Rajni Meets Krepesz

I’ve written about my talented friend and artist Rajni Perera in the past. I’d like to add something to that.

She is currently exhibiting at Krepesz, the European palacsinta Cafe in Kensington Market, Toronto (253 Augusta Ave). You should go there to explore the new space, have some of the most excellent teas and enjoy the authentic Hungarian crepe. When I say authentic, I mean it — each crepe is lovingly prepared by the mom of the owner of this cafe (I’ve met her) on a daily basis, is stuffed with freshest ingredients and looks like the biggest treat you’ll have all week.

Now, for a limited time only – until September 30 – you will have the opportunity to see Rajni’s newest pieces. I really like how her work has developed from the spunky youngun’s work (who is finding her style) to a deeply personal portrayal of women at their most vulnerable moments. Rajni is unapologetic as she captures the emotion and strong sentiments trapped within these females, with the budding force of Frida Kahlo. I’m eager to see where she moves next. (And I’m secretly lobbying for a portrait)

Just go! Sit and stare at passionate Mahban with a beautiful peacock (I think? Correct me if I got the cocky bird wrong ) across from the room as you hopefully humbly wolf down your sweet or savoury brunch palacsinta.

Filed under: art , art, food, restaurants, toronto

Best Meal I’ve Made to Date

Or so I and my dinner companion think. I wasn’t afraid to experiment with octopi and peppers. Let’s discuss.

First Course: Basil Grape Tomatoes with Buffalo Mozzarella

I diced white onion and went on to sautée; we needed caramelized onions. I cut grape tomatoes in half, leaving the tiniest ones whole so they burst in your mouth at a later time. Throw in said tomatoes after the onions turn golden and shake the pan a little. Roll large basil leaves and cut them vertically, dispersing over tomatoes and onions as you turn the heat off. Mix them up a little, let them sit, add some pepper. Bring out the highest grade buffalo mozzarella (splurge, it’s worth it!), and slice it up on break it over the tomato mixture. Enjoy! Enjoy it!

Second Course: Boiled Octopus in a Spicy Sauce and Basil Fingerling Potatoes

This actually starts at the very beginning of your cooking ritual – pour a can of chicken broth in a pan, and put twice as much water, start heating it. Chop up almost a whole bunch of cilantro, dice 3/4 of a white onion (large chunks are all right), and put all of that in. Next, I leaped into the unknown by slicing a small red pepper and throwing that in. I don’t know what it’s called, but it’s a tiny light red pepper, just a bit more wrinkly than the usual capsicum, and it’s spicy. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce heat.

Cut up Mr. Octopus and throw it in. Cutting it is tough, let me tell ya. But persevere. Throw it in the broth and let it simmer for at least 1.5 hours. I took it out at 2 hours and 15 minutes. In the course of this octopus bath you will need to add more water as it will evaporate – I added 4-5 cups extra, and I’m glad I did because that little red pepper set the whole pot on fire (not literally).

In the meantime boil fingerling potatoes (bigger ones sliced in half), and then bronze them in a pan with diced garlic and extra virgin olive oil and a dash of truffle oil. Add basil leaves for extra fragrance. Take out the plate and arrange like in the photo above or better! And enjoy it. Then live to tell the tale

PS. The octopus broth was too good to let go down the drain so I’ve used it to boil wild rice the next day. Guess how awesome my lunch is today

PPS. If anybody wants to hire me for cooking services, or for looking cute while cooking services, or eating and telling the tale services, I’m widely available and most likely ready to hear your ideas

Filed under: Food , achievement, dinner, food, improvements, kitchen, meal, recipe, recommendation, review

Чтоб Я Так Жил

I will start by telling you that I have started reading Francoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, and of course, I’ve floating images of the South of France, mansions, beautiful women, white sand, wonderful food and wine and 40+ men spoiling their young daughters, and so on and so forth. As I have these sinful sunny scenes (alliteration bonus, please), Josue makes his way over and we open the bubbly Veuve Clicquot, my favorite.

Now, let me tell you today at 9:30am I had my convocation. I officially graduated from Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management with an Honours (!) degree in Marketing Management and with a Finance minor. Out of all 200 marketing kids graduating today, only 11 of us received Honours degrees. I find that a little peculiar. I was also shocked to find out that many people didn’t have jobs lined up OR any idea of where they wanted to be. Folks, no way. Anyway, more about the ceremony in the next post.

