mylifeinspain

friday fotos

 

 
Have a great weekend, everybody!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

fotos fotos fotos

And more coming tomorrow!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

foto monday

Some of our purchases from our trip to Sevilla and our favorite shop, Hiper Oriente (I). Wow, how we love that place! And this visit we finished our shopping just in time to have lunch at the restaurant next door. :-) We arrived minutes before the crowds descended (and the place was packed!). The shrimp dumplings, the sauteed broccoli, yum. Here are the specifics in case 1) you live in the area(ish) and need to stock up on Asian food supplies (they have large selection of Chinese, Korean, Thai, Japanese, and Indian necessities and at great prices) and 2) you are visiting Sevilla and need a break from tapas and more traditional fare, the restaurant is a great alterative (plus lots of vegetarian options, which can sometimes be difficult to find in Andalucia!):

Hiper Oriente I
Calle Aponte 8
(by Plaza del Duque)
Phone: 34-954-915-943

There is also a second branch in the city, which we haven't visited yet, but all the reviews I have read are equally enthusiastic:

Hiper Oriente II
Avda. Kansas City 1-3

Hiper Oriente I also has a good selection of rice cookers and other Asian kitchen equipment, books, newspapers; plus, there is takeout sushi, BUT you must order in advance (a change from our previous visit). The question now is what to make first for dinner---udon noodles or some of that okra? :-)

hasta pronto,

mylifeinspain

foto tuesday

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

monday headline

I am sure this news has not made the Pope happy today. First the country sends condoms to Africa, and now morning-after pills for everyone! The next step for Spain is to make abortions legal---now, as I understand, they may only be done in cases of physical risk or if a doctor declares a woman psychologically unfit, the latter being a loophole often used by women with no other options....

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

stinky fish news

From The Olive Press:

THE “king of sushi” — the bluefin tuna — could be forced into extinction in three years due to current catch rates.

Cod and anchovy might also join them, if the “suicidal” EU rulings allow fishermen to continue at the current levels.

Just two weeks into the official fishing season of Bluefin tuna in the Meditteranean and conservationists fear that the increasingly small size of adult fish caught means stocks will no longer be viable.

“The sector is overfishing and, if you like, committing suicide”

Bluefin has become such a sought after delicacy in the Far East that enormous prices are being paid for thir rich red meat.

Now European Commission officals have admitted five key failings in the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy as they prepared to tear up the idea of a centrally-dictated strategy.

They launched the search for an alternative, saying that much of the responsibility for fishing must be returned to EU member states.

One key failing that has led to the near-extinction of stocks of cod, bluefin tuna and anchovy is the “deep-rooted problem” of fleet overcapacity.

Campaign groups, such as Greenpeace, are arguing for a 40 per cent cut in the EU’s 90,000 vessels.

The Commission said that 88 per cent of EU stocks were overfished, compared with only 25 per cent worldwide.

Ministers from individual EU states were given much of the blame in the Green Paper.

They meet every December to set fish quotas and every year they override expert scientific advice, which, for example, has been calling for cod fishing to be closed in the North Sea to allow it to recover.

Last year 93 per cent of cod was caught before the fish were mature enough to reproduce. But a higher cod quota was set for this year, under pressure from member states.

One of the most senior European Commission fisheries officials added: “The sector is overfishing and, if you like, committing suicide.”

Spain has the biggest fleet in terms of tonnage, but its 11,350 boats are still outmatched by Greece, which has 17,350, and Italy with 13,700.

Aaron McLoughlin, head of the European Marine Programme at WWF, said: “The Commission have produced an admirably honest critique of a dysfunctional fisheries policy.”

He added that the successful fisheries of Alaska, New Zealand and Norway, based on long-term management plans for fish stocks and cuts in fleet capacity, could be copied in Europe.

And even more smelly fish news here, here, and here.

hasta pronto,

mylifeinspain

biscuits

I just love this old advertisement: "9 out of 10 doctors say: 'IT'S DIGESTIBLE!'" Cracks me up every time.... :-) But this last time I was flipping through my stacks of old women's magazines (which I love collecting), I also began craving biscuits. And as Saturday was a miserable, rainy day, this is how I spent my morning. I used this recipe, although because of our altitude, I doubled the amount of baking powder called for.

They turned out perfectly and neither Big Jim nor I felt any ill effects, so indeed it appears the Crisco IS digestible. Incidentally By the early 1950s, the ad copy dropped the "9 out of 10 doctor..." bit, but if you have doubts, you can always double the butter and eliminate the shortening, but I don't believe the biscuits will have the same flaky (which to me is critical) consistency.

Enjoy!
hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

diet

I am having an Internet-free weekend, something I do from time to time to try to convince myself I really don't have any addiction issues. :-) I will post entries for Saturday and Sunday first thing Monday.

Have a great weekend, everyone. Hope the sun is shining, and if you're in the US, don't forget your mothers on Sunday!

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

doom and gloom

I think that is becoming the theme of this blog of late, but rest assured, despite all the negative news around us, Big Jim and I remain happy little souls most days. Like today, as a box of goodies arrived from the US containing PRETZELS, among other tasty treats. :-D

But as for today's doom and gloom report, see here and here.

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain

no wonder

...it feels sometimes like we live in Little Britain. Interesting article here regarding foreign home sales in Spain.

hasta pronto,
mylifeinspain