Perfecting the tortilla

The Spanish tortilla seems like such a simple dish. After all, there are only two ingredients: potato and egg (some people add onions, but I hate onions). Tortillas abound in Córdoba. I've had tortilla with salmorejo, tortilla bocadillos, and tortilla with ali-oli. I've had it in restaurants, in bars, and in Spanish homes (I've even had it in Belgium; Henri's grandmother is from Valencia). Every household has its own tortilla recipe, and the tortillas in Andalusia are different from the ones in other regions.

But although I've tried and tried, I can't seem to get the tortilla right. I've cut the potatoes into thick slices and into thin slices. I've used three eggs and I've used six eggs. I've boiled the potatoes beforehand and I've put them straight on the frying pan (and I've used every type of potato known to humanity). No matter what I do, this basic Spanish dish evades me.

But now, after many efforts, I've finally got it-- more or less.

I take the biggest golden potato I can find and use a potato shredder. I shred the entire potato. I put the bits of potato on a frying pan filled with just enough olive oil to cover the surface. I cook the potatoes on medium for a long time. I break five eggs into a glass and mix them. I pour them into the pan, wait until the bottom is solid (NOT brown; I like it to be liquidy inside), then turn the pan upside down onto a plate to flip the tortilla. Cook it for a bit more and it's done.

The problem is, you can follow whatever recipe you like without getting any results. You have to know what it should look like. Henri can make the perfect tortilla, but when he passed on his recipe it failed me. Now I've got my own recipe, and I can make myself all the tortillas I can eat!

The Stairs

Sometimes, while walking from my apartment to the house of some older friends, I pass a set of stairs wedged between some buildings. Purple flowers hang over the right wall, and the staircase is divided by a fountain near the top. I'll share a picture later, once I've gotten some batteries for my camera. It's really beautiful.

I finally climbed them last Monday with a friend. At the top of the stairs is the Biblioteca de Al-Andalus, which, according to its website, is part library, part cultural center. Its goal is to advance knowledge about Arabic and Arab culture in Spain.

It's a pretty area, and I'm glad I took the time to explore it.

Petite clothes, petits noms

Spain has sales from January to mid February, and so I thought I'd do some shopping. For me, that's mostly window-shopping rather than actually spending money, but I did need some pants. Unfortunately for me, women in Spain are quite a bit smaller than I am, and most of the clothes I encountered were in Petite sizes.

I'm studying for exams. I'm not too sure what I should be doing to prepare, to be honest; all of my exams are essay-based. In the US I'd just glance over my notes a few times and get the theory down, but here the expectations are slightly different. Although I nailed cultural relativism on my anthro midterm, the professor took off points because I mentioned some thinkers but not others. So right now I'm basically memorizing each name mentioned in every text, which is a bit of a pain since I'm used to just remembering the important folks. But I guess even the one-hit wonders will have to make an appearance.

My apologies to Spanish readers. I've just realized how slang-filled this particular entry is.