We started consuming Veuve Clicquot, and I began describing this delightful drink as a very potent drug that makes you scrambling for more the moment you hit the bottom of the bottle, the moment all bubbles disappear and you realize you are knee-deep in real champagne attraction. Anyway! Josue loved it, choked on it, spilled some on him and went biking to LCBO for more. This champagne makes one feel as if you are happily floating on the surface of the Mediterranean, ready to bathe your limbs in salty water and running back to these warm sands.

Then we switched to Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz 2004 from the Clare Valley. Now, it is a wonderful smooth red, tangy heavenly drink from Gods, BUT it made me feel like a beautiful young male made of lead was pulling me underneath the surface of the Mediterranean to lock lips in the salty viscous water that is the sea.

I’m loving both. We are back to Veuve Clicquot and it is over, but we have Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva del Valle del Colchagua 2007.

Filed under: Great Times , champagne, food, good life, ryerson, wine

Gourmet Acrobatics, i.e. plain ol’ feasting

I was just sitting on my patio in Looney Tunes bedroom shorts from La Senza (I’ve Sylvester & Tweetie), soaking in the wonderful sun over Toronto and thinking about how great last night was and what my favorite moments were. Then I realized that I might as well blog about this. Gotta archive memories for those octogenarian days.

I felt obliged to outdo the Beta Party’s edible offerings (i.e. the April patio party). I prepared the following: quail eggs with black caviar and zaatar; avocado with bella donna cheese on a heavy lemoned Parisian toastie; diced herring, green apples, onion on a crostini; straw mushrooms, Quebecois blue cheese salami, olives stuffed with lemons in a sea of virgin olive oil and aleppo pepper; smoked oysters with herbed goat cheese and a dash of black salt on toasties; cucumber cups stuffed with truffled chevre, zaatar and a dill; strawberries wrapped in prosciutto plus melon with prosciutto. I know it was a successful selection because there are no leftovers and everybody is happy.

I was very happy to see some of my favorite people gathered on one patio and enjoying themselves. Guests brought a varied selection of drinks, mostly wines. I was particularly impressed with Jeremy’s quest for a fine red. I even researched this Louis Max 2005 Gervrey-Chambertin Les Azerottes. Denise tied a pretty ribbon around the Francis Ford Coppola Shiraz (I talk about movies a lot to inspire such purchases, hehe), which was also great. Will’s Fat Bastard Merlot was fabulous as well. I haven’t had a chance to savour other wines to comment! Now that I look at the bottles, I notice that all of them are indeed non-Canadian (I pointed out my apathy for canuck wines in my Facebook invite)  except for Lisa and Josue’s Jackson Triggs. The LCBO near their abode closed before they could make it; Josue was actually temporarily upset about having to bring Canadian wine, ha)

Everyone enjoyed the music, as evidence by comments on my taste. That’s very pleasant to hear, it’s encouraging, folks. At one point we all remembered that Jay Goldman was missing, and quickly exercised a tweetmob. I tweeted “Jay Goldman @jaygoldman”, and every  Twitterer (and there were some sans it! I don’t entirely live on the interwebs, see) on the patio sent the same thing. Lo and behold, a couple of tweets from people who weren’t even on the patio followed, ha.

More people came later that night, we danced around and blasted classic Russian rock bands. If you are or want to be into Kino (as you should), check the Zvezda Po Imeni Solnce (A Star Called Sun) album. Even Will Pate made an appearance! I’m very glad about that. I even busted out Vosges Haute Chocolat: sweet Indian curry powder + coconut flakes + deep milk chocolate. After the crowd dissipated and I changed into my sleeping attire (said Looney Tunes shorts), Roger came back with the crew and we set out on a quest for pho. I wore Sylvester & Tweetie shorts in public! And had no Vietnamese late night foods. Bedtime with sunrise for us all stars. Wondrously, I am feeling energized, happy and not hungover, albeit I wish I could’ve slept till 3pm. To the right is the aftermath of 15-20 people soiree. Thank you all, there will be more of nights like this one!

Filed under: Great Times , food, friends, fun, obsessions, summer, toronto, twitter

Love Affair With Tomatoes

I love tomatoes! I love them so much that no words could begin to describe my devotion to this berry. If you include a tomato in any recipe of yours, you will make me instantly happy, and consuming a tomato makes sometimes mundane moments into truly exciting (not to mention healthy) ones! I’ve also been called a tomato couple of times in my life, and even compared to a tomato. My dog’s full name is Bugs Tomato and when I do have my own car to drive, I’m most likely getting a RedRed vanity plan (not directly related to tomatoes, but a derivative for sure). I even toyed with the (future) idea of sending everything to hell, moving to Italy and keeping a small tomato farm and minding my own business.

