Spain's Balearic Islands: Ocean Views & Home-Cooked Meals

     

The Chew		The View
Twin Pizza Tastings		Toes in Ibiza :)

4/14~Mallorca

After a wonderful night of Barcelona's funkiest club, Razzmatazz, Lu, Junie, Kristin, and I woke up to find ourselves on the amazing island of Mallorca--the biggest of the Spanish Balearic Islands. Sister to the sleeping dragon of Ibiza (where we would go next), Mallorca promised us exactly the opposite of what we used to crave: no sights, no metro, and absolutely, positively no museums. 

Frankly, we are tired. Being travelers is a rough job (but someone's gotta do it, no?), and after a rough week of papers and midterms, we were ready to lounge beachside. Welcome to the beach party.

Beachside BK

"Black Tea"

Obligatory Beachside Lounging

Amazing Veggie Pizza


4/15~Ibiza

Ah, our time in Mallorca was too short. But, being the student travelers we are, we jetted off in search of the next party. Ibiza is one of the Balearic Islands off of Spain, and is known for its crazy rave festivities that consume its beachside, summer nights. We got there earlier than peak season, which actually helped our wallets -- regular cover club charge during the peak is 60 euro for entry. We got in for a steal at 15 euros. Plus, check out the hotel we nabbed for less than $20 a night:

  Room With a View

 Home-Cooked Meal (Ibiza ain't known for its food)

  Festivities before Pacha Club

It's funny how small the world can be if you make it so. I've seen the USC Madrid kids at least 3 times, and Ibiza was a happy coincidence.  So, even though the end of my semester abroad is in sight, I have a newfound sense that anyone I want to see and keep in touch with I can. It's a matter of will--and perhaps some money, of course.

 Kiwi smoothies with Junie :)

Not one museum in this entry. Just wait until Italy and Paris--trust me, I'm not always a lazy traveler in search of sun and surf. In fact, the Fates would reinforce that decision by hiding the sun from our travels. Somehow we still make the best of it all!

Slightly tanned,

The Chew 

A Testament to Blowing Money on Food: Madrid, Spain

     

The Chew		The View
Ferrian Adria's legit veggie burger		Reunited and it feels so good! - Plaza Mayor

The capital. It's a phrase that was essentially meaningless to me back home. O yes, DC has a unique culture that prides itself on the relatively short history of the US. But, next to LA, it's a smaller city that seems...quaint.

But Madrid is clearly the capital of Spain. It buzzes with movement and history, with a bustling city population of 3 million--making it the 3rd most populous city in the EU after Paris and London.

It was the greeting of a bright pink facade of a building that won me over. Just as we exited the metro by the Way Hostel, I saw the almost tropical color of buildings with the neo-classical style so familiar from Barcelona. Both a comfort and a new vantage point.

Hungry travelers as we always are, Kristin and I got down to business. Food, that is.

FRIED goat cheese with RASPBERRY jam

(CAPS is where my heart beat INCREASES)

The Casa Alhambra had some amazing raciones like the above fried cheese, ensalada with white asparagus, and we even shared some paella! My first in Spain, but not necessarily the most noteworthy...

Next comes the sites. Luia and Jess had trained down from France, and it was absolutely amazing to see them in the bright sunny Plaza Mayor! 

One great thing to do is take a 2 hour walking tour with the Tourism Office (only 3 euros), but you learn a lot. Here's our wondrous guide:

Getting Teary-Eyed about Queen Barbar *sniff*

One great story: there's this Ferdinand VI character who met his arranged-marriage-wife, Barbara, in Portugal and they initially hated each other--then they fell in love and brought a Renaissance age to Spain by being patrons of arts and culture. When she passed away, he wallowed in the gardens alone for 9 months, and then passed away himself. She, sadly, wasn't allowed to be buried in the royal mausoleum because she never had children (you had to give birth to a king to be buried there), so Barbara was buried in a cathedral now called Santa Barbara. And just before Ferdinand died, he insisted on being buried with her. So now the two are together at the intersection of Carrer Ferdinand & Barbara in the Cathedral Santa Barbara. TEARS

We took a free visit The Prado (from 6-8pm that day), and saw Las Meninas by Velazquez. It was amazing to see the scope of the painting, and how it was actually three panels stitched together to create the portrait of the princess and her servants. 

That night we met up with some fellow Spanish-studying BK6ers at a...Mexican restaurant? Haha, they were craving it.

