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"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." ~Virginia Woolf
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Jamón hanging in a Madrid shop. A dry-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto but cured longer. Rustem wanted to bring one home, but they're really expensive - rather heavy, too.
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Jamón hanging in a Madrid shop. A dry-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto but cured longer. Rustem wanted to bring one home, but they're really expensive - rather heavy, too.

ИспанияSpainEspañarusurusu photographyMadridМадридjamonham

From Spain (09.2011)

  • Plum tomatoes in the rain. (6.6.2012)
  • First berries of the season from Krasnodar in southern Russia (6.3.2012)<br /> <br /> I'd bought some yesterday at the weekend market and they were so good we went back together today to get some more. The head of the market spotted me shooting & came over asking me why, what for, etc. After explaining it was a just a hobby he not only allowed me to shoot, but presented us with a gift of strawberries, cherries, pears, grapes, cukes & tomatoes. Rustem said, "See, you complain a lot about Russia, but look at the advantages you have being a cute, funny foreigner". Not so sure about cute or funny, but once in a blue moon these small acts of kindness & generosity make Russia special.
  • Making pelmeni. (5.25.2012)<br /> <br /> Originally from Siberia, pelmeni's the Russian equivalent of ravioli - a little meat-filled dumpling that's boiled & served with butter & sour cream. It's widely eaten throughout the country & sold frozen in the supermarkets. Some, like this woman, still make it from scratch.<br /> <br /> This shot somewhat epitomizes [to me] how our perceptions are deeply influenced by our cultural reference points. Rustem sees this as a typical village woman making a tasty Russian delicacy. Admittedly, I'm not a fan of pelmeni - something about the meat & spices combination doesn't appeal to me. That aside, when I look at this, all I can think of is yuck, as my eyes are drawn to those short, dirty fingernails engaged in food prep and, to a lesser extent, their disparity with the imitation pearls.<br /> <br /> Thanks for you comments yesterday.
  • Russian Easter eggs. (4.15.2012)<br /> <br /> A real first for me; making Easter eggs. I was attracted to a kit enabling one to do eggs in traditional Russian styles with traditional scenes. I think they came out quite nice. Guess it'll be egg salad for lunch tomorrow.
  • Russian Easter Cake. (4.14.2012)<br /> <br /> Known as a kulich, they're very much like an Italian Panettone. The 'XB' in Cyrillic letters stands for "Christ has risen'. There was a priest in the supermarket blessing these.
  • A cappuccino while reviewing my notes before heading to the Colosseum.
  • Roman artichokes - delicious!
  • Baked apple pancake. (2.27.2012)<br /> <br /> I've never made traditional Russian pancakes (blini), which are thin like crepes & made with yeast. Although we'd eaten quite a few blini for last week's Maslenista (pancake week) - made, brought or bought by friends, I decided to end the holiday yesterday with this baked apple pancake.
  • Jamón hanging in a Madrid shop. A dry-cured ham similar to Italian prosciutto but cured longer. Rustem wanted to bring one home, but they're really expensive - rather heavy, too.
  • Portrait in paella. Valencia Paella Festival. (09.2011)
  • Artichoke & jamon salad. Restaurant Ginger. (Madrid)
  • A huge dish of paella on a fast food counter. (Valencia, Spain)
  • Restaurant Botin's famous suckling pig. That crusty, fatty skin was delicious. Located in Madrid, Botin is the world's oldest restaurant, established in 1725.
  • Peppers in the market. (11.7.2011)
  • Pickled garlic (8.3.2011)
  • Raspberries in our local market. (8.1.2011)
  • A peak inside a Madrid soup & sandwich shop.
  • Cocktails anyone? Bartender mixing drinks in Madrid's Mercado San Miguel. (9.28.2011)
  • In the kitchen of the Vostok Restaurant, one of the indomitable Ms. Li Lihua's restaurants in Blagoveshchensk, Russia. (7.17.2011)
  • Russian Ice Vodka - "The Glorious Traditions of Russian Victories".<br /> <br /> I'd intended to shoot the entire bottle, but found it a bit difficult as I'm still one-handed after my thumb surgery, so this is just the label.<br /> <br /> Why vodka? Well, I'm learning it's a Russian cure-all. I still have a large bandage on my hand was instructed by the surgeon to inject vodka through the bandage. Two weeks out & my thumb is horribly swollen & I have a large hematoma where the tourniquet was. The solution? A vodka compress. Doesn't seem to be working thus far. Maybe if I drank the stuff I'd feel better...<br /> <br /> Unbelievably, you can't buy rubbing alcohol in drugstores here because alcoholics might buy & drink it. In its stead, vodka is the perfect distillation for medicinal purposes. Some people still use vodka instead of windshield washer fluid. I'm sure there are many other uses I'm unfamiliar with. (4.16.2011)
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