The Well-Fed Bong

Its been a month since the freezing of my butt in Barcelona, and its interesting to look back at the food. Tapas and ham is what everyone knows of Spanish food, and my first experience of Barcelona did not disappoint. Tapas bars were everywhere, and even my hotel had three prominent signs advertising tapas. The room service menu had tapas. In the land of actual Spaniards, tapas seemed to be on tap. As I’ve said before , my first confrontation with Spanish food did not go well. I’d never heard of it in New York, but Barcelona insisted that pan tomato, or tomato bread, was THE tapas to go for – and my first impression was one of huge disappointment. Crusty bread, drizzled with olive oil and a squish of tomato – it seemed to barely be cooking, leave alone a delicacy. Aghast as that made my friends, toast and ketchup is indeed what came to mind.   A month later, however, that is one thing I look back to with the greatest nostalgia. It took a few rounds to get what the deal was b...