Wednesday, September 21, 2005
A Yellow Rose from the Island of Majorca
Fall / Autumn 2005Dear reader,
Maybe a 'blog' should be based on all senses human beings can experience.
So I start with a picture made many years ago on the Island of Majorca.
This 'Yellow Rose of Majorca' was there waiting to be eternalized in october 1987...
As the color yellow is a color of love in Latin countries (I live in Spain but Catalonia would be more correct now) it might be a good idea to start my blogs - whatever they will become - with a Chopin-rose from Vallehermosa where Frédéric composed some of his most impressive works and his companion George Sand started the writing of her quite readable novel 'Un hiver a Majorque'
Kindest regards
Janosj
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Spain: everything under the sun...
Carmen and on the background the Castle
where Old Troela (pronounce 'Trula') lived.
As you see, it can be bloody cold here...
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Many years ago this picture of 'Janosj' was made by Fidel
Manine and me dancing into the Year 2003...
Dancing with Manine on the First of January 2003
in Balneari Prats situated in Caldes de Malavella.
Who would think that this would ever be possible ?!
Millhouses / Lare Head in Lancashire U.K. photographed by Paul Maycock
Paul Maycock made this brilliant piece of art in
the Winter of 2004. It is a great and 'grandiose'
proof of mastering 'The Art of Photography'.
P.S.
Truly and Trula regularly visit this Winter Wonder Land !
The Family Arends in Eindhoven / The Netherlands around 1949
The complete Family Arends around 1949
in Eindhoven on the Gestelsestraat 79 with
Max, the faithful dog we had...
A Rose will always be a Rose and never become an Azucena / Assutzena
Dear reader,This Azucena was waiting for me in Sant Feliu de Boada a medieval village not far from where we live
As the story I wrote about it went three times stray I now only send
the photo with my
Very best regards !
Janosj
Could anybody tell me who wrote and sang the text:
A Rose will always be Rose (and here: a Red Rose) ?
Thanks very much and in advance !
Janosj
A cute Campanilla outside the garden.
Last week we asked a neighbour to clean and reorganize our garden.
He was a professional gardener and is retired now. The way in which
he handled tools - including his own body - was absolutelutely amazing.
As I myself belong to the 'Club of Rotten Spines' for years already,
I kept on being flabbergasted by the way in which this older man from
Andalusia managed to do things. In three hours he did what would have
cost us at least three days... and three days of not being able to move.
We asked him please not to touch the 'Campanillas' who grow outside
our garden although we planted them inside. He kept to his promise
and I am glad to send you at the end of this weekend an old photo of
this small Miracle of Nature.
Keep strong tomorrow morning and don't get angry !
Janosj
P.S.
By the way: did you already post your letter
to the notorious but very popular
'Anti ICT-Movement'
in beautiful Spain ?
This is a drawing of a Koningsreiger made by Carmen
This is a drawing of a 'Koningsreiger' made by Carmen for a collection of English poems I wrote some years ago. The Catalan name of this bird is 'Martinet Blanc'. Linneaus or his followers must have given this very elegant animal a double name in a their type of modernized Latin.
During our quite nomadic life we lost the original of this fine drawing.
We also lost quite a lot of exceptional LP records mainly because of us
using four languages per day and often not understanding each other.
The inventor and founder of Esperanto knew a lot but did not understand the basis of human communication. Body language is some say ten times more effective than abstract signs such
as the one I am using and typng now.
P.S.
As it is becoming a bit late and I am not very inspired I would now only
thank the founders of the Spanish based
- Anti ICT Movement -
for their both reasonable and emotional way of fighting stupid technology.
...........................................................................................................................................
I quote Daniel Boorstin who mentions the following fantastic phrase in his brilliant study
The Image
or
What happened to the American dream
that was published in 1961
-Technology...the knack of so arranging the world
that we do not have to experience it. -
Max Frisch, the Swiss author of Homo faber
is the philosopher who wrote this in German.
Sleep well and read you later !
Janosj
Mediterranean food: Angulas/baby-eels with garlick-sauce ('all-i-oli' in Catalan) presented in 'La Gola'
What you see is one of the most appetizing & healthy dishes of Catalan Cooking !
The image shows on the foreground the most delicious food you can imagine. They are fresh 'angulas' or 'baby-eels', who made a long trip from the Sea of Sargasso to end in the estuary
of the Rio Ter in the Province of Girona in Catalonia / Spain. The whole process of fishing,
preparing before serving them on your plate is a fascinating novel of craftmanship as such.
On the left are the small ceramic plates with wooden forks, the best tools to enjoy this dish.
