September 11th is the "national day" of Catalunya on which they commemorate a defeat by the French in 1714. Don't ask me why. Everybody takes the day off and they usually throw a big party in the Plaza de Vila. Today was the first one since Covid so we were all looking forward to it.
The idea is for everyone to turn out and have a traditional Catalan breakfast. Ordinarily, they offer salt-cured sardines but this year they offered fresh fish. The salt-cured fish are almost too salty to eat. The key word here being "almost"! You can get at least a week's worth of sodium chloride in one serving. Fortunately, someone put a bag of salt on the table so I was able to bring the sardines up to speed.
This set off a lively discussion at the table about my blood pressure. I pointed out that I only eat one salted sardine a year (if I'm lucky) so it wasn't likely to kill me outright. This seemed to make everyone feel better. We enjoyed a warm, clear, beautiful morning. Everyone was very happy to get back to normal.
MUCHAS GRACIAS EL MASROIG!!!
My sardinada rig. Table, bag chair, sardine cooker and backpack for accessories.
"Mare's nipple" table grapes. Note the distinctive shape. This is an ancient variety that dates back to at least the 7th Century. One reference describes it from the 2nd Century B.C. in China. You never know what's going to turn up around here.
I was invited to sit with these folks. They're all wonderful people!
Cooking my sardines (bottom right). Some people bring their own sausage.
Passing out the goodies. For 1€ you get a sardine, loaf of bread, tomato, onion, olives and as much wine as you can drink.
They have peculiar way of organizing public events. You have to purchase a ticket and then give the ticket to whoever is handing out the food, drinks, etc. I thought for a moment I was going to get some whisky with my sardine. Alas, it was a clever deception.
Pilar (on the right) and a friend. Pilar has been a good friend to me!
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