 Poor Michael: They have no concept of veggie enchiladas...

Then came our first night out on the town. We met with Luia's sister's exchange friend Alej, who lives in Madrid. Here comes bar-hopping, and that wonderful Madrileño phenomenom of bouncers enticing girls into clubs with free drinks. So it began.

A skeevy bar that kept us with sangria and random bursts of YMCA

~

The next day was RAINY and OVERCAST. But no matter, good food was on the way. Ever heard of Ferran Adria? A spanish chef of godlike magnitude, he owns the infamous El Bulli, a restaurant where 2 million people apply for a reservation in a given year, and only 8,000 are awarded the honor. The experience will set you back 290 euro, but he operates at a loss and the experience is pure gastronomy.

Without said budget or said reservation, I opted for Adria's gourmet fast food concept called Fast Good.

 Spinach Pate-style Veggie Burger

AH, this ranks among the best veggie burgers I've ever had. The spinach wasn't mealy at all, and seemed more like a pate that was loosely pan-fried with grains to give it some shape--though the facade of structure fell apart in your mouth as it melted away. YUM.

Then, the tourist bus from hell. No transfer + smelly passengers + stupid audio + 17 euro = epic FAIL

At least we had high spirits! 

Then a Palacio Real tour, where the Royal Armory used to be. And guess who we bumped into? A HUGE group from the USC Bilbao program!!!

My high school/college mate, Sarah & I!

Cold and soppy from the rain, we decided to indulge in a little bit of healthy comfort food at the Chocolateria, a 24-HOUR churro restaurant. God. Bless. Spain.

Churros at all hours? Chocolate twice in a day?

After siesta (yes, siesta does a body good), we decided on dinner at a place I had total food anticipation for: El Tigre. And once you get food anticipation, come hell or highwater or elephants, nothing will stop me from my ultimate goal.

Imagine walking into a bar with a sea of heads, a slim bar, and the scent of smoke. Seem enticing? At El Tigre, it's exactly what I expected and wanted. The experience wouldn't be the same if you didn't have to elbow a few people to get to the bar and order. The wonderful gimmick is the order strategy: buy a drink, get plates of tapas for free. Go with friends for a round of drinks, and you've got yourself a full on meal.

Patatas Bravas y Croquettas

Two staples of the tapas culture are patatas bravas y croquettas. Patatas are fried potatoes with this slightly spicy brava salsa, which has some vinegar and ketchup...sometimes served with aoli which leaves you reeking of garlic. The croquettas are fried pillows of cheese. Sometimes blue, always soft, this combo is the perfect drunken munchie food!

You would think after a full night of greasy tapas we'd be full for days. But a wonderful veggie buffet was on the way...

Veggie sushi?!?!

Of course Kristin and I would find the only veggie buffet in town. Seems I ate quite healthy in Madrid...I even got a taste of Spanish "street food" with roasted chestnuts and corn on the cob :)

But the grand finale of my foodie tour of Madrid came with a visit to the world's oldest restaurant. Welcome to El Botin, and an experience that was possibly one of the best foodie pleasure of my life.

They have a line of people waiting patiently at 7:55pm to get their seats at 8pm, which was our reservation. The restaurants is an intimate space with two labyrinthe floors, and a seemingly disconnected cellar that require a walk behind the front counter passing the kitchen. Just going downstairs and seeing the vaulted ceilings inlaid with stones older than my country's Constitution was something to behold.

New Friends, Old Recipes :)

To begin, as usual, sangria. Except Botin-style, with a pitcher that's probably 200 years old.

Garlic Soup with Bread Crust & Egg

Happy Chew with Scrambled Eggs and Green Asparagus

Madrid Cream Puffs

This is a new phenomenom for me...to truly savor a full meal, with wine, starters, bread, main, dessert. It's a typical lifestyle, that's actually big for lunch here in Spain with menu del dias, and I'm learning to sit for hours and enjoy my meals. Food may never look the same.

Tomorrow, I leave for Ireland. Will this veggie starve in a land of meat, game, and fowl? Thank goodness for beer carbs.

Until I find my pot o' gold,

The Chew

How Time Flows By: New Years, Carnaval, Birthdays!

~Barca (although excitedly awaiting a trip to Zaragoza!)

