#10 -- Paella with Reme and the Valencianos.

Yesterday Reme (a teacher at my elementary school) invited me to a family lunch.  Now, having some experience in this, I knew what I was in for -- a ton of food being pushed on me, welcoming family members, and non-stop banter.  Since they are all from Valencia, they were cooking the specialty of that region -- paella.  I walked in to the apartment to find the men in the kitchen, wearing aprons and cooking a giant plate of that tasty, typical, tantalizing, T-Rex-sized rice dish.  The platter they use is enormous, 2 feet in diameter and meant to serve 15 people.  It is so big that it has its own separate heating system, multiple burners connected to a bottle of gas.  This paella had everything -- peppers, onion, pork, squid, prawns, tomatoes, rice, and all manners of spices and seasonings.  The men were so good at cooking it that they could tell when it was ready just by the smell.  I really don't know how they did it, but it definitely qualifies as the best paella of my life.

This being a typical Spanish meal, we also had chorizo and cheese as appetizers.  We drank Catalan wine and as an after-dinner 'digestive' had shots of lemon licquer (limoncello).  Dessert was strawberries soaked in orange juice, pastries called 'ensaimadas', ice cream, and coffee.  These kinds of meals always impress me -- not just the sheer quantity and quality of the food, but the overall atmosphere.  I know that if you go with a smile on your face and a friendly attitude, you will always will always leave full and warm and only slightly drowsy.