Why We Moved Back to Spain

Congratulations to my family! Today marks our one year anniversary of moving back to Barcelona. Pardon the cliché, but it has certainly flown by.

Catalan food, Spanish food, travelCamila LoewAugust 1, 2019Sobremesasobremesa, Spanish food, Catalan food, meals, friends, Catalonia, travelComment

The First Sobremesa in My New Home

No matter how long I do this, I am still in awe of the magical effects of sitting down to share a meal: deep bonds are almost immediately established. Mutual understanding and the sharing of a pleasant meal seem to go hand in hand.

Spanish food, travel, vegetables, holidays, bakingCamila LoewNovember 14, 2018SobremesaEVENTS, sobremesa, Mediterranean food, lunch, vegetarian, vegetables, cauliflower, roast, fallComment

A Day with Jacko

Jacko is a farmer. He lives and farms in a village at the foothills of the Montseny mountain called Arbúcies, about an hour north of Barcelona. Jacko is a permaculturist avant la lettre; but he doesn’t like to call himself that. He has been practicing farming in this way long before the term permaculture because popular, but he also makes a point to draw a line between himself and a movement, which he casually scoffs as trendy. Jacko is a man of firm values and opinions. He just farms. I like that.

Camila LoewAugust 30, 2018Sobremesafarm, sobremesa, pickles, farming, vegetables, produce, permaculture, organic, seasonal, local, BarcelonaComment

Are Americans Catching on to Sobremesa?

Although sobremesa truly means the time we spend at the table after we've finished eating, I believe the spirit of sobremesa can be enjoyed throughout the meal, and even during its preparation. Sobremesa is time spent in conversation and lingering, communal bonding time. In fact, I like to think that the aperitivo, another favorite pass-time in Spain, is also part of sobremesa.

Camila LoewApril 25, 2018sobremesa, recipes, aperitivo, appetizer Comment

More Lingering in 2017

I recently got back from a 5-week trip to Spain. It was an intense time, spent teaching (mostly here but also here), doing research (for this and this) and, in between, squeezing in as much time as possible with my dear friends in Spain.

As soon as I landed in Barcelona, it felt like home. And yet when I returned to the Bay area a few weeks ago, I was so happy to be home! It's funny how that works; once you have lived a long time in different places, home is a moveable feast, and yet you can never truly go home again. These thoughts were on my mind all the time as I walked the streets of Barcelona, streets I know so well and yet, there have been changes (both external and internal ones) in the 3 years I've been gone.

Camila LoewDecember 30, 2016travel, Spain, Barcelona, Spanish food, sobremesaComment

Blessings in Disguise

Our unpredictable human lives don't play out like a neat, well-composed work of fiction. Though we may attempt to read events as good or bad for us, the path will teach us otherwise, as things just don't stop twisting and turning. Awareness and acceptance of the transitional nature of everything around and within us is the only way to make peace with our place in the world.

vegetablesCamila LoewAugust 18, 2016sobremesa, travel, Mediterranean, recipes, vegetables, cauliflower, healthy foodComment

Alice Waters and sobremesa

A few days ago I was fortunate enough to attend a session of Edible Education 101 at UC Berkeley guest starring Alice Waters and The Kitchen Sisters. No matter how long I live in the Bay Area, I hope I always live it as a newcomer, and take advantage of the many exciting events this place has to offer, without just settling into the fact that famous people I am interested in happen to be local, around and about.

Pa amb tomaquet

Although I personally -unfortunately- can't eat wheat, it is one of the staples of the Mediterranean diet. The gluten-free craze forgets that wheat is a traditional, even sacred food in many cultures, eaten for millennia.

Sobremesa on the farm

A few days ago it was my great pleasure to meet Jorge Saldana, owner of Cancun (Berkeley) and Tlaloc (San Francisco) restaurants. Marissa of Bay Area Green Tours, invited us to spend the afternoon on Jorge's farm, Sabor Mexicano, near Guerneville on Russian River.