Fallas

We had a lovely day at the Aquarium in Valencia yesterday but I am really looking forward to today. I am visiting my aunt Charo, my cousin Susana (same as me) and her husband Eugenio who live in Puerto de Sagunto, 20 kms north of Valencia. This is the place where I used to spend my summers when I was young.

I love this country. Its people, open and friendly; its lifestyle, chilled, laidback; its food, fresh, refreshing; its festivities, plenty!

We are meeting here for lunch. My aunt warned us yesterday on the phone: “See you tomorrow and don’t eat paella!”. Probably because she is going to cook one for us.

Paella is one of the dishes that has made Spain famous around the world. It comes from Valencia. Now, you can find different varieties out there but the very, very traditional one is simply made with rice (the main ingredient), tomato, chicken, rabbit, green beans and garrofons (a giant white bean, mainly cultivated in Valencia). Very important, the very traditional ‘paella valenciana’ has neither onions nor peppers!!. Most ‘paellas’ I have eaten, both in Spain and in the UK, do include these ingredients.

And the one most Brits are used to is obviously the seafood paella, with muscles, prawns, squid and other shellfish. Most Brits would think this is traditional, not so. GDR

Paella is a must dish to have if you come to Spain, let alone if you are in Valencia. Gary and I are going to have the pleasure of eating a traditional home-made paella made by a local today. Not many people have that privilege.

It was not difficult to find the place where my aunt lives. I still remember how  to get here. At my aunt’s doorstep, Gary takes his boots off. We both went for a shot walk this morning and they got really muddy. I was going to do the same but my aunt tells us to chill out and not to worry about it. Gary still goes ahead, I keep them on. My aunt is getting stressed of seeing Gary in bare feet. She fears he is going to get a cold . “Don’t worry auntie” I say, he comes from the north!

Is this another one of those urban myths, you get a cold from being cold. I think it is highly unlikely. You get a cold from being in the proximity of cold viruses and germs, which I trust are not in abundance on Susana’s aunts floor! I suppose you may get a lowering of the immune system as it tries to compensate for you being cold….GDR

Paella has just finished cooking. However, to be 100% perfect, it needs to rest for at least half an hour. Perfect timing. We need this half and hour for kisses, hugs, catch ups…It has been a long time. Last time we saw each other was at our wedding. Again, Gary and I had promised to visit them for a long time. Every time we come to Spain, Guisando is always the priority.

I am also looking forward to meet my cousin’s son, David, who is now three years old. My cousin is now waiting for her second one, also a boy. He is due in a few weeks time. Shame, we were a bit early!

David is absolutely adorable and incredible friendly. It feels like he knows us for a long time. Lots of talking and very fast, we are all very excited to see each other. Gary has been able to get involved when the conversation has gone around architecture. My cousins are interested in what he thinks about the Calatrava’s buildings, they want to know the expert’s opinion about the many times this architect has been taken to court by the client. Quite rightly, they are not happy he is now being sued for the Opera house. After all the money that this building has cost the public and the tiles are falling off!.

My aunt invites us to sit down and have some tapas before serving paella. We love these quintessential Spanish lunches.

We don’t stop talking. “You should allow yourself some time to breath” Gary tells me. He thinks Spanish people talk incredible fast.

We are now talking about ‘Fallas’. The festivities of ‘Fallas’ take place in Valencia on the 19th of March but the ‘valencianos’ start partying a week before that. There are some sort of associations called ‘Casals’ and anyone can be a member. These members, ‘falleros’, pay an annual fee and with this money, the ‘Casals’ build a statue which is ‘planted’ (put up) and burnt on the 19th of March. Yes, you have read correctly, they spend the entire year building a statue to end up burning it.

Although the valencianos themselves admit that this doesn’t make much sense, they are still very proud of their festivities. Actually, they attract many visitors every year. “Although to really enjoy these festivities, you have to be a fallero” they say.

The week before the burning of the statue, the members of the Casals get together for breakfast, lunch and dinner, to eat and drink until they cannot take any more. If you have not access to a Casal, either because you are not a fallero or because you don’t know anyone who is, you can only get to see the parade, the opening of the festivities, and the burning of the statue. “So you miss the best” they say.

We are lucky, the parade is today. All associations go around the streets of the town, dressed up with DIY fancy dresses and ‘carrozas’. The best dress and the best ‘carroza’ wins a prize. The parade starts at 17.00 . My auntie and cousins are going, so we will go along with them.

Anyway, stop talking. Time for paella!! Here it comes. It looks fantastic. It smells absolutely delicious, I can’t wait to taste it!

