La Boqueria

Not too long ago, but it already feels like a lifetime, I spent 4 beautiful days in Barcelona with my dear friend and confectionery companion Anina. Being an owner/employee, its difficult for me to vacation since it means that I have to say no to clients, and aside from very rare occasion, that's something I never do. It requires planning ahead, and although I'm a planner, I'm not the type to know what I'll be doing 6 months from now, so this short, sweet impromptu trip was a perfect getaway. Still, all things culinary were never far from my mind, and in fact were a great reason to take on the adventure.

A highlight of the trip was the La Boqueria, a closed in food market specializing in just about anything you could want to eat... and some that no matter how much drinking was going on, I never would try. I'd like to think I'm an adventurous eater, but I'd be lying to myself. But even though there were more things I wasn't interested in eating that there were,
(did you see his teeth?) I just fell in love with the place, and somehow, almost daily, we kept finding ourselves nearby, pretending it was by chance, stopping in once again to stroll the isles and feel the inspiration.

From the moment you enter, you're hit with colors of all kinds... stroll around a bit and hit a tapas bar, buy some calves heads, teeth included, and taste a mangosteen for the very first time.... okay, truth told, I ate the nasty bitter part before I figured out where the sweet juicy part was, but I'm pretty sure the first person to try one did the very same thing.


More than anything, our strolls through La Bouqueria made me long for something just as wonderful at home. Since moving to Williamsburg, BK, I tend to plan my trips into the city along with Union Square's farmers market schedule, and I go out of my way to head down to the Fulton Fish Market for the New Amsterdam market, but still long for those kinds of markets where there is nothing you can't find, arranged and organized into a vivid, almost magical display. Barcelona, Montreal, amazing markets that I can only dream could be inspiration for something just as rich here at home.