When I was growing up, the cucumber & tomato salad has been a steady constant on our table. I’ve always developed a fondness for slicing tomatoes, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and enjoying them as a healthy snack. Caprese salad is a big hit with the Karin, so is home-made salsa, but not quite bruschetta. Grilled tomatoes on my vegetarian burgers are never a letdown and cute cherry and grape tomato varieties are a pleasure also.

So you can imagine my joy when I got to partake in La Tomatina (detailed post here) in Spain last year! I have also discovered Amy Goldman’s The Heirloom Tomato book and am considering getting it. She spent a lot of time researching, planting and growing various types of heirloom tomatoes, which then were photographed by the talented Victor Schrager. His light studies with tomatoes are absolutely stunning and provoke my saliva glads in those naughty tomato ways.

Filed under: simple life , food, obsessions, tomatina, tomatoes

Easter Weekend

I had a great Easter weekend, folks. It was long and epic one, fueled by the fact that I finished my undergraduate classes (I won’t say that school is done forever, granted almost all of us need post-grad degree to keep on succeeding). On Friday we celebrated Meghann’s birthday, which included a chapter at The Victory Cafe, then a stint at Ronnies Local 69, and a last stop at her house complete with red wine and two large pizzas (luckily, for about 8 people in total).

On Saturday, however, things went to another level. I hosted a pre-#dancecamp party on our patio, despite the temperature dropping to -5 (or whatever it dropped to!). I busted out my white faux fur coat that my parents gifted me with 1.5 years ago. I prepared delicious hors d’ouevres such as smoked oysters with herbed goat cheese on melba toasts, cucumber caps stuffed with truffled fine herb chevre and roasted peppers on top, not to mention the cheese plate, anchovy and roasted pepper crostini and the winner: rye crisps drizzled with lemon, dill, extra aged manchego cheese topped with avocado. Desserts included starfruit and green seedless grapes. When it comes to food, I will not disappoint.

Many good people showed up, including Jay Goldman, Slava Sakhnenko and his brother Eugene, Rajni and Amanda. Jay brought the new mango Absolut vodka, which we quickly utilized in the game of chess, where the pieces were actually 1/2 shotglasses filled with strawberry pieces and said flavored vodka. We set to play, donating many shots to the crowd since even 16 halfshots is a lot to drink. I must brag to you and tell you that I won, and that it was an exciting game.

We then set our course to Sneaky Dee’s which was the night of Fuck Faces. Dougie Boom, Syntonics reigned the decks, to our collective happy dance. I ran into Egyptrixx and Alias, which is always a pleasure. And our Toronto tweetunity strongly represented. Thanks for coming out, y’all, and thanks to those who made it to the afterparty as well. Night of big success! Adieu university!

Filed under: moving up , food, toronto, fun time, friends

at Bar Gagarin

Originally uploaded by dreamtiger

This is one of my most favorite photos of me. This one is like a secret that I’m not telling, just look at those cheeky eyes. There’s something special about being in Berlin, sitting on a bright red chair that matches my hair, under a large pretty umbrella with a bright orange neon backpack, purple watch, teal shirt that says “It’s not over, not over, yeah” (which is, in my opinion, influenced by the Klaxons’ “It’s not over, not over, not over yet”), and teaching my friend about the proper ways of drinking vodka, according to the Russians. Our plate is called Intelligenz, and it includes chopped herring with apple, pickles, rye bread, onions and some other goodies.
I’m actually glad there is quite a number of us Russian folks in Berlin. It’s always nice to encounter fellow men so far away from the Motherland.
By the way, few days later, when I was in Barcelona, someone (an Eastern European fellow from Talinn, Estonia) who used to follow my Livejournal a while back messaged me and asked me if I was at Bar Gagarin in Prenzlauer Berg on such and such date. I said, yes, why. He said he was there at exactly the same time, and recognized my red hair. Wow, talk about coincidence!? Small world, folks, small world. I can only imagine what my life is going to be like in 5-7 years.

