Sunday, September 23


1-I've been either too busy or too lazy to blog. I'm still busy AND lazy, but here comes my latest nonsense.
People in this part of the world are debating weather it's permissible to burn the picture of our king in public. Well, not exactly debating... it all started in a peaceful demonstration of a bunch of students where I live. To show their opposition to our country having a king, they burned a big picture of him. The most conservative people in Spain were instantly outraged. Actually, it's illegal to burn the pics of king and/or his family, which I think is kind of stupid, but... Anyway, one of the students was identified, arrested and later released but the case is not closed. He'll probably have to pay a huge fine or even go to prison, who knows. BUT that sparked some more people to burn more pics king and queen. Young and old, people gathered at a popular spot in our hometown to burn the pictures chanting phrases against our country having monarchs. But it's illegal. Just like burning the Spanish flag. Not the Catalan flag, or the Andalusian one, that can be burned without facing prison. Isn't that kind of contradictory? Where I live, many people just feel they don't belong to Spain. In other parts of Spain, actually they feel we (Catalans) don't belong to Spain, and call us funny names. They say we're "polish" (from Poland) probably because it's the farthest people they could think of. Sometimes I think it would be best to just delete history. Wouldn't people get along better without a nasty past?
2-I was talking to a friend of mine who complains her boyfriend doesn't talk much. She needs to talk, and express her feelings, he doesn't. Is that a common male trait?? Do we, women, need more talking than men?... I think so. And some men just have this habit of NOT giving a hint of how they feel. Trying to make small talk with my husband, just to give you an example, can be exhausting sometimes.
His idea of chatting is talking about the huge hole they found in Mars. Which happens to be the size of a football/soccer field (according to him, which gives him the excuse to talk about his favorite sport).
3-We stayed at my mother's home last night and she read my girls a bedtime story. And she was horrified. She started with Hansel and Gretel, which is cruel and scary. So she moved to Snow White, which is not much better, and kept trying to find a "nice" one, where parents don't abandon children in forests, or eat children, or wash clothes in the river (which is absolutely strange to them), or just without wicked stepmothers or envious sisters, but couldn't find one among the classics. The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Blue Beard, all those stories, apparently, were first told to adults, in times of famine and disease, but somehow, they were passed to children...
4-So much talking about food at James' place has compelled me to post a picture of our dinner last night:
sardines with olive oil, Modena vinegar and bread with tomato spread...

PD: Feel free to print my post and burn it if you like, I won't be offended. ;-)

7 comments:

Wayfaring Wanderer said...

1. No Comment
2. My boyfriend talks enough for everybody! So, I don't have this problem. hehe His favorite is to instill me with useless knowledge - you know just in case!
3. That is funny to think about now that you mention it......hmmm
4. YUMMY! I have just recently discovered sardines.

Susan said...

There is no better cena than bread w/ cold pisto and a bit of tuna...my mouth is watering.

Learning as we go... said...

1) people are funny--not 'ha-ha' in what they choose to focus on.
2) that is what is so beautiful about men, they are men. :) and why girlfriends are so valuable!
3) They were lessons to help people through some tough stuff. We get books from the library.
4) Mmmm. Beautiful picture!

Thank you for sharing!!! I went to my friend, torilynn's website, and came over for the song... and got sucked in :)

James Shott said...

Thanks for the plug, Nuri.

The plate looks nice, but I don't do sardines.

Susan said...

My aunt and uncle lived in Catalunya while Franco was still alive, and spoke of people retreating to the countryside to sing celebrate Catalan traditions. When I lived in Spain I traveled all over-Pais Vasco, Catalunya, Valecia, las Canarias. I think the sentiment you describe is common of so many groups in the region. I actually never witnessed disparaging comments about the Catalan people, though members of the older generation responded somewhat negatively to the idea of me spending the summer in Pais Vasco. "Why would you want to do that?" It's a shame-it's a beautiful region, and the people in the north were the most genuine I had come across.

Anonymous said...

An absolutely ridiculous waste of my tax money. I'm very tempted to do the same myself, as I'd probably get some kind of protection from the British Embassy if I was charged with such a ridiculous offence, but I don't want to risk it, just in case!

Nuri said...

Thanks for your comments!