Now, valencianos eat the paella with a spoon, straight from the dish. My aunt offers us a couple of plates, in case we feel a bit awkward. “Of course not!”, we exclaim. “We will eat the paella in the ‘valenciano’ style”.

We taste it. Gosh, it is so good! The flavour is very different from the paella I am used to have back home. There, the paella is mainly cooked with seafood, peppers and onions. This one tastes smoky and meaty, but both flavours, very subtle. The green beans are fresh and crunchy. The chicken, nicely cooked. I leave the rabbit for the others.

Gary likes it too. But he prefers my mother’s. He likes the peppery, fishy flavour that hers has. I am sure my mother would be very flattered.

We spot a piece of dark meat in the paella, the chicken liver. I am not a fan of eating animals’ internal organs but I don’t mind it being used as an ingredient. The liver is what is probably giving that lovely smoky flavour.

I would like to know how often valencianos cook paella these days. I ask my cousin. Apparently, they still cook it quite often, especially when lots of friends get together. At the end of the day, it easy and convenient. Everybody likes it. “Do you cook it at home?” I ask her. Not really. Cooking paella takes a bit of time. It is not something you can fit in quickly these days when both partners work. Although the habit of going to your parents’ or your in laws’ on a Sunday to have paella for lunch still exists.

We finish lunch. The noise of the firecrackers, the parade is about to start. We all get ready. Suddenly, David spots lots of mud on the floor. He looks disgusted about the mess I have made, it is quite funny. I help my aunt to clean it up. Gary is upset with me, “I told you so!”. I take my boots off, now we are leaving .

But before, a family photo.

We walk down the street to watch the parade, looking for a less crowded spot. We find one, with benches around so that my cousin can sit if she gets too tired. “Nine months pregnant doesn’t do your back any good” the poor thing says.

The parade is quite slow. It is meant to start at 17.00. At last, half an hour later the carrozas start appearing on the horizon. Of course, the first ones are the queens. The adult queen and the children’s queen.

“How do you become a queen of Fallas” I ask. You put yourself forward as a candidate. In the past, there were lots of candidates. You could wait for years to be selected. These days, they welcome you eagerly. “Why?”

It is actually quite expensive to become a queen. You have to attend different events. For each event, you have to wear a new dress, with new accessories, all paid by yourself. You also have to pay drinks and lunches to the people of the association. So since the crisis started, there is a scarcity of candidates. They are probably paying people to become one .

The first carrroza. Their theme, snow queen, we think. Quite warm fancy dress. Good choice for a chilly day like today.

The next one. They have dressed up as black people from deep Africa. They have painted their faces black, wearing skirts made out of leaves, black curly witches with a bone on the top of them. Quite unfair the way they are portraying them. I bet black people would have lots to say about this. If I was the judge, I would disqualify them straight away.

This is something I have bought up with Susana before. At the ‘Reyes Magos’ festivities, the three kings, in the beginning of January one of the kings is ‘blacked up’. Generally Spain is not so multicultural and any idea that this might offend someone is not comprehensible. I trust this will change as more immigrants choose to stay in the country and they become more used to having them around and appreciate that they are just the same as them…GDR

Strawberries? Quite original and no doubt cheap dress to make.

This one, quite quirky. All the white bits are actually rice and almonds, massively cultivated in Valencia. Quite laborious. I hope they win the first prize for their originality and hard work.

This one, cloud?, rainbow?, weather in general? Not sure.

We also takes a video, to give a bit of sense of the ambience and music.

Right, it is 18.45 and they are still a few more carrozas left. Gary and I have to go. We want to continue our route to Morella, Castellon, to do a a bit of walking tomorrow and there is only half an hour of daylight left.

The strange thing about this is really the enthusiasm that is shown. How much they want this to be special and world famous. Some are; the bull run, the tomato festival, others are not so internationally known. I suppose there is something quite ludicrous about spending so long making something and then burning all but one, maybe that is why it is famous. But is the core of the festivity any different from the one we experienced in the UK?

British Carnival

For me it seems not, most are local people getting together, making a spectacle for the children, and inadvertently themselves, getting drunk and having a good time. GDR

We say good-bye quickly to everybody. They promise to come to London although we will have to wait a few years until the new-born grows up a bit.

It has been nice to meet them, although it has been too brief. Now time to move on and everybody carries on with their own lives.

Good bye, Susana, Eugenio and David. Charo, thanks for your hospitality and, especially, for the lovely paella. I hope to see you all in London soon!

SM and GDR.