Barcelona Metropolitan Issue 157 by Barcelona Metropolitan

FEBRUARY 2010 | Nยบ 157 | Free

Barcelona in english

Bad choices Changing lifestyles of Spanish kids

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S N O REAS

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Publisher Creative Media Group, S.L. Managing Director Esther Jones Senior Editor Hannah Pennell Assigning Editor Richard Schweid Assistant Editor Katy MacGregor Art Director David Robinson Graphic Designer Aisling Callinan Financial Manager Cecilia Ölmedal Sales Director Rainer Hobrack

Account Executives Heather Anderson, Janna Nordstrom Marketing Director Hazel Walker Marketing Assistant Jade Anglesea Sales Assistants Alexandra Longstaff, Malini Sampat Editorial Assistants Sara Blaylock, Jayne Deacon, Ema Kazlauskaite Design Assistant Anna Esplandiu Financial Assistant Zubeyde Tugce Tanyeri Contributors Jonathan Bennett, Lucy Brzoska, Roger de Flower, Matt Elmore, Nadia Feddo, Andrew Gubb, Catherine Hubbard, Pete Jenson, Nick Lloyd, Nicola Thornton Photographers Julio Arboleda, Lucy Brzoska, Anna Esplandiu, Patricia Esteve, Adriana Trif, Ranald Ward, Stewart Weir, Lee Woolcock Illustrator Ben Rowdon

Contents

No. 157

Cover Story

Juvenile obesity in Spain

Features Interview City La vida Street life

Emma Reynolds

From the Editor:

Markets

Food is fundamental to Catalans and not just in general terms of survival. While special days, from Christmas to Midsummer’s Eve to All Saint’s Day, are celebrated with the consumption of at least one particular dish, the art of making traditional recipes is passed down through the generations. In this issue, we have a range of stories that highlight different aspects of food and eating in Barcelona today: the rise of obesity amongst young people, the process of renovating the city’s markets and the people who find their food in bins. Elsewhere, we take a trip to Plaça Concòrdia, talk to theatre company director Emma Reynolds and give you our pick of what’s on this month.

Bin diving Plaça Concòrdia

22 26

Editorial Office Enric Granados 48, entlo. 2ª 08008 Barcelona Tel. 93 451 4486, Fax. 93 451 6537 editorial@barcelona-metropolitan.com ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com info@barcelona-metropolitan.com www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Food and drink

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Advertising

The views expressed in Barcelona Metropolitan are not necessarily those of the publisher. Reproduction, or use, of advertising or editorial content herein, without express permission, is prohibited.

Food & Drink Directory

Marketplace

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Reviews and more

Regulars You the reader What’s on the web

6 8

Columns

Back page

Hannah Pennell

21/1/10 13:58:57

135m2 attic, with 85m2 terrace – just off Plaza Catalunya

130m2 apartment with private patio garden – Eixample

160m2 attic apartment, with 160m2 terrace – Eixample

180m2 Family apartment – Ganduxer, close to Diagonal

Open plan 60m2 apartment with lots of light – Gràcia

Fantastic 280m2 family apartment – Turo Park

Flat with garden – Sant Gervasio

New development in Pedralbes

Calvet / Francesc Macia

300m2 flat with 530m2 private garden. Listed building. 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Toilet. Open kitchen. Large living room. Summer porch with barbecue area and pool. One car parking. Ref. 849BA

A selection of brand new flats of 3 and 4 bedrooms. Community garden and swimmingpool. Near international schools. Penthouse with private pool also available. Opportunity. Ref. 837ba

Charming 93m2 loft with very high ceiling. Recently renovated. Open kitchen. Dininig living room. 1 bedrooms. 2 bathrooms. Office space (can also be second bedroom) 35m2 terrace. Ref. 359BA. Price: € 690.000

Large living/dining/office space with access to main terrace with jacuzzi, kitchen, large bedroom with en-suite bathroom and dressing room with access to back terrace, second bedroom and bathroom. Unfurnished. Price: € 3.000 Ref. 1120

Comprising living/dining room, family kitchen, utility, four bedrooms and two bathrooms. Two parking spaces and storage. Communal garden. Furnished or unfurnished. Price: € 2.600 Ref. 925BA