This is Dave drinking his portion of the Intelligentz

Filed under: the world eh , Berlin, Europe, food, friends, fun, memories, photos

Some Mad Skills

Oh, Mad Men is getting some rep again, thanks to its creator’s, Matt Weiner’s, kid. Arlo Weiner is 8, but his fashion style is way beyond his years. Forget the bloody jeans and sneakers – how lame can you be? This boy loves tweed, bow ties, tophats, velvet jackets, madras pants. He wants to start making his own clothes as soon as his mom gets him a sewing machine. His photos totally made my morning, and I’m already looking forward to his creations. You’ll be hearing a lot about Arlo, guys. More on him in the GQ.

On another note, I am considering going to this fancy dinner with Vaneska at the end of March. Still uncertain, but I definitely know it’ll be all made to order, and Jamie Drummond will the guest Sommelier for the night; the fabulous dinner conductor personally met all the producers.

1. Selection of Hors D’oeuvres
2006 Domaine Ostertag Pinot Gris “Barriques” Alsace France
2. Assiette de Charcuterie : Pingue Prosciutto, Goose Rillettes, Tartare de Cheval, Pickled Root Vegetables, Citrus Marinated Olives
2006 Jean Luc Colombo Côtes du Rhône “Les Abeilles” Rhône Valley France
3. “Canard en Conserve” from Au Pied De Cochon : Duck Magret, Foie Gras, Roasted Savoy Cabbage, Cauliflower puree, Balsamic reduction
2005 Domaine du Meix Foulot Mercurey Rouge Burgundy France
4. Assiette de Fromages Francais Artisanaux : Camembert Normand AOC, Langres AOC, Pont L’Eveque AOC, Livarot AOC, Crottin de Chavignol AOC, St. Nectaire AOC, Roblochon AOC, Bleu D’Auvergne AOC
2007 Domaine Coulet “No Wines Land” Cornas Rhône Valley France
5. Malbec Poached Bosc Pear : Almond, Walnut ice cream
2006 Domaine des Gardies “Flor” Muscat de Rivesaltes Roussillon France

Filed under: simple life , fashion, food, icon, mad men, surprise, toronto

La Tomatina

for the win

Ever since I’ve opened a Spanish language textbook at the age of 16, and learned about la Tomatina – I always wanted to go; except the idea of going was constantly being pushed into the undetermined future. Until last year, when I and four of my friends set our vehicular sails for Buñol in the province of Valencia. We arrived on time to park on the outskirts of the pop=9,000 town. More than 30,000 fellow fighters walked to the center of the town with us, happily yelling at each other and laughing at the unsuspecting flip-flop wearers and camera-ready enthusiasts.

note that our shirts are white

First we got a bit of a squish session with the masses circa my Prague 2000 escape from Vaclavske Namesti along with 40,000 others. Then we moved to the front row (because we are lovable fighters), bewildered by the buildings covered in Tyvek or something similar, and watched 6 trucks slowly roll one after another, raining tomatoes on us little guys. It was on! Our goggles, €5 shoes with double laces and swimsuits didn’t help much, and the tomato juice still burnt the eyes and the skin, so we screamed Agua! Agua! to the gods above and it literally rained buckets from residential balconies. 

I got hit in the head so many times, and I scored some good shots myself. Our team fought some folks on the other side of the narrow street, tomato river kept getting deeper and deeper, people bathed in the tomato sauce, people screamed, shouted, took photos with their waterproof cameras, tried to fix their goggles only to get hit in the face. But more than anything, everyone had an absolutely unreal experience. You didn’t know that 120 tonnes of tomatoes can do this magic?

After a 90 minute battle that seemed to go on forever, we stumbled to the river and bathed, proud of ourselves, drained, feeling like the different people that we became and simply happy to be alive. We then drove to Valencia to swim in in the sea and feast on authentic paellas.

Filed under: the world eh , art, Europe, excitement, food, friends, fun time, Spain, tomatina, tomatoes, travels

Six Things That Make Me Happy

Below is my happy 6 in alphabetical order, as I wouldn’t be to assign numbers anyway:

• Baths: When I was a child, living back in Russia, I used to love two things the most – books and water. Combining the two led to Fridays and Saturdays spent in the bath tub, reading. Those were the epic nights: 4-hour bath marathons, sometimes with bubbles, but usually without (dealing with foamy things is so burdensome when you have a good book to worry about), snacks, tea, whatnot. I’m starting to revive the tradition, but alas, the bath tub at my Toronto abode is not the best, so I resort to bathing in my Vancouver home or at friend’s (yes, I know…)

• Bugs Tomato: He’s three years old, and I still call him a puppy. I wrote a post about this wonderful, smart, handsome and loving chihuahua here.

