Photos

Food

Being vegetarian kind of limits my dietary options here, not that I expected anything different. I'd love to be out and about and trying all the different foods Córdoba has to offer, but unfortunately most of the meals center around meat.

I live on my own and cook my own meals, so the meat-based local specialties haven't been a problem in that sense. Still, my cultural immersion is less than it would be if I were an omnivore. Food is very important here.

But I haven't been completely cut off from Spanish cuisine. Thankfully, if I go out with friends I can always have a tortilla or some salmorejo.

I had my first Spanish tortilla-- a potato omelet rather than a flour or corn flatbread-- in the United States, where a friend of mine who'd lived in Granada prepared me the recipe her host-mom had served her. Although I usually despise onions, they gave the dish flavor. I was happy to try it again in Spain, first at a friend's house and later at a bar where it was served in a bocadillo. More on that later.

Salmorejo, a creamy vegetable spread similar to gazpacho, is a specialty of Córdoba. It's served with bread and has a rich, garlicky taste. I tried it with some Spanish friends, who, although appalled by my vegetarianism, wanted me to get a taste (har har) of Córdoba. It was free with my order of tinto de verano, a red wine mixed with lemon soda. Tinto de verano is great because it doesn't taste like red wine at all, and red wine is gross.

I have also tried the vegetarian version of a third Spanish dish, paella. It's rice-based, with bits of vegetables in it. It's tasty and filling, but probably too much work for me to make myself. Were vegetarian paella more readily available, I would still stick to salmorejo and tortillas.

My friend Margaux changed my life by introducing me to Cien Montaditos (which also has a location in Florida!!!!!). Every Wednesday, this crowded bar serves bocadillos and drinks for only one euro. Bocadillos are essentially tiny sandwiches that are filled with everything from hot dogs to chocolate. My favorite is the four cheese option.

There's also a place here called Duffin Dagels. Something tells me they might have been very slightly inspired by a certain American business. Also, donuts don't exist. They're called DUFFINS, duh.

The little things

-The Andalucia accent (or maybe just Spain Spanish in general) frequently omits letters. My landlord (who has been incredibly kind to me and has told me about all the major sites to visit) told me to check out what sounded like "Medina Saura." Turns out it's Medina Azahara. Another example of this is "hasta luego," which is pronounced here as "aluego."

-Most of the pigeons are white. I guess the gray ones can't survive the heat.

-I see about the same number of fathers with strollers as mothers.

-In class today, a student commented that people from Andalucia don't value their accent/language. I guess the accent is stigmatized.

-People just let their dogs wander the street without supervision.

-Like in Boston, there are trees scattered around the city. Unlike in Boston, they're not maples. They're orange and clementine trees. The fruit is mostly still green though.

Greekenomics

When Greece suffers, Spain suffers. And, in spite of its bailout, Greece is miserable.

You can see the effects in Cordoba. Well, I assume that's what I'm seeing. I've never been to Spain during good economic times, but there are a lot of people begging for money. Women, mostly. Sometimes with children in their arms.

But in the tourist district, you can't tell how bad things are. Shop after shop is filled with beautiful silver jewelry, and in the early afternoon the area is flooded with people going in and out of stores.

In an un-Keynesian move, Spain's government has begun to take austerity measures, privatizing a number of previously socialized services such as airports and the lottery. And in spite of-- or, more likely, because of-- the over 20 percent unemployment rate, it has cut back unemployment benefits.

The Spanish people aren't just taking this lying down. All the flyer-posting locations contain fliers for political meetings and protests (I'm not counting "Zombie March: Cordoba" as a protest, but I thought it was interesting that it exists here, too). Thursday night, when some friends and I were in the central plaza, a march went right past us, chanting, "¿Que pasa? ¿Que pasa? ¡Que no tenemos casa!" ("What's going on? What's going on? We don't have houses!). They were marching under all sorts of banners, from a hammer and sickle to an Anarchist flag. We followed them to a nearby square where the group formed a circle and a number of people spoke. The Spanish was a bit fast for me, but one thing I understood: the alliance between the different political groups present was very strained. They were united for that particular cause, but the Anarchists stayed with the Anarchists, the Socialists with the Socialists.

The speakers also discussed media censorship. I hadn't realized that was still an issue in Spain. I'd like to figure out to what extent it is, but I'll save that for a later date.