Madrid in 36 Hours, 1 Cooking Lesson, 1 Tapas Bar and 2 Pastries from the Mercado de Maravillas

Most trips, jet lag doesn't bother me. Today it did.

Yesterday I spent the day with Kathleen Berger, an opera singer, and her chef-husband Manuel Alba Garrido. I tagged along with Kathleen when she had a music lesson with voice coach Tony Madigan. What fun to hear her practice scales and phrasing in preparation for a performance in a week.

In the apartment they share with their four cats, Manuel showed me how to make an authentic Spanish dish, one served in most tapas bars: a tortilla de patata.

Made with a potatoes and eggs with onions (or without onions the barbarian way, as Kathleen explained; whether one puts onions in a tortilla de patata is a topic of debate in tapas bars, fueled by glasses of red wine) and a lot of loving skill, the tortilla does not have tortillas.

Similar to a frittata, but not a frittata. Similar to a quiche, but not a quiche. The tortilla is light but filling, deliciously comforting.


Manuel made a tortilla with a filling of thinly sliced Spanish ham and fresh tomatoes in the middle. The filling is added after the tortilla is cooked, much in the way a baker slices a cake in half and then spreads frosting in between.

That evening we ate a light meal at Asturianos, their favorite tapas bar. My favorite tapas was the big bowl of Brittany mussels in spicy tomato sauce with lots of freshly baked sourdough bread for dipping. Delicious!

In bed by midnight, jet lag woke me at 4am. Wide awake, I watched the BBC and did some work until I crashed at 8am and slept until noon. With only a few hours to explore Madrid, I got directions from the concierge, figured out how to use the Metro which is easy, efficient, clean, quiet and inexpensive.

Kathleen recommended I visit the Mercado de Maravillas on Bravo Maravillas, a cavernous central market with row after row of vendors selling fresh meat, produce, fruits, poultry and seafood. Racks of Spanish hams invitingly (and threateningly) hang above the customers who lean close to the glass cases filled with great looking meat.

With no time to eat lunch, I grabbed two pastries and rushed back to the Metro, eating them while I waited for the train.

Tomorrow we start our 8 day tour of the small towns along the Atlantic coast in Northern Spain with Insight Vacations. I can hardly wait.

Tonight I'm going to bed early so if that jet lag thing happens again and I wake up at 4am, I'll have gotten some rest.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

What's Up With Spam Comments?

You'd think part of the fun of posting online is hearing back from readers. The whole internet-is-great-for-community-building notion seems like such a good idea. The reality is kind of different.

For articles I wrote for NY TImes Dining and Huffington Post, some people would contribute thoughtful responses. But there were always those people who clearly had a pent up need to vent and my article gave them the opportunity to rant and rave anonymously.

Reading those comments was no fun.

The other sort of weirdness that comes from writing on the web are the spam-comments, sent for nefarious purposes (if you click on the link will your computer become infected and turn into one of the digital zombie hordes enlisted for god-knows-what-purposes?) or to do I-don't-know-what.

And how did the individuals or the bots behind their comments choose my web site and the specific articles? Why did Easy-to-Make Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables  attract so many spam-comments?  What does that algorithm look like? Actually, what does any algorithm look like?

There is something like a tone poem in the three comments for the rotisserie chicken recipe:

And the bigger your tank, the more resources it consumes and the larger and better provisioned these support echelons have to beDeath is unpredictable and inevitable.Ever wonder what Tech N9ne bumps in the ride? The Kansas City King may not exactly be known for his whips, but he certainly spends enough time in them.vintage bridesmaid dressesYou are already familiar with this concept if you trade on the stock market. It getting cold wintertime now..vintage wedding dressBe sure to type the correct keywords so as to get accurate results. 

Anyway, I thought I would share some of the most recent ones. I've deleted the links to avoid facilitating the evil that might be lurking in the comment.

[DELETED/url] And the bigger your tank, the more resources it consumes and the larger and better provisioned these support echelons have to be.[DELETED/url] [DELETED/url]  yfsmstoh Death is unpredictable and inevitable. qhzxmwek [DELETED/url]  on Easy-to-Make Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

[DELETED/url] Ever wonder what Tech N9ne bumps in the ride? The Kansas City King may not exactly be known for his whips, but he certainly spends enough time in them.[DELETED/url] vintage bridesmaid dresses[/url] [DELETED/url]  gfquwlxq You are already familiar with this concept if you trade on the stock market. xujqkfdr [DELETED/url] on Easy-to-Make Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

[DELETED/url]  It getting cold wintertime now.. [DELETED/url] [DELETED/url] vintage wedding dress[/url] rfhvweba Be sure to type the correct keywords so as to get accurate results. uippdeay [DELETED/url]  on Easy-to-Make Rotisserie Chicken and Roasted Vegetables

Thanks for a maгvelous pоsting! Ӏ actually enjoyed reading it, you ωill be a great author.I will make sure to boοkmark yοur blog and maу come back іn the foreseeable future. І want to encourаge one to continue уοur grеat job, have a nice afternoоn! please click the following internet site on A 4th of July Picnic, the Perfect Time for Salads and Ribs

[DELETED/url]  - advance payday loans , [DELETED/url]  Austin's Dynamic Food Scene

The Characteristic of this Mega Green Tea with Coffee Genetic Green green coffee bean extract, Low Caffeine Convention, from 500 to 700 calories uttermost in a day. Unfortunately, green coffee bean extract often consumes an single with their option and they cannot tall mallow, yoghurt as good as fish are full-bodied in proteins but are low on fat. green coffee bean extract Herbs green bean coffee now pills are your topper selection, be certain that the maker lists the catechin message. This is depressed to the at that place, would not stimulate Green Coffee Bean Extract Reviews worth it. It does it vegetarian capsules 100% , Insurance premium Unroasted Green Green Coffee Bean Extract 800 Mg Std. to 50% Chlorogenic Sulfurous Now!! on Ask the Locals Guide: The Sundance Resort and Park City, Utah

Be sure to to be kept in Direction while developing the profile page on any Unloosen dating internet site. Beach particular date Pluses The best things approximately improper with the Online military service of dating. own an alerting eye same as forfeits -- they don't matter as losses or wins for Either school day. With the growth popularity of On-line Liberate dating web sites, increased rate look out for in theonline dating orbit. On-line Release dating is not simply for loving and humble mightiness be referred to as beautiful. What a identical social website. xpress dating There is jeopardy in Rid dating but there is as well not an exact judge of what's going on inside. And Unloosen Dating can be connecter earlier July, and have got individual to visit Penn's Landing with. Ask your friends dating and confab rooms are monetary standard tools for Australian-based site haven dynamic. Whether they let in it or not, to the highest degree mass are looking for Mr. or Leave on Ask the Locals Guide: The Sundance Resort and Park City, Utah

[DELETED/url] - buy generic accutane , [DELETED/url]  accutane cost onRestaurant Chez Roux, La Torretta del Lago Resort & Spa, Lake Conroy, Texas

[DELETED/url]viagra online without prescription[/url] - buy viagra , [DELETED/url] buy viagra onRestaurant Chez Roux, La Torretta del Lago Resort & Spa, Lake Conroy, Texas

[DELETED/url] - accutane 5 mg , [DELETED/url] cheap generic accutane on Morocco, Closer than Paris and a Lot More Exotic

Today, I went to the beach with my children. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said "You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear." She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone! Feel free to visit my web site - what is a graduate certificate on Lobster Rolls, Clams, Oysters, and Much Much More on the Rhode Island Shore

And one that came in early this morning in response to this post.

offered . This will so many . The main reason sporting activities [DELETED/url] find a with these types of billfold throughout . Obtaining maintain , you may hockey no cost restricted to changed offered far better [DELETED/url] christian louboutin slingback peep toe[/url] Medical transcription plainly is not for everybody. If you are critical about earning Red Bottom Shoes a good residing with a large earnings career, you should take a close look at it. Please Click the link[DELETED/url] on What's Up With Spam Comments?