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Brand newly renovated apartment restored with maximum attention to detail. Open plan living/ dining, kitchen with access to private patio garden (approx 35m2), very large bedroom and bathroom. Beautifully furnished. Price: € 1.800 Ref. 1126

A recently renovated apartment comprising of; open plan living/dining, kitchen and studio area, bathroom and bedroom. Furnished. Parking optional. Price: € 1.000 Ref. 1127

Located in a spectacular modernist buildings. Entrance hallway, living/dining with access to the smaller terrace, stairwell leading to private solarium (160m2), kitchen, three bedrooms, two bathrooms. Furnished. Price: € 3.600 Ref. 1122

Comprising of; large living/dining room with access to the terrace, kitchen with service area, three en-suite bedrooms. Unfurnished. Two parking places and storage room. Price: € 4.900 Ref. 1125

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| M | You the reader

Sum-thing good Your food critic Tara Stevens gave a rave review for the dim

sum restaurant Mosquito in January’s edition [‘All a-buzz’], and I have to say I couldn’t agree with her more. It’s a great little restaurant with a relaxed atmosphere and fantastic food. We ordered wine with our meal when we first went, not realising they specialised in beers. After our meal the owner gave us a taste of a selection of locally brewed beers, which were thoroughly enjoyable. The next time there, we ditched the wine and stuck to real ales. If you’re after great dim sum, or are just bored of Estrella, Voll Damm and Moritz, get yourselves down to this place in the Born. Stewart Kelly

Photo by Patricia Esteve

Dear Metropolitan, THE BEST OF BARCELONA DELIVERED TO YOU Sign up for your free newsletter Find out what’s coming up in Barcelona with our e-newsletter. Just go to the homepage of our website and sign up for your weekly mail.

Freelancing tips The freelance option discussed last month [‘The freelance life’] must interest many Metropolitan readers. Competing with home-grown talent for jobs will always be tough. For instance, it’s practically impossible to have a university degree recognised in Spain, even for EC residents. The tortuous homologación process can take years and at the end, Madrid only grudgingly accepts degrees which are a near exact match for their local equivalent. But your six basic steps to becoming autònom could include several more. The

Become a Facebook fan of ‘Barcelona Metropolitan’. Our page on Facebook features news and information about what’s going on in Barcelona, and offers users the chance to share ideas, tips and advice about being a foreign resident here.

point of choosing your professional field is to get an epígraf, a number that has to go on all tax forms. Get a certificado electrónico for your computer from the Agència Tributaria’s Oficina Virtual and many irritating tramites [processes] can be done from home. A simple Excel sheet will enable you to keep track of the despeses [outgoings] and ingressos [income] and totting up the quarterly totals to go in your Model 303 IVA form without troubling an accountant. And make sure you find out which of your despeses can be offset against the fearsome IVA, especially if home is also the office—25 percent of the heat and light, 50 percent of the car and 100 percent of your mobile, for example.

James Douet

Correction In last month’s magazine, the wrong photographer was credited as having taken the photo of John Carlin (‘Interview’, page 13). It was not Lee Woolcock, as stated, but César Nuñez Castro. Metropolitan regrets the error.

Barcelona Metropolitan Readers’ Night The first Readers’ Night took place at the end of last month

You can also follow us on Twitter— ’bcnmetropolitan’ posts regular tweets about what’s happening in the city and we’d like to hear about Barcelona from you too.

with a great turn-out and lots of

cava drunk. Thanks to everyone who came along—if you didn’t make it, don’t worry, there’s another one this month on Thursday 25th, once again at 7Sins Lounge and Bar (Muntaner 7) from 7 to 10pm.

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You the reader

Speaking up

In the spirit of this month’s food-focused magazine, we asked readers where they get most of their food: the supermarket, a local market, on-line, or perhaps out of a bin.

Dobromira Banova Bulgaria

Amelie Malmgren Sweden In BCN: 7 years

Grant Scott Canada

In BCN: 6 months

“Once a month, I go to Carrefour and buy

In BCN: 5 months (in Spain: 7 years)

“I usually do shopping in Mercadona.

all my groceries... They deliver my food,

“Meat usually from a specific butcher...and

Fruit and vegetables I get from little local

which is nice because I live at the top of an

I order my bread from a specific store as

stores.”

apartment building without an elevator.”

well. I like Dia for very good discounts.”

Arūnas Radkevičius Lithuania

Andrea Packard USA

In BