Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Rambling late at night

I tried botiffara Catalana....a very traditional kind of meat here, there must be fifteen different botifarras - which are one of a multitude of sausage varieties -this was....well.....yucky. Unless you really like ham. A lot.

I don't.

Not one of the great culinary gifts the Catalans have to offer.

I had a lot of mustard with it though.



The invitations for the Halloween party we are having are going out tomorrow,(count them...forty kids, Madre Mia!) so we have been in production....making cards - bats and ghosts - and writing the info on them, first we had to decide what to write, then I translated it. Next I got it copy edited, and now we are carefully writing it out. I also had to get some advice about when and where to do some of the events, we want this to be a North American style party, buuuuuuuut, we do want the local kids to come, so some concessions to local culture are necessary. Like when to have it, when to eat, and how to word the invitations about the costumes...let's hope no one brings presents.


One of the things I am finding hardest about learning Catalan, is not just the seventeen million irregular verbs, nor the, at the last count, 16 forms of 'it'....my biggest difficulty is getting the words in the correct order. It is not very very different like, say, German; but it is different enough that I can see people thinking and translating what I say before the light bulb goes on and they answer.

A struggle

Must sleep.

'night now.

6 comments:

Beth said...

Forty kids!
You're either crazy or the best mom ever!

Anonymous said...

I would have eaten the butifarra same way I eat hotdogs,in a bun ,with mayo,you prepare tomates cut in small pieces,with a bit of oil ans salt,then you crush an avocado,little oil and salt,then chukrut,(cabbage in vinnagre)they sell it in canada too.So You have a bun with mayo,you put the butifarra,on top you put the tomatoes,the avcado, and the cabbage,a bit of ketchup,mustard and some drops of hot chilli pepper salsa,tell me later if you do not like it, a cold beer,but in your case,a ka de naranjas,mmmmmmmyumi yumi.a big hug from TO,Jose.

Anonymous said...

Knowing you, you'll give those 40 kids the time of their lives that they'll talk for the rest of their lives!
What are you doing up at 3am?
Take care of yourself, PLEASE.

Yes, American holidays/customs are invading Europe - even in Riga we now have Valentine's Day - a gold mine for the flower and chocolate shops.
Latvians are addicted to both!!! And Halloween and Am Thanksgiving,(but not the Canadian one!) came in with the help of the small American community i.e. International School. Lots of excitement and explaining/teaching for the American kids!

Anonymous said...

I don't think I even like the name of that meat. Gak! Bring out the horseradish.

Angel said...

Forty kids? FORTY? 40?!!!! Lordy woman!! Have ya lost your bloomin mind?!! ;)

I bet you and all FORTY kids will have a great time.

I do like ham, but only about once or twice a year....

oreneta said...

Beth: Fourty...I am half praying a bunch won't come, but the kids would be so disappointed. Please don't let it rain, it reduces the available space by two thirds....

Jose: I am going to try that....today I hope. I don't think we can get the cabbage though....sounds awesome...

GM: I don't know how pleased the parents are, they are definately confused...one asked if she needs to bring a gift...please no...I hope they don't do that....the kids are definately excited though....

Trish: They have about 5 different forms of butiffara...some of them are very good, this one though...meh.

Beth: I am out of my blooming mind, and I don't even have a yard to through the brats out in....I am not sure how good a time I am going to have...lord above, just let no one fall off the terrace....Gak.