The heated political tension that hit the streets of Barcelona these past few days (and now seems ubiquitous) was what finally encouraged me to spend a rare, sunny Friday morning at home alone coming back to myself through the space that is this blog on Sobremesa. And I knew I had to make an effort to recover the mood that Sifnos left me with after our week there this summer, the most relaxing and enjoyable, real vacation time I’ve spent in many years.
Read MoreWhen I started Desayuno con guisantes, my Spanish blog, many years ago, I wrote about the zen of shelling peas and the beauty of simple things. For favas you need twice the patience, as they need to be shelled first, and then blanched and peeled. Some people eat the outer skin to avoid that tedious second shelling, but I assure you it’s well worth the effort.
Read MoreNo 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.
Read MoreI’ve been waiting a while to tell you about this project I’ve been working on, and the time is finally (almost) ripe, so…… introducing Slow Food Kitchen Barcelona!
Read MoreJacko 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.
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.
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