Never forget that enjoying Food in Spain is not functional in the sense of Modern Society.
Spanish people live to eat and drink, not the other way around. Time becomes then a relative concept. Family, good friends or anyone who happens to pass by is welcome to join a meal.
The celebration of a meal in Spain is a reunion in which everyone can and does express him- or herself. Daily matters as a cat that has broken his left front leg is as important as Juan who has fallen in love with beautiful Carmen and the other way around. Politics and soccer are permitted
Catalonia becomes a sad country when 'La Barça' is not doing well. The President of the bulwark of European and Catalan exquisite quality football is the Third Most Important man in Catalonia
Back to the ingredients on the table of famous Restaurant La Gola in Torroella de Montgrí
you see on your left-side the pot to make garlick-sauce or all-i-oli in the Catalan language.
The ingredienst for one of the most famous sauces in the Mediterranean are on the right side
of the table on a small plate: garlick and fresh olive-oil. They are the best you can eat for your heart and for keeping a balanced combined level of what is called 'good' and 'bad' cholesterol.
'There is nothing more healthy than a fresh toe of garlick' is a famous saying and a happily lived reality in this part of the world where many people live up to 80 years and more !
(My uncle Vicenç had just taken the bottle of fresh olive-oil to the kitchen. He needed it for the preparation of another Catalan dish: dry snails with all-i-oli and a tomatoe-sauce: delicious !).
A bit to the right you see two healthy tomatoes waiting to be put on the fresh farmers' bread.
If you want to know if somebody is a born Catalan, ask him to prepare 'pa amb tomaquet'.
She or he will almost and immediately start a gourmestistic kind of ritual that goes as follows:
A slice of fresh farmers' bread is slightly toasted until it is knispering and then smeared with fresh garlick. After that a tomatoe is cut in half and spread on the bread so the juice covers the whole slice. Then a bit of salt is put over it. On top of that all, a generous amount of soft olive-oil is poured and put over it. After this important finishing touch, the serving can start.
The artist that made this beauty breaks the delicious slice of bread in half and offers it to you.
Please, my dearest reader, never say no. Accept this finest of all typical appetizers in Catalonia.
But read the lines written above well. Tthe word fresh appears in this description very often as it forms the basis of all genuine Catalan cooking.
You see on the image also a bottle of Rioja-wine. Many years ago this wine is also internationally declared as being the best of the so many hundreds of brilliant wines of the Peninsula Ibérica
Any good red Spanish wine gives the finishing touch to this fine Catalan/Mediterranean dish.
Finally you see a plate with fresh mushrooms called girgoles in Catalan. In Dutch the name of this simple and very tasty type is 'Oesterzwammen' but I would not know the name in English.
Enjoy your meal and enjoy the rest of what is left of this sunny (I hope for you) Sunday !
As the Catalans say:
Bon profit !
Janosj
P.S.
Any question about Catalan cooking will be answered the best way I can...
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Animalistic bad luck
A proud filibuster from Seattle
whispered in the ears of his cattle:
'Today I will blog
as proud as a cock'
but lost both his guts and his battle
......................................
Janosj
whispered in the ears of his cattle:
'Today I will blog
as proud as a cock'
but lost both his guts and his battle
......................................
Janosj
Friday, September 16, 2005
I looked for my camera and made these pictures...
These are thousands of pixels that reconstruct
what we are still able to see. The Costa Brava
is a gorgeous place to live ! In about 25 years
it will be a parking place so why not come now?
Enclosed you find an old photograph of our
Poes the Philosopher in his Younger Years
(like Diogenes in his dirty ton in Athens)
P.S.
A new global movement has been founded recently.
It has a lot of members already. The original name:
'The Anti-ICT Movement'
Their address is:
'The Anti-ICT Movement'
Andreu Sàbat 91
E 17257 Torroella de Montgrí (Girona)
Spain / España
To become a member they put a hell of a lot of conditions
but write them a letter by snail-mail with your motivation
against the ridiculous over-use of ICT and
you might receive a proper answer !
Have a nice weekend !
Janosj
The sun rises over the Mediterranean Sea near Estartit on the Costa Brava
When this photograph I made was developed by
Fidel the Photographer from the village I simply
could not believe my eyes...
Poes the Philosopher
'Poes the Philosopher' was always present when
my wife tried to teach English to young people
from the village.
Field Hockey was my sport and I still love to see it...
