Spices? Spices? We don't need no steenkin' spices!

[April 25, Granada]

When you think of Spanish food, you tend to think of spicy Mediterranean fare, at least until you travel here. In fact, the Spanish have a remarkably narrow range of spices in their food, relying mostly on onion, garlic, and parsley. (Ham is also considered a spice as well as an entire food group.) But for Houstonians, or anyone raised in the American culinary cornucopia, there is a sad lack of variety and a desperate lack of picante. Pizza without red pepper? It is not civilization as we know it.

We brought this bottle of Cayenne pepper with us from Houston; as Karl Malden would say "Don't leave home without it."

Donde esta Subway Sandwich por favor?

[April 24, Granada]

The Subway sandwich chain is not our favorite in the US, and we stop there only when we want a simple reliable meal. But frankly, Subway's offerings are better than most sandwiches we find in Spain. The Spanish bocadillo or commonly available sandwich (pictured here) is a poor thing of meager ingredients (usually ham, cheese, a slice of tomato if you are lucky) on a hard baguette-wannabe.

Hispania waves the rules

[April 25, Spain]

In Gibraltar Britannia still rules the waves, but we find often that Hispania waves the rules. Here is an example: our hotel room is designated strictly non-smoking, but just in case, the hotelier provides an ashtray. Similarly, our guidebook advises us in busses to always ask for non-smoking seats, with the observation "it doesn't do any good, but at least it's a statement". Nor are only tobacco-related rules flexible. In a private house museum our guide informs us that photos are not allowed and then adds, "but if you want to take some, it's OK." And similar ambivalence is observed in driving, parking, etc.

We have seen this phenomenon in other countries, and conclude that it may well be a Catholic characteristic. Steeped in Augustinian pessimism about human nature, they accept the breaking of minor rules as routine accretions to our Original Sin. And from the point of view of the Church or the traffic cop, it's probably good for business to allow minor sins that must be absolved or paid off.

Big Mac Arbitrage

[April 2, Lisbon]

So where is the beef?

A principle (observed somewhat approximately) of economics is "purchasing power parity". The idea is that after converting for foreign exchange rates, a given amount of money should buy the same amount of the same items, in all countries.