• Good conversations: I value a great debate, or an emotional discussion, confessions, dramatic monologues, lively dialogues, and really, any conversation that does the intelligence of my fellow debaters justice. I feel rejuvenated after a really good talk, be that a discussion of the latest scientific discovery, the welfare of silverback gorrillas in the Virunga valley, the next hotshot DJ, Martin Margiela SS 09  or the economic environment of Mauritius. As you can tell, I like to learn a thing or two when talking to others.

• Style: this encompasses doing activities in style, to living in style, to keeping it real, to dressing oneself well, to being the person one truly wants to be. That’s what style really is. It’s not just about the latest clothing item or the pink Juicy Couture jumpsuit (eek), it’s how one carries him/herself. It makes me really happy to see people expressing themselves in whatever fashion that would be. Just do express yourself tastefully.

• Seafood: I’m the master devourer of oysters, sashimi (particularly fatty tuna and west coast salmon). I adore octopi, including their effects on my tastebuds as well as on my mind – those cephalopods are smarty pants, too. Some of you know my endless love affair with caviar (another post of mine) – my nickname is Behemoth is for the same reason. Mussels are never a no, and so is swordfish, and even red snapper brightens my day. I’ve written about lobsters, too, and would delightfully consume them all day, every day, followed by a great dose of niacin to battle the cholesterol.

• Travel: New places, new people, discoveries of the self and of the culture of others. I thrive on being someplace new, getting out of my comfort zone and jumping into the unknown. I travel well alone as I don’t have to adjust my own schedule to anyone else’s and can maintain my ‘get up early, do cultural things, eat local foods, snap lots of pictures, go out and be social till the wee hours’, then rinse and repeat.  As for the airports: given the weather is not ruining the flights and angry fliers aren’t in my face, I am always excited to be in these shrines of constant departure and arrival. Flying is the best for me, driving – the least exciting.

I would be interested to see what the following people would include in their lists:  Tara, Kevin, Vaneska, Slava, Kat, Danielle.

Filed under: moving up , bugstomato, caviar, chihuahua, fashion, food, friends, fun, joy, memories, obsessions, penchant, russia, seafood, travels

Must-buy organic foods

The below list flourishes with fruit & vegetable that consistently carry more pesticides (even after washing), so please invest that extra 50-80 cents to buy organic.

Fruit

• Apples
• Cherries
• Grapes, imported (Chili)
• Nectarines
• Peaches
• Pears
• Raspberries
• Strawberries

Vegetables

• Bell peppers
• Celery
• Potatoes
• Spinach

Taken from the MSNBC article.

Filed under: simple life , food, health, reports

this shit ain’t rocket science

Just because I haven’t had the time to update does not mean that I haven’t been enjoying things.

My midterms and cases reap solid results, and I am happy. I’ve got some more projects and assignments coming up, but I am happy about them.

This Friday Dave, Darren, Jon, Eric and I are going to New York, because the first two are playing at the Palms Out party. If you’re in NY, come see Egyptrixx and Alias play the Whiskey party at the 205 bar (205 Chrystie @ Stanton, Lower East Side). I am happy to show my friends my New York and all the quality places that I approved In the past, I used to go there for a person, now I am going for myself and to have a great time with friends. It’s going to be a blast!. The picture on the left was taken in February 2007 (lower east side, btw).

D and I went to the awesome Full Moon Vegetarian restaurant on Dundas & Denison in Toronto. I was quite impressed by the quality of their food, and especially the “mock duck/pork/beef/etc”. Great options there.

PS. Kid Kudi is not bad. Grab his Day N Nite.

PPS. Please, also subscribe to The Economist. I am addicted myself. And student rates are fabu.

Filed under: moving up , food, memories, music, toronto, travels, fun time, friends, new york, excitement

September’s Developments

I haven’t written all the posts about Europe, but I will continue to post more about my tour as I keep a to-do list of blog posts and I’m back (unfortunately). While I am hesitating to start reading Michael Porter’s Competitive Strategy, which is the big bang book in bussines strategy, I will write a little about what’s going on, especially since Hans pointed that studies have shown that blogging is quite good for you. Agreed.

The first week is so far very hectic. I straightened everything out with with my bank, Ryerson and work, signed up for the gym (to play squash, do cardio, swim), for pilates (let’s try this out), and cross-training group classes. Having paid $30 for the latter, I can go to as many classes – which include Cardio Camp, Spinning, Yoga, Abs & Butt, Boxing and Cardio Kickbox, – as I can, every week. First session tomorrow. I’m also doing a major health check this semester, it’s long overdue.

I’ve become a big proponent of cooking at home, and have a well-stocked fridge at the moment. After fabulous excesses of European food, I’m switching to lighter choices, and eliminating meats from my diet; let’s see how it goes. I compiled a weekly menu for myself to make sure I get all the recommended daily servings of various foods, that I prepare certain products earlier on to avoid spoilage, and to save the time spent on meal contemplation in front of the fridge.

One is more likely to get into a habit of doing particular things if one has a schedule, and since I want to improve time management skills and accomplish more in this busy time of my life, I set one up. Incorporating time for classes, studying, work, exercise, leisure, self-development, online tasks, it will go in effect starting next week.

Filed under: simple life , autumn, changes, food, productivity, self, toronto, work

You Sound Like Youre From East London

I just got a haircut from a man who’s been cutting hair for 28 years (including frou frou Kitsilano in Vancouver and 1985’s Spanish Harlem), and I realized than instead of going to hipstertown and seeking out the gayest, skinniest youngster with amazing hair, you should go to men of experience. Just make sure you explain your dreamcut really well. So yay to Islington’s Rough Cut!

I am currently sitting in Wellcome Collection, which is a unique mix of galleries, events and meeting, reading and eating places spread over six floors. Its goal is to engage public with health and well-being; it brings modern art, medicine and peoples ordinary lives to create and exciting place of interest. I am here, so should you when in London.

I went to Camden yesterday evening and had quite a good time. Besides picking up some flaming vintage pieces and trying Moroccan food (my next travel place of interest), I met some nice folks and managed to keep the happy hour prices in a bar way past the happy hour time. Camden is full of Italian daddy’s girls looking for bargains, handsome punks, prima donnas of the burlesque scene who will never see 30 again, skater boys, American Apparel sect members and random misplaced people. It’s heaps of fun, as my Australian friends would say!

By the way, I haven’t been updating a lot lately because I have been busy experiencing life here, but I have certainly been taking notes on what to post about. My autumn schedule will be busy, but calm busy, so expect posts very often!

Filed under: simple life, the world eh , Europe, food, London, mobile, neighborhoods, self, travels, trip

Catalunya

Well! I am in Spain. It has been my secret desire for some time now, I must admit.

I always wanted to have tapas and enjoy the chatter of passers by.

Barcelona is a wondrous and surreal place in way that a Juan Miro’s work is, with its grotesque animal shapes and disfigured perspective, with its narrow streets that make you slightly uncomfortable but definitely welcome you to get lost and find yourself in some safely tucked away Placa… I keep thinking that I will uncover some secret when I walk around the Barri Gotic or even Barceloneta. I am convinced there is a secret that a handful of locals are able to whisper, yet they all have it in their hearts, Catalan hearts.

My dreams of seeing the artworks by Picasso and Miro are coming true! I absorb the culture like a sponge of sorts and I am extremely happy to have the opportunity to do so. I am grateful for the friends that are with me.

Xavi and Sal are great guides. They took us on a tour yesterday. We went into a small square where the building walls still bear the gunshot marks from the times of the Civil War. I could not believe my eyes, but my video camera did.

The food, the food. Let us discuss – we went to the Mercat Santa Caterina, and my eyes fell out at the sights of fresh seafood, and several dozens of cured ham varieties. Ladies and gentlemen, make sure you go to the markets. Skinned rabbits, goat heads, cow brains, steaks, mushrooms, cheeses… Yes.

Last night we drank homemade sangria (guess what, i’ve acquired the recipe, too…), and went to Gracia neighborhood for some drinks. The narrow streets are littered with small bars and whatnot. Did I mention that I used the Bicing system and biked through the hilly city (in a slightly not so sober state, oops)! I did well, and unfortunately Georgina did not because she and Sal fell off their bikes

And it’s been only two days so far. More museums, more food from the markets awaits me, and more fun. We still have to go to the Sidecar and dance our socks off.

Tomatina happens on Wednesday! Stay tuned. Oh, definitely do. Salud!

Filed under: moving up, the world eh , 2008, barcelona, food, friends, fun time, Spain, tomatina, travels, trip