Field-hockey was 'my' sport. I played in Brussels
against the parents of the nowadays genial stars
like Xavi Pujol
Yellow Rose from Majorca
Yellow Rose from Majorca
It was fotographed in october 1987
And now I have forgotten if this
Rose has already been used in any 'Blogger' I am learning to compose.
What I discovered is why these letters are chosen. Nobody really knows where the word 'log' comes from. The difficult and often still more speculative science called 'etymology' should cover this feld.
It is quite simple:
B is for Barcelona in Spain
L is for Leeuwarden in Friesland/The Netherlands
O is for Oldenburg in Germany
G is voor Götenborg in Sweden
G is voor Groenland near the Sea
E is for España in Europe
R is for the Rotten lies you just read.
Have a nice day ! By the way: it is freezing cold where I am writing now.
Janosj
P.S.
'The Anti ICT-Movement'
founded in Spain
is doing
very
well
I
was
told
recently !
Snails and garlick-sauce
The Baix Empordà is one of Europe's most fascinating areas.
It is situated in the North-East of the Peninsula Iberica
in the (almost) Federal State of Catalonia. It forms part of
the Province of Girona.
My wife didn't feel like cooking today as we are having a brilliant Indian Summer.
So we decided to have a meal in the village of Sant Feliu de Boada. There we found
a cosy corner-table inside an old 'Masia' that recently changed into a Restaurant.
The fine name is Can Dolç, meaning 'Sweet House'
The best snails in this part of Catalonia are found there for an incredible price.
Tasty garlick-sauce (all-i-oli) is good for your heart and especially for a balanced
cholesterol in your blood.
I am still enjoying the memories of this fine meal with wine of the house for a
price that no one would believe.
Well, it's time to hit the sack !
See you !
Janosj
It is situated in the North-East of the Peninsula Iberica
in the (almost) Federal State of Catalonia. It forms part of
the Province of Girona.
My wife didn't feel like cooking today as we are having a brilliant Indian Summer.
So we decided to have a meal in the village of Sant Feliu de Boada. There we found
a cosy corner-table inside an old 'Masia' that recently changed into a Restaurant.
The fine name is Can Dolç, meaning 'Sweet House'
The best snails in this part of Catalonia are found there for an incredible price.
Tasty garlick-sauce (all-i-oli) is good for your heart and especially for a balanced
cholesterol in your blood.
I am still enjoying the memories of this fine meal with wine of the house for a
price that no one would believe.
Well, it's time to hit the sack !
See you !
Janosj
Thursday, September 15, 2005
Images / Photographs
Dear reader,
Maybe a 'blog' should be based on all senses human beings can experience.
So I include a photograph I made many years ago on the Island of Majorca.
This 'Yellow Rose of Majorca' was waiting to be eternalized. As the color
- or colour if you prefer - yellow is a colour of love in Latin countries
- I live in Spain although Catalonia would be more correct - it might be a
good to restart my blogs - whatever they might become - with a Chopin-rose
from Vallehermosa where Frederic composed some of his most impressive works.
Kindest regards
Janosj
P.S.
You know, garlick sauce (all-i-oli) is one of the most delicious sauces
ever invented. I will write about some more. You cannot live in Spain
without it!
P.S. 2
I am finding out how to get this rose in the text !
Maybe a 'blog' should be based on all senses human beings can experience.
So I include a photograph I made many years ago on the Island of Majorca.
This 'Yellow Rose of Majorca' was waiting to be eternalized. As the color
- or colour if you prefer - yellow is a colour of love in Latin countries
- I live in Spain although Catalonia would be more correct - it might be a
good to restart my blogs - whatever they might become - with a Chopin-rose
from Vallehermosa where Frederic composed some of his most impressive works.
Kindest regards
Janosj
P.S.
You know, garlick sauce (all-i-oli) is one of the most delicious sauces
ever invented. I will write about some more. You cannot live in Spain
without it!
P.S. 2
I am finding out how to get this rose in the text !
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
A bit too early...
Dear reader,
This was the first time I wrote something in a 'blog'. As I could not find the word 'blog' in any of the good dictionaries I have, I used
(you won't believe it) Google and found its Blogger-site. It is a practical writing-pad but has some technical start-up problems.
With these lines I started, bright-eyed and bushy tailed but far from ready to write anything proper. This photograph is made in December 2003. The location is 'El Molinet in Estartit on the Catalan 'Costa Brava'. We had an incredible beautiful sea-storm: 'un temporal de mar' in proper Catalan.
This has become my screen-saver as I like the rough sounds and the fine sights of the Mediterranean Sea, the 'old sea' as people in our global village call it nowadays.
See you later or read you before...
Kindest regards !
Janosj
