditions in all communities. These people are continuing to nurture their tradition and I, for one, applaud them.
Sunday 14 August 2016
Smokin!
No don't worry, I haven't taken up this habit. But it seems, dear readers, that nearly everyone else does smoke in Spain. My host believes this is so that the Spanish can keep slim. I tend to concur with this. I was chatting to my friend Charlotte this morning and we were talking about the smoking thing as she has spent a lot of time in Spain. I snack or drink wine normally when at a loose end, especially on holiday. Is smoking something to do with the added benefit of not making you want to eat?
We are in the fiesta week at present in Pontevedra. There is a bull fight in town and the fun fair, fireworks, gastronomic delights and, curiously, a wild horse roundup which we are going to tonight. I would supply you with photos but I haven't worked out how to do it on my phone.
Carrying on with the smoke theme, the wild fires are continuing to blight the horizon. There is an odour of burning trees and in the morning the sun is barely visible early on due to the lingering smoke in the hills. The papers are full of stories about how they start. There was a picture of lighters collected, possibly left by picnickers but seems careless to me. I think there was also a story of a lady going round lighting candles in different spots in the hills. Hopefully it's not for some archaic religious reason or even a cultural thing. Although if she's doing it maliciously she wants locking up. My host told me about a German chap burning his used toilet roll. If only it would have been connected at the time!
No don't worry, I haven't taken up this habit. But it seems, dear readers, that nearly everyone else does smoke in Spain. My host believes this is so that the Spanish can keep slim. I tend to concur with this. I was chatting to my friend Charlotte this morning and we were talking about the smoking thing as she has spent a lot of time in Spain. I snack or drink wine normally when at a loose end, especially on holiday. Is smoking something to do with the added benefit of not making you want to eat?
We are in the fiesta week at present in Pontevedra. There is a bull fight in town and the fun fair, fireworks, gastronomic delights and, curiously, a wild horse roundup which we are going to tonight. I would supply you with photos but I haven't worked out how to do it on my phone.
Carrying on with the smoke theme, the wild fires are continuing to blight the horizon. There is an odour of burning trees and in the morning the sun is barely visible early on due to the lingering smoke in the hills. The papers are full of stories about how they start. There was a picture of lighters collected, possibly left by picnickers but seems careless to me. I think there was also a story of a lady going round lighting candles in different spots in the hills. Hopefully it's not for some archaic religious reason or even a cultural thing. Although if she's doing it maliciously she wants locking up. My host told me about a German chap burning his used toilet roll. If only it would have been connected at the time!
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