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20100904

Displaced Tapas

displaced & uprooted
my arse just got booted
into the future
deep wounds need suture
sunshine is healing
but my mind is reeling
can't focus on shyte
yet this move is so right
the details were taxing
jin's ain't good at relaxing
head's too full of spin
I shut the fuck up & grin
only a temporary malaise
so I'll sit here & graze...

any Tapas tonight Bartender?

5 comments:

  1. This never struck me as a tapas joint.

    In fact, American tapas are usually a Vienna sausage on a Ritz cracker, or maybe peanut butter. The stuff Spaniards eat would be too weird for most Americans, even if it's only octopus or squid. Even caracoles, or escargot, as it's known in France, can make the Chef Boyardee crowd sit up in alarm. Though snails, in a bit of butter, parsley, and crushed garlic stuffed into the shell, are a delight. (I had them all the time as a kid. And they're cheep too. Not like angulas [eel embryos, in crushed garlic, frying hot olive oil, in a small earthenware cazuela] which cost a fortune, but are superb! And you can order them in many a tapas bar.)

    No, in this joint the mood calls for Bourbon whiskey or straight Scotch. Drinkers drinks. Not the stuff which enlivens the air as you make your way down a crowded narrow street, from bar to bar, sampling the nibbles on a variety of tiny plates, having a tinto (red wine), keeping the conversation alive.

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  2. Uh-oh.
    I'm a lightweight. I gave up the hard stuff 7 years ago. I currently only do wine (the deeper the red, the better- buy me a divine Old Vine Zin & I'm all ears until it's gone) or beer w/ the occasional Sake.

    Before I turned vegetarian I must've consumed thousands of escargot, they were a favourite. Down here the Tapas bars are common, as are some of their offerings. But I have already narrowed it down to the joints with much more creative 'little bites'.

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  3. I gather, Jin, you live in Wisconsin?

    It would be well nigh impossible to have tapas here like the ones they offer in Spain. And, of course, in each region they are somewhat different, reflecting the local traditional food. So "little bites" in Wisconsin (or wherever you may be) would take on a local character, fitting the local mood and local tastes. Sharp, cheddar cheese has always been one of my favorites. Little snacks can be created by whatever is good there.

    Wines don't seem to travel too well, either. In Spain they say that manzanilla can't be taken across a nearby river and still maintain its taste and quality. I don't know about Wisconsin wines but I assume they take on a local character too.

    If you ever go to Spain you might want to stay in San Sebastian, up north in the Basquelands. Some of the best restaurants in the world are around there (I can recommend a few) and the town itself is charming and full of life. On the sea, it has a large conical shaped beach and a large medieval quarter where locals and tourists go out onto the streets and tapiar at night. A wonderful atmosphere there and mood.

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  4. Oh my goodness no! Heehee... Tapas in WI... WI sucks for food of any quality what-so-ever. I suppose I never changed my Blogger info. I'm in FL now. That's what the poem was about. I closed my business of 17 years, sold most everything I owned, gave the empty building back to the bank & drove down here taking very little with me. A new start was in order & I do know it was the right move... I just am going through a bit of a displaced feeling.

    So, the tapas selection here, along with the wine availability, is quite good for a picky picky food snob like me. Of course... all I need now is a job to support my artisan food habit. ;-)

    A trip to Spain one day would be delightful!

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  5. Miami/Wisconsin. A long way apart.

    Miami sounds more like a town in which to tapiar.

    The best white wine, in fact, I ever had was in Miami. Imported from Spain. A wine bar with super expensive wines. So I just ordered the house white. Can still remember it.

    Some very good restaurants in the Miami area, over in Miami Beach off Collins Avenue. But I'm sure you've explored all that. The Cubans know how to cook. And you can get good Jewish cheesecake over there too. In fact, when I stayed there, I had breakfast every morning in this large Jewish restaurant where three or four Henny Youngmen types circulated among the tables wise cracking. Loved it.

    (Deleted the above to fix a typo.)

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