Yo Quiero Suckling Pig

What to say about the Barcelona trip? I’m still struggling to process the fact that it actually happened. At various points during the trip, my friend Nate and I just looked at each other like, “What the FUCK?! This is the jam and I don’t know why we are even here!” Moments like these included sitting third row, center pitch at the Barca-Sevilla match; meeting Samuel Eto and Yaya Touré; consuming a suckling pig; and getting it in at the insane spa at the NH Constanza, which featured not one, not two, but four types of relaxing jacuzzi jets. I can’t say enough thanks to Jose Rey from FC Barcelona and John Logsdon of Malaria No More for laying out the red carpet for us. It was truly an amazing trip. (Here is a little news release the team put out about our visit. If this is what being a “PR monkey” means, sign me up for full-time duty!)

I visited Camp Nou once after I graduated high school, but needless to say seeing a game there was a whole different experience than taking the tour. What interested me most was the style of fandom. With Sevilla sitting third in the tables and Real Madrid putting the pressure on with a win the night before, the match was pretty big match. Still, things outside the stadium were quite calm, and inside people pretty much sit down and enjoy the match quietly. Jose explained to me that for the Spaniards going to the football is like “going to the theater.” People only cheer when they are truly impressed, which takes a lot when you’re used to watching the likes of Messi, Henry, and Xavi light people up. It’s a far cry from the British fans I’m used to, who will call someone a “platypus wanker” or some other distressingly inventive expletive for making one bad touch. Having never been one to yell like a maniac at games, I felt like I’d found some like-minded folks.

Here is a picture of Nate and I pretending to win the UEFA Cup. In actuality, we just won a free trip to Barcelona. Fine by me. I am making it a goal to win a free international trip at least once a year. Wa-watch me now!

In addition to our adventures at Camp Nou and FC Barca’s training facility, we also had some time to explore the city. It’s a place I immediately felt like I could live in—amazing architecture (see Gaudi’s famous Park Guell above), cool neighborhoods, an awesome beach just steps away from the city, relaxed and open people, solid food, and perfect weather.

Putting a Spanish Tortilla in a baguette is a power move. Try it some time. The amount of tortilla espanol and chorizo I ate in three days was disgusting.

Spaniards, like Italians, mostly get it in with wine (and sangria). Estrella Damm is plentiful, but beers are always small (according to friend Guy, this is because it goes off if you don’t drink it quickly enough?? Not sure what he’s on about, he’s had a few too many skateboarding injuries.) So you can imagine my surprise when we stumbled on this organic beer in the medieval section of the city. It was like no bar I’ve ever been to in my life, and probably one of the best. Almost immediately, three beautiful Brazilian students walked in to share a table with us. Nate tried to get it in while I practiced my Spanish!

Our last day in the city was St. George’s day. It is a big celebration in Barcelona, sort of like our Valentine’s Day. All the guys buy roses for the girls, and all the girls buy books for the guys (to give them knowledge). Las Ramblas was swarmed with people and I found myself caught in this march, which I actually think was about socialism in Catalunia or something, not St. George’s Day. I quickly darted down an ancient alleyway and got the hell out of there.

All trip long, I had a deep craving for suckling pig, locally known as cochillon. I got my wish at a well-helled “asador” called El Pantar de la Ribera. A suckling pig is a young pig (like the veal of pork), and the Spaniards just season it lightly and throw it in a wood oven. We shared about 1/8th of a piglet, but you could still see the features like a whole leg, complete with toenails that tasted like unpopped popcorn kernels. The rest was super tender and you could eat the bones because they were still so soft. The skin was by far the best part, very crispy and flavorful. I wished we got the head.