Courtesy of my husband's business travel, my family spent a week in Spain last summer. This wasn't nearly long enough to do the country justice but we did spend 3 days in Barcelona. One of the days we raced through the Boqueria (open air market)--sadly no time to really shop--and only time for a few hasty photos. Besides, I hate spending long periods of time setting up photos in crowds. It always feels intrusive to the other people around who may not want their picture taken (at least that is how I would feel in their shoes) and I feel like such a tourist under these circumstances. It is ironic that I cringe at looking like a tourist even while being one.
I don't eat pork so I never sampled the sausages. Not eating pork in Spain can make life complicated. For one it is served constantly. For another there are so many names for pork products and my Spanish is not refined enough to always know what I might be ordering. Tapas bars in Milan were even more complicated since ordering may involve pointing at a plate and shouting over the noisy crowd.
I looked up "fuet" and found it means "whip" referencing the shape of the sausage. There is one outlier sausage in the row called "xorico" which it turns out is Catalan for "chorizo." That probably should have been obvious but wasn't to me. The store in the photo was established in 1939 according to its web site. Amusingly they are also on Facebook. Talk about combining the old with the new. I'm sure it is a good business practice. I am posting this for Thematic Photograph: Edible.
7 comments:
I took photos in that same market - beautiful colours and wonderful food. I'm going back to Barcelona in May - can't wait!
Looks great! I need to get to Spain some day.
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Those sausages are a great shot! Luckily I eat pork! We went to the Boqueria when we were in Barcelona - I just loved all the colourful spices. And the fruit and veg were gorgeous too!
Oh goodness what a lovely place to visit. In reading your comment about being nervous in taking pictures, follow Carmi and his themes long enough, and your picture taking will come very easy! You'll have so much fun too!
You're so right, pork is a staple in Spain. Whatever your reasons I think you're missing a treat with Chorizo or Xorico. On my blog there is a similar photo of Menorcan sausages.
I fabcy some of these if they taste as good as they look.
I'm with you on the food front: Whenever I travel, staying away from pork, shellfish and anything remotely unkosher can make the experience somewhat challenging and tense as I hold my breath that I'm not about to eat something I'll regret.
And yet, the sheer visuals of being somewhere so uniquely different from our own neighbourhood invites a little photographic exploration, which makes me glad you did just that here. You painted a rich picture of what it's like to experience a place that is so unlike home, and you've inspired me to get out of my comfort zone a little the next time I find myself far from home.
I may never yet eat the local food, but there's nothing stopping me from experiencing the moment in other creative ways. Beautifully captured, and a fabulous contribution to this week's theme. Thanks!
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