Stones And Gems, Shapes, Light And Energy

Quartz or methacrylate , energy generating or not, you have to admit that faceted geometric objects when exposed to light do transmit a certain feeling of relaxation and can trigger a hypnotic state. You may remember your childhood for example, when you spent hours looking to the reflections of a prism under the sun. Is that the origin of greed? Is that what makes people go crazy about buying jewels?. I mean, gems are just mineral. A diamond comes from carbon, what makes it so precious? Everything lies in that fascination for stones, light and maybe some hidden energy that hooks us into collecting color crystals. The magic of mother Earth...This image was captured at a stall in a local market of a town called Monistrol.

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Evil Mask, Monistrol de Montserrat

You know the devil disguises or manifests in oh, so many ways. One day he may be McCain himself, some other day the hideous child of our neighbors, maybe a cat, a pumpkin or simply an evil mask with firecrackers inside, as is the case of this one at Monistrol de Montserrat. It was on one of the stalls of the market organized during the Fira de la Coca i el Mató 2008 (a local food fair). Remember this fair at Monistrol has been featured here in the past, as for example in: Say Cheese. Follow label Monistrol below for more.

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Visit La Boqueria Market in Barcelona!

Most important cities in the world have markets which they are more or less proud of, not because we as inhabitants are going to earn profit from selling products but due to the fact that major markets are a representation of traditions and cultural legacy handed down from past generations. What I mean is that we as a community are proud of El Mercat de la Boqueria or Mercat de Sant Antoni or Mercat del Ninot, because part of our history is present in those premises, in the architecture, in the products sold, in the way they are displayed, in the way things are cooked or the advice they give us to prepare a nice dinner the way our grandparents did, in the daily thriving of so many families that have been in this trade for ages. This is what we are and how we are and is good to see that visitors like it and get to know Barcelona by one of the most ancestral means, by the food. Check this youtube video of La Boqueria Market by denniscallan.

Remember you can spot La Boqueria market on my Flickr map!

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Curly Endives or Chicory Detail at Boqueria Market, Barcelona, Spain

Resuming my previous post a couple of days ago about La Boqueria market at Las Ramblas, I wanted to share some green with you. Salads are not my favorite. I am more of a carnivore, meat lover, red fan. Nevertheless I reckon the other half of the world goes crazy about chewing up leaves, gnawing on stems and grazing in one way or another which is totally respectable. Here is a detail of a curly endive or chicory that we call escarola. This might lead to confusion cause escarole in English is a plant with broader leaves. Escarola is a rather common green salad in Catalonia, some people love it. I don't. It tastes bitter and is beyond my crunching noise limit. Anyway, the serrated leaves are beautiful and carry lots of healthy minerals, or so they say. I have accentuated the colors using lab color effect. I digress. I hope vegans and vegetarians don't take me too seriously today. I recommend this site (Notes from Debbie's Kitchen) with lots of veggie recipes classified by key ingredients and clearly illustrated with pictures. And I forgot to say that La Boqueria market is just the right place to quench your green thirst.

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Herrings, Boqueria Market, Barcelona

There are several markets in Barcelona but La Boqueria or Mercat de Sant Josep in Las Ramblas is one of the most renown for historical reasons and why not, due to its location. The place gathers locals and tourists alike and making your way through the narrow corridors is an adventure. Not that you can find whatever you want here but there's the usual belief that if they don't have it you won't find it elsewhere. Besides the fruit stalls which are a must-see, the seafood section is also worth visiting. Today I show you a detail of some herrings which caught my attention. I think they are smoked, but I can't tell a smoked herring from a salted one. In fact I can't tell a sardine from a herring and definitely herring is not part of our daily diet. I suppose many of you do eat herring frequently so why not checking this suggestive site with plenty of herring recipes. 

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Wooden Donkey at Torrelles de Llobregat Market near Barcelona

Talking about curious products in a market here's this wooden donkey I photographed in Torrelles de Llobregat, a small town near Barcelona city, the other day.

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Pickled Green Tomatoes in Barcelona

These pickled green tomatoes caught my attention at a street market. The bowl I found among other kinds of pickle products like olives or onions. It is not very common here to see green tomatoes prepared that way, at least not for us in Barcelona city. I was standing there preadjusting my camera settings and I had the opportunity to listen to some customers talking to the man in the stall. "Are these olives?" - they asked with surprise. "No, those are green tomatoes from Valencia" - said the stall man. It's a rather ridiculous story but I found the comparison between olives and green tomatoes rather ackward. Here is a green tomato pickle recipe.

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Cherry Festival (Festa de la Cirera), Torrella de Llobregat, Barcelona

With these cherries I would like to introduce you to the Festa de la Cirera (cherry festival and market) celebrated in Torrella de Llobregat this weekend. This small town from Xth c. is only some kilometers away from Barcelona city. In fact Torrella or Torroella is a municipality in the Baix Llobregat comarque on the right bank of Llobregat river (one of the two rivers surrounding Barcelona). I have some more pictures which I'll show you in coming posts. Check Torrella on Google maps.

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