Get Loewe

Every time I see this advertisement, I smile.

At first I was confused – “Bro, can I help you? Don’t worry, your hair’s fine.”

And then a little alarmed – “Bro! Why are you giving me that look? I totally brushed my hair this morning!” (Unlikely, for the record.)

And then I started to feel a little uncomfortable, because those eyes just kept following me – “Bro! What is your problem?! Are you looking down my shirt?!” 

But now I smile, the smile of the girl who doesn’t want to bust out laughing on the street because people will think she’s crazy,  because LOOK AT HIM.  The neck frill, the perfect curls, the imperious line of the nose…He is, as they say, sexy and he knows it.

I also just enjoy the way they’re evoking the Age of Gold and Acquisition…like who wants to be conquer the New World/avoid the Inquisition while smelling icky? These are the sorts of situations that behoove us to come up smelling like roses.

(The interwebs tell me that the perfume is inspired by Luis XIV, but we’re in Spain, dudes. We don’t stick French kings on bus stops when we can have dons.)

Also, “shawty got loewe-loewe-loewe-loewe-loewe…”

(PLEASE everyone notice that it’s called Maybe, Maybe, Maybe.)

Also, this man is trying to tell you to “get loewe, get loeweloeweloewe.” In the most Spanish, torero way possible.

And that’s it for now. I still need to pack my monchila and get some sleep before flying to Paris in the morning. It’s supposed to rain? What is this? I wonder if the Loewe men have staring contests with the sky when it’s looking gray…

chocolate con churros

My grammar professor says that “churros” come before “chocolate” in this combination, because the churros are the main snack to be dipped into the mug of chocolate. But does anything come before a steaming mug of liquid pudding, grammatically or otherwise? 

And because I don't really have the words to describe this gastronomical wonder, we're going to rely on pictures I've stolen from Facebook. 

They do say a picture is worth a thousand words...this picture is worth a thousand calories. Not that I believe in those...

 

 Note the Joy that Meghan and I are expressing during our churros con chocolate date at Valor.

Desayuno de Campeones

So it’s weird that I’ve thus far neglected the empirical breakdown of every single thing I’ve eaten since arriving on the (S)Iberian Peninsula, right? (No joke, that's what they're calling it these days. Cold snap in Europe. (Who watches the news? Raquelita watches the news.))

Let’s blame the time difference for my negligence, foodie friends…I’m sure it somehow applies.

No, but seriously, I do wish that I had a food journal in which to describe all of the deliciousness I’ve consumed in the past three weeks. For, you know, posterity…

But as it is, it’s already been three weeks (Holy smokes!), and it would be a little silly to start recording now, so I’ll just give you the abbreviated version.

And we’ll start with Breakfast – The Most Important Meal Of The Day.

First of all, that is totally not something they say in Spain. At home, on a good morning (i.e. I have had time to shower AND ingest more than coffee before class), I like to eat a veggie omelet and toast, with my water and coffee attractively framing my plate. After years of resisting, I am a major fan of a hearty breakfast.

It seems that I have jumped on the B-fast Bandwagon at just the wrong time, so it's time to fasten your foodie seatbelts, my friends, because we're about to go 'round a very unwelcome curve in the road!


...

Obviously, café first. Café con leche y azúcar, because I am not tough enough for un-doctored espresso. This is our coffee-maker. Do not ask me how it works, because I don't really know. I do know that the bottom part unscrews and it has a tray for the coffee grounds. This machine is both super cool (just look at it) and super intimidating (you have to use the stove!), and the coffee isn't bad, either.

 Here, see my coffee and breakfast carbs. Confession: Tosta Ricas are really too tasty for me to believe I don’t eat cookies for breakfast every morning. But look at the weird little dude printed on the top! I hope you can make it out through the plastic because the pictures are super funny. Possibly designed for small children?

And an orange. I have at least one orange a day, and often two. They are always super fresh and delicious, which is a major perk of living in a Mediterranean country. 

And that is my Spanish Breakfast of Champions. Depending on my schedule for the day, I eat breakfast sometime between 8 and 10:30, and I am, therefore, always very, very hungry by the time lunch rolls around, which is like 2:30*.

Next time: Lunch, the Real Most Important Meal Of The Day

*Not a joke. Weirdly, getting used to it.