Spanish cuisine

The prestigious Pellegrino´s Journal has released the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world and 4 Spanish restaurants are amongst the first 10. 3 of them are actually amongst the first 5! I have promised myself to visit at least one of them when I return to Spain. I am SUFFERING in this country because of the food. I am not suffering as a result of Finnish food, it is the absence of Spanish food that makes me suffer. It is not exactely the same. It is not only the food, it is the company, the cultural thing about it. I know that the cook is enjoying preparing the food as much as you enjoy tasting his/her dishes afterwards. The feeling that you are consuming products developed by innovative and creating minds in which you can find traces of your own traditions and culture is inspiring. It is not only filling the stomach, you fill your mind and soul with wonderful tastes, laughs and interesting conversations. Some might think that having sparkling wine in a fancy terrace makes you look very elegant and interesting. It is not so important that those hydrogen peroxide-blonde ladies and their ignorant and cocky companions would not be able to find any difference between those sparkling wines and urine with carbon dioxide bubbles. Some others might consider that culinary technology means including some fresh herbs in a commercial pizza...Finland has one restaurant in the first positions: chef Dominique. I saw the menu and looks great but a bit expensive. Should I go and check???? I will not have another chance in the future, or maybe yes...who knows. Anyway, I am looking forward to going dining every single weekend from the 3rd of June paying more reasonable prices.

1 =El Bulli Spain
The World's Best Restaurant Best Restaurant in Europe
2 =The Fat Duck UK
3 =Noma Denmark
4 =Mugaritz Spain
5 =El Celler de Can Roca Spain
6 =Per Se USA
7 =Bras France
8 =Arzak Spain
9 =Pierre Gagnaire France
10 =Alinea USA

Kesämöki: the Avanto experience

This was my...fourth or fifth visit to Puolanne's cottage if I remember correctly and I never get enough of the calm and peaceful way of living in the Finnish country-side. I wonder if there are many other countries in the world (no other like this in Europe, I presume) where locals enjoy that much the rural living. Pick up mushrooms, chop wood, have sauna, swim in the lake and talk about everything in good company. In this occasion two students from Spain and Italy joined us for the eastern weekend. Now that my stay in Finland is close to the end I try to find the mental strength ("sisu" is called in Finnish) for accomplishing new challenges. This weekend I fulfiled one of those experiences you cannot miss: "avanto" in Finnish. In other words: submerge yourself naked in a hole made on the ice in a lake or in the sea for "cooling" the body after sauna. I will certainly miss quite a lot Puolanne's family, their cottage and the wonderful views from the cottage terrace...

Hanna's Karonkka

"Karonkka" is, in Finnish, the party celebrated after a Thesis' dissertation. In general terms it is similar to the formal lunch or dinner that is usually arranged in Spain for the equivalent celebration. Couple of weeks ago I was invited to my first Karonkka in Finland. I participated in Hanna Salminen's research during my first stay in Finland (2004). Actually she participated in mine but eventually she finished the experiments and wrote the article. Being a co-author in one of her papers I was officially invited to participate in her Karonkka. There is more than one difference betweeen Spain and Finland for Thesis dissertations and afterwards parties. There is only one opponent in Finland while 5 experts make criticisms to your Thesis in Spain. In both cases the atmosphere is quite formal but maybe a little more relaxed in Finland. There are no applauses in Finland for the brand new doctor when he/she is approved: when it is over, people simply leaves the auditorium and drink coffee with a piece of cake. In Finland to publish around 4 papers is a "must" before the Thesis is approved for public defense while in Spain, in general, there is no such a requirement. I had, however, around 10 papers (plus 4 from the Master Thesis) when I defended my Thesis against the doctoral panel. In Spain that is rather uncommon though. Hanna invited us to have dinner in a tip-top restaurant in a beautiful location within Helsinki: Töölö's lake. The food was really good and the company interesting and funny. Hanna's friends and relatives were also there. The most weird experience for me was the speech moment. We are not used to this in Spain so it was shocking when Eero Puolanne (Meat Technology Professor and chairman of my doctoral panel) stood up during my lunch-party in Spain the day of my dissertation and made, himself, a speech. The waiters might have thought: what is that man speaking in a strange language doing there with the glass in his hand???? Hanna mentioned explicitly my name during her speech which meant that I had my chance for a reply. And I did. Nothing really brilliant: I am not good talking in front of Finns in such a moving and emotive situation. Thank you Hanna for your invitation and hope that you have an excellent career in Germany. Näkëmin!

One ocean and one language apart

http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/461439/0/zapatero/obama/reunion/

OBAMA SPEAKS SPANISH

OBAMA CLAIMS THAT ALL AMERICAN CHILDREN SHOULD LEARN SPANISH




WHAT DO WE DO IN RETURN? Dictator Franco speaking English (with subtitles)

The struggle within Finland

The first flowers fight for blooming while the snow is still covering the black soil. The young spring and the old winter are involved in a cruel battle from which the former will become soon victorious...hopefully.

City of Vikings

"My English is not very good"

That is, according to some journalists, the sentence that the Spanish president (Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero) blurted out to Obama in his very first meeting during the G20 summit. Ain´t that sad????? But actually, the Spanish president reflects the Spaniards' general skills with Shakespeare's language. An average Spaniard would have said basically the same. A President should not be "average" though. An it is sad cause it is the worst introduction I could think of since it sounds like: "Do not expect too much from me". Of course, all Presidents have tranlators with them but, in my opinion, the fact that he is not independent and is not able to communicate himself, directly, with other world leaders restricts his possibilities to create strong links and become an influential politician. It is ok that Spanish is a strong language but there are no excuses for our terrible lack of other languages. Actually, Obama speaks Spanish and moreover, Bush (the one who knows nothing) speaks Spanish (even better and more fluently than Obama). Would it be possible that Spanish become the official language during the meetings between Obama and Zapatero?: we´ll see.