Neither exotic nor homey - Malta

You go to places. You have expectations. You do extensive planning, spend ridiculous amount of money to take cattle class in shit airlines to reach your dream destination. And bamm, in a split of a second you realize it was a bad bad choice.

I thought to myself, maybe I need to scratch below the surface to find something interesting but all I could find is yet another destination invaded by the Russians and British in their ever longing quest to find places to soak in the sun, but instead making the island into gloomy, expensive and dysfunctional place. An island full of under-staffed restaurants serving large portions of everything, liquor shops advertising discounts for students, do as-little-as-possible hotel employees, self-claimed universities trying to teach English to everyone including the Brits and realtors luring those fat rich brats to expensive sea-facing properties. Oh I forgot to mention about the silent city of Malta where you can visit the dungeons, probably an inspiration behind “Fifty shades of Grey”

Yes, I’m indeed talking about Malta. May be i gave up too early to bother to look at the hidden charm and beauty of the world's smallest state.

If you are one of those tourists who would like to visit every UNESCO heritage site on this planet, you will not be disappointed as Malta has quite a few of them. If you are interested in history, once again Malta will be of deep interest as the island has been reigned by many empires and rulers before gaining independence in 1964. Malta is also a favorite destination for hollywood and its several mega-budget movies.

People who read my blog may have realized that I travel for food, as food not only defines the culture but also the character of a country and its people. Malta supposedly has some really good Maltese cuisine if you can find one. Apart from that you can find many self-acclaimed world’s best Italian, Mediterranean and Chinese cuisine, and indeed they are the worlds best if you have never stepped outside the Maltese island.

If you do happen to be on this island, some of the good restaurants you should try are Gozitan (just wear your patience hat as you will have to wait for a long time for your food) and Gululu. There are some other decent restaurants such as Tarragon, Blue Elephant and de Mondion but be prepared for some serious harm to your wallet.

Gastronomic eroticism in Barcelona

There is food and then there is food. There are places to eat and then there is Barcelona. The notion that the "world is flat" is crap and I don’t think it will ever be flat, at least in the culinary world. The inconsistency has lot to do with the culture and history of any country, and even after centuries of transformation certain things are so deeply rooted in any society that it is impossible to change, in a good way. No wonder one place can be in food mecca while the other food hell, even though the two places may be just one-hour-flight distance apart, because the concept of good food is more than products that one can import from other countries. Food is a desire, a fantasy, a habit, and a life style. Good food not only delights your taste bud, but almost gets you high in every way.

Barcelona is undoubtedly that food heaven From Boqueria market to the tiny cafes to the numerous tapas bars to the molecular gastronomic experience at the high-end Michelin restaurants, the food is not only appealing, but almost provocative, teasing and tempting all your senses. I’ve never been so confused except in a discreet group of open-minded people where anything goes (I think there is a term for that)

People in Spain take their food seriously, very seriously, in a good way. A trip to Barcelona, though short, has forced me to reconsider my previous post “Why Japanese restaurants serve the best food in the world?” Irrespective whether the Spaniards consider food as art or science, the outcome is brilliant.

So what makes food in Spain so interesting? Yes, the striking history has to play a part. Yes, European laid-back attitude of sitting at dinner table for hours has to play a part in it. Yes, Spain's proximity to the sea making sea-food as one of the key pillars to Spanish gastronomy, rich terrain that produces some excellent wines  and other fresh products has to play part in it as well. But above all it has to do with the rich culture of living life, for enjoying the simple pleasures of life. There is nothing more pleasurable than food, especially with friends and family around. The Spaniards know that very well and they wouldn't give up their Sobremasa (art of conversation after meal over a drink) and Siesta (rest after a splendid meal) for anything else. 

There is no typical Spanish food, as it never existed. It is one of those cuisines that have been influenced by so many different settlers that passed or settled in Spain, from the Greeks to the Romans to the Phoenicians. However it is said that the Moors (medieval Muslim inhabitants) during their centuries of reigns, influenced and transformed the Spanish cuisine most. The only good thing in Columbus’ historic voyage and discovery of America is that it brought in many new products such as potatoes, chocolate, beans etc. from the new lands, that once again integrated perfectly to create new flavors. So you see food can also give you a taste of history. May be we should incorporate food as a subject in our education system.

Unfortunately I got to taste only a piece of what this incredible country has to offer, but what a taste that was !! 

Places not to be missed: Boqueria market, Quimet y Quimet, Gelonch, Cal Pep and Bar Del Pla. Restaurants that I couldn't try but rank highly are Tickets, Dos Palillos, Gaig and Cinc Sentits

I completely submitted myself to the gastronomic delights of Barcelona. It was a gluttonous week and I was greedy for more, so my next stop was Sicily to seek more culinary pleasures.