10/27/2009

El Luca y su Paella

Saturday, October 24th 2009

Woke up early that morning, really excited about the day events : eating and drinking from 1pm to whenever our body can’t take it anymore. Or maybe it was because of the time change, anywho, early indeed, yet I somehow managed to stall all morning before going on my little quest to 1) update my blog and 2) go to the market. At the Plaza Alameda (free wifi!) I saw Bob and Claire and told them proudly, as it was my first invitation to a Spanish house, that I was off to Jose’s place at 1pm. They said “so… in 15 minutes?” Like a smartass, I told them they forgot to change the time. “No no, that’s tomorrow I’m sure.” Zut, smeggin Angel… So I rush, more than is necessary in Andalucía, to go back home get ready, go buy 2 liters of warm Cruzcampo in the Super Arcos and find Jose and Beatriz’s house.

And did I ever find it! What a contrast that gorgeous mansion is to the white, moldy, narrow, cavern like houses of Plaza Alta! I have to say I was a bit shy to walk up and down the marble staircase in my 2 euro gipsy skirt and half-decomposed Brussels slippers… I can hear Vero “tsk-ing” in my head, but know that, at least from the people I’ve had the chance to meet yet, Spaniards don’t care for clothes and looks and the price of your wine as long as you share! So! Warm beer in the fridge, sparkling wine out. Jose was carving out his first jamón ever, 5 acorn ham leg watch out! Means the pig was fed only acorns his whole destined-to-be-luxirious-food life. Pretty much the equivalent of 5 stars ham, and boy did it taste like the best! It was placed on a fancy support and Jose agilitily... agilely? cut thin strips off with a long knife, while Beatriz showed me around their castle. Lovely place!

Ah, phone call from Angel who was NOT on his way as he should have been, since he’d just woken up with a bad hangover from the high school reunion he’d had the previous night. Which did not stop us from starting to eat without him. He and Carmen arrived in time to have a look at Jose and Bea’s wedding photo album (classic and inevitable!) and have a quick strum on the “top string”-less guitar. I only got a small preview of Jose’s skills, mark my words I’ll get him to play again… Bit of beer, sausage, empanaditas, more heavenly jamón, and cheese later, and we’re off to EL LUCA for Curro’s legendary paella. (Another Curro I know, this one is the owner of El Luca).



El Luca, and the view from there... gorgeous...


Mmmmm pealla (watch out, pronounced pa-èdja here).

Fernanda, Curro, Victor, the De Kadts, Israel, (all names you should know by now!!!) were there and more new people. We sat on the front terrace as the weather was fantastic, and the day went by dizzyingly fast, going back and forth in Spanish and English… learned still more palabrotas and local expressions which will prove to be useful one day I’m sure. Some of the joking around that occurred later on in the night help marked down the limits of the professional vs friendly relationship I have with certain colleagues (*ahem-jose-ahem*), which is basically: outside the school, not my boss.


When hunger struck again, I joined some peeps at La Cabaña for delicious, yet heavy, tapas... when the fried calamari plate arrive and we already felt full to the brim, I can’t deny I was pig and ate half of it. Back at El Luca, the colegio crew had paid the tab and run away (Oi! Spanish men and feminists will never agree on sharing a bill… but this was the last time I swear, I’ll be on the ball next round!). I didn’t mind much that my friends were gone as my stomach regretted the over-indulging a bit and I was quite sleepy, so I wobbled heavily home… not even midnight, pff… but hey, we HAD been drinking since 1pm! No shame!

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