I’ve been talking about this series with people on Facebook lately, so I thought I’d share it here, too since it’s a favorite of mine. A few years ago, well known chef Mario Batali and a producer friend of his thought it would be fun to create a short series of shows about Spain—its people, its culture, and most of all, its food. Batali’s father worked for Boeing, and was transferred to the company’s operation in Spain in the mid-seventies when Batali was a teenager. While they lived and spent most of their time in Madrid, Batali’s parents took him and his siblings all over Spain so they could experience everything the country had to offer. It’s an experience that has stayed with him, and he now owns two Spanish restaurants in New York City. When the opportunity to do a show about the country he so dearly loved came about, he jumped at it. And when he found out friend Gwyneth Paltrow also had childhood experiences in Spain, he invited her along for the ride.
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Even though it’s been ten years since I left Spain, I still miss it, and I miss it even more around the holidays. I always loved how even the smallest towns would hang ornate lights over the streets, and how even though the stores were decorated, it didn’t feel quite as commercialized as it can sometimes feel here in the States. Do I sound like Charlie Brown? Or was it Linus? Anyway, one of the things I miss most about Christmas in Spain is the Spanish holiday food! Ok, I miss the food all year long, but there are a lot of unique things that made the holidays in Spain even more special. The Internet has made those things available to us again, so we can enjoy some of those treats we loved. Not to mention, they make great gifts for the holidays!