   

The Chew		The View
Mi amiga MinCi @ Chinese New Year's		Nord Parc

~2/14: Chinese New Years (oh yes, and St. Valentine's Day)


St. Valentine's is overshadowed by the bigger festival of Carnival. And as my USC Madrid homies and I went exploring the streets and various plazas (4 plazas along one street, this is getting insane my Spaniard friends), we stumbled across a gathering. I thought they were pirates. Silly me--they were HUMAN PYRAMID participants.

 

Apparently it's part of a big competition among various parts of the city. And see those tiny things ascending the human cliffside? Those are CHILDREN with poofy helmets. This country seriously lacks health codes and child labor laws--which makes the fiestas ten times more interesting than they are ever legally allowed to be back home. 

 

<3 mis Madrileños 

Oh dear how I was craving anything Asian. Food, people, gambling--and somehow it all came together through my Singaporean friend, MinCi. This crazy chica organized an outing to a Chinese restaurant in Marina called El Restaurante Chino or something equally original.

7 courses for 7 euro. All my New Year's dreams came true:

Spring Rolls (rollos de primavera), Veggies (ensalada china), Sweet & Sour Pork, Qingcai (green veggies), Mushroom with Beef, Fried Rice, Shrimp chips...

On top of this cornucopia of wonderful grease and comfort, my mother was present. Yes everyone, my mother sent her minion to Barcelona for the sole purpose of feeding me. MC, I CAN NEVER EAT WITH YOU AGAIN. She doled out huge portions to everyone, and--similar to a goldfish--I continued to eat the food that magically rose out of my plate. I have not eaten so much in all my time here in Spain.

~2/16: Tuesday Carnaval in Sitges

Dios mio. In a country where living in the moment and indulging in wine and pleasure is the norm, the day before the conservative Lenten season is complete INSANITY. And where else to engage in the most amazing displays of costume than in the gay capital of Catalonia?

Sitges is a beautiful seaside town just 30 minutes south of Barca. Our local friend Miguel drove us down to his friend Carlos' grandparents' summer home. Yet another trend in Spain, a home for each season. They have their own version of "snowbirds" here, snowbirding across the state to seek a roost for the winter.

Or maybe they flee Sitges because of this:

Think that + music + cross-dressing + drunken munchie xurros con chocolate and you have our Tuesday night. My hope for sitting in morning Motivation, Values, and Commitment class was shattered (ironic, no?). Especially considering our arrival back to Barca at 6am, an hour before I normally wake up for class.

Photos from our night will be up shortly, and perhaps I'll recall more stories then...

~2/18: Alice's Surprise Birthday Dinner

Have I told you about my doll of a friend, Alice? She's been studying in ESADE for six months already, speaks incredibly colloquial Spanish (using the highly technical adverb of "superrr" + adj), and has opened up her circle to us newbs.

As such, a surprise dinner was in order at Maitea, a traditionally Basque tapas restaurant.

 

Two of my many pintxos of the night. Cream cheese with assorted nueces (nuts) and Foie-filled champiños con queso (I found out about the foie filling later, to my chagrin, but the mushroom was juicy and amazing with cheese).

Still on a high from the amazing night of clubbing last week (aka Chupitos Bar & Hyde Club), I was in the spirit to celebrate. That spirit found us at Kahala Bar with some amazingly tropical drinks. As if I needed more rum after Sitges...

Banana daquiri, Coconut with cinnamon, limon-fresa, Bailey's with Coconut

Rum bellies, here we come!

Now I'm off to Zaragoza, a city in between Barca and Madrid. University town, tapas, shopping, Roman architecture? I'm down.

Also, I will not forgo Lent in the most Catholic country ever. Instead of taking away the negative (as in the abstinent manner of Catholicism), I've decided to add a positive--I've decided to journal everyday. We'll see where these 40 days of self-reflection take me. And don't worry, I won't write all that schmaltz here. Goodness you'd be sick of me.

Happily anticipating the 4 hour bus ride,
The Chew

The Chew Goes VIDEO: Juicy Jones Vegan

~Barca

Food lovers should be worshiping the technological advances before us. The possibilities for smell-o-vision on Food Network have me woozy (think of the pine tree smell in California Adventure's Soarin' Over California ride), and taste-o-meters are not far behind.

Here, I give you the first installation of my own Chew 2.0 video of the only vegan restaurant in Barcelona, Juicy Jones. Now if only you could taste my banana, papaya, almond milk shake...




Welcome to 2010,
The Chew

The Chew...Goes to School?!

~Sant Cugat

     

The Chew		The View
Xurros con Chocolate Caliente		My Loverly School, ESADE

Amidst all these articles of traveling, picnicking, wining and dining, you must be wondering when that whole "education" thing comes into play. After all, this is a study abroad program I'm enjoying.

Hold your breath no longer, as I'm an official ESADE student! We started full classes this week, and here's what my course load looks like:

09C15871 2 - Leadership

09B20877 2 - Marketing in Spain

09C11013 - Media Convergence and New Business Models

09C15831 2 - Motivation, Values and Commitment

09C30852 - Risk Management in Financial Institutions

09C15837 - Seminario: Cross-Cultural Communication

Marketing in Spain ~ Your basic marketing class with Spanish-based cases (woot, Zara in 2 weeks!). We've got a funny Indian professor who was nicknamed JJ in the States, but realized that this nickname won't work in Spain--that would make him "Hay Hay"

Risk Management ~ Planning to switch outta this one--all the graduate finance students get googly-eyed over it. I just will never get it. Sandwiches make me salivate, not credit scores.

Motivation ~ Similar to an Organizational Behavior class. Nice and fluffy, like my eggs.
(Have I mentioned that I have yet to enjoy a good BREAKFAST here? Minus the pastisseries, which are everywhere here).

 

While I'm on this lovely food tangent, let me tell you about the way breakfast works here.

Cafe con leche ~ You have to ask for this to get a regular coffee. Otherwise, you are automatically signing up for an espresso shot that'll send you reeling for the next hour.

White Chocolate Croissant ~ Ok, this was just the pastry I enjoyed. The chocolate variations are popular here, with both ends dipped in white or dark chocolate, and a lovely chocolate center. Oooo and nice and flaky. Gorgeous, buttery, flaky croissants. The size of your head. 

Chocolate Caliente ~ This ain't our Nesquik. It's drinkable fondue. Literally melted chocolate with a little chocolate milk to make it somewhat sippable, this stuff won't travel up a straw like normal liquids. In fact, it just begs to be dipped into by these guys: xurros.

Don't mind the spelling, the Catalans here like to use x's with the soft "s" sound. It distinguishes them from general Spanish, which is an important part of Barcelonian culture. Although everyone speaks Spanish, you are constantly reminded of the French-Spanish Catalan language spoken on metros and in restaurants colloqially. Greetings of "Bon dia" and requests of "Cie us plaut" are commonplace.

I'm sure you're dying to hear more about school, but I want to tell you a little secret, and about a food festival I stumbled across. I went to my friend Blair's apartment in Gracia, a bohemian neighborhood in Northern Barcelona reminscient of Silver Lake with the packed streets of Greenwich Village. She hosted a rooftop BBQ--and let me tell you, rooftop terraces are a BIG deal here. I guess this place gets warm or something, since people plant umbrellas like toothpicks. Looking from one rooftop, you can see the outdoor domains of rivaling buildings, where the balconies often rival the small apartments they sit atop (pictures of our own rooftop will come in warmer conditions).

After drinking vino and grilling, we moved downstairs to her apartment and noted some large bonfires in the Placa del Diamant that her building overlooks. Pagan witchcraft? Catalan rebellion?

Actually, a SPANISH FOOD FESTIVAL had found me! It's called the Sa Pobla a Gràcia, and it honours St. Anthony, one of Spain's most celebrated saints (if sainthood earns you food gatherings in your name, count me in the running). The Mallorcans--from the island of Mallorca, next to Ibiza--throw this festival for the Barcelonians. Barcelonians return the favor later in the year at Mallorca.

Needless to say we hustled down to stake our claim in the line of revelers. And for 3 euros, we enjoyed gastro-revelry. You get a paper bag with two slices of bread, chorizo sausage, and a piece of raw meat. You cook everything yourself! This certainly wouldn't fly in health-code regulated USA & England. Raw meat rests on the same plate with the cooked food. Possible salmonella in light of deliciousness?

Curiosity won my tastebuds. 

 

 Portuguese-->American-->American-->Italian-->English-->German

I've met such a diverse group of Europeans here, it's astounding!

As for my vegetarianism? I'm still avidly in search of the best veggie burgers and exotic veggie fare, but there are times when I will starve. And at those times, I relish the fact that delicious meat is in fact at hand. The Spanish meat industry is much more local-based, making it less of a pervasive, factory-based supply chain like it is in the US--so I feel more responsible paying for meat here when there are simply no other options.

I'm no carnivore, though, never fear :)

Walking my tail off,
The Chew

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