Lazy Sunday: Eating my way to the coast

~Barca

     

The Chew		The View
Tofu-Mushroom VEGGIE Burger @ Vegetalia		Tapas Bar on La Rambla

There's been a flurry of activity on this side of the world, ranging from a guided bus tour of Barcelona to my 1-hour trek to and from school at ESADE. Didn't think I'd ever actually go to school, didja?

1/24: This was my first settled Sunday, and I decided to spend it as a personal day of food outings and meanderings around this unexplored city of mine.

I started on La Rambla, the main drag of street with tourists and the Boqueria. Before veering off to my tour of the hidden gems, I got a yummy treat: a free falafel sample from Maoz Vegetarian. This little puppy uses green chickpeas, making for the green, fluffy inside. The gimmick worked, and I trekked back in 38-degree weather the next night to fulfill my cravings.

The craziest thing about this city is the system of sidestreets. Here is the simple guide to Spanish exploration (NOTE: advisable by day. Keep note of the sun, as you may lose your sense of direction and need to return to the main drag):
Step 1 - From the main boulevard, look to your left and see what would in LA be considered a "shady," winding sidestreet. What makes it different from LA is the fact that (despite grafitti all over), people are walking along, couples are laughing, kids are playing.
Step 2 - Turn. I wandered down some of those and people-watched. The streets are dark because of the buildings, but look for patches of light.
Step 3 - When you see a huge break of light around the corner, move forward...and you've wandered into a GORGEOUS open-air plaza! It's what the Grove tries to emulate, but will never do, and completely breathtaking.

And that's how I found this little gem: Vegetalia. I had been positively CRAVING anything remotely vegetarian that wasn't spinach (too many possibilities for hidden ham in that dish). The tofu-mushroom veggie burger hit the spot, and it was a steal at 3.90 euros (=$5.40). While I typically won't eat meals out alone back home, there's something about being an explorer abroad that makes the experience wonderful. Not lonely, not boring. Just contemplative. I got my calendar for traveling all set, and warmed my toes up too--the temps drop to 38 degrees F at night here!

Vegetalia Restaurante
C/ Escudellers 54
08002 Barcelona
93 317 33 31

After getting back to the main drag and walking along the beach, I headed to the Picasso Museum for their "Secret Images" exhibit. It was an exploration of Picasso's years spent dappling in Japanese erotic images--an interesting exposure to the world of a prolific and perverse genius like Picasso.

No pictures allowed, so this would have to suffice. In fact, you probably wouldn't want to see pictures. Not terribly appetizing.



What is appetizing is the fact that I FOUND BARCELONA'S CHINATOWN! I seriously was getting ready to head back after 4 hours of walking, when I saw Chinese writing. Legit. I walked in and saw soy sauce and Sriracha hot sauce. More legit. Then I saw these puppies in the freezer. Done deal.

After buying soy sauce, tofu, and avocado (I still owed people money at this point, stupid ATM withdrawal limit), I headed home--sore and ready to eat. 

It's nice to know that no matter where you are on earth, no matter how tired your feet are, or how many euro you've just spent on a single avocado, you can come home to a roomie-family meal :)



Sangria in my stomach, you in my heart,
The Chew