sitting around the international table

I am so full of amazing food, I may not have to eat again until later this week. Well, not really, but I had the good fortune of being invited to not one but two delicious meals yesterday. :-) The first I mentioned in the previous entry. M.A., her pal J.R., and I had lunch with J. and M., courtesy of the Dutch tourists who abandoned their holiday because they were afraid to drive down a dirt road. M. prepared a wonderful meal: cold avocado soup that was so rich it had the consistency almost of a mousse, chicken in a sauce of the local wine and olives, and coconut balls, which we dipped in bowls of pureed watermelon for dessert...all washed down with various Spanish wines. The weather yesterday was brilliantly sunny with just the slightest breeze and provided the perfect setting for an al fresco afternoon on the terrace. Although I would have been completely content to lounge there until early evening, I said my good-byes at 5 or so because I needed to go home and rest up for my next gastronomic appointment. R. and I. come from Norway to their vacation house in the village at least twice every year, each time spending several weeks catching up with their friends here. I. and M.A. have been friends for more than 20 years, and this is how have I come to know them as well. I. is actually Danish but has lived in Norway with R. for many years. They are lovely, interesting people, and I always look forward to their visits. Their house here has become one of my favorite in the village. It is a traditional townhouse that has been modernized, but the original rustic feel has been maintained. I told R. last night the house made me yearn for a fat book and a lazy rainy day, so that I could curl up on their sofa with a cup of tea in their candlelit lounge. I. also outdid himself in the kitchen and presented a fabulous Indian feast: a beautiful salad with homemade raita, chickpea marsala, chicken korma, saffron rice, and vanilla ice cream and fresh fruit in brandy for dessert. You see now, I was not kidding---my belly was stretched and most satisfied. Today I'm having only salad and some fruit for lunch. :-) As we chatted over dinner, we noted our party of six included people of five different nationalities. I have lamented at times in this blog of how I worry that this area is losing its Spanishness. However, at the same time I marvel at the advantages of living in a truly global village. There are people from close to thirty countries now living here, from all over Europe, South and North America, Africa, and the Middle and Far East. One walks down the winding streets and hears not just Spanish but also English, Arabic, Danish, German, Czech, Farsi from the open windows. And although I have been critical of the expats who do not learn Spanish, in all fairness, I have met very few people here who speak only one language. Most speak at least two, and many are fluent in several. My life has been enriched in many ways by being able to sit at a table, enjoy good food, while sharing varied experiences and backgrounds and viewpoints with people from all over the world, and my knowledge of cultures, history, language, geography has grown tremendously from our seemingly casual conversations. Perhaps the village is not as "Spanish" as it was fifteen years ago; however, the evolving internationality affords invaluable unique experiences and dialogue as well. And this too is a good thing. hasta pronto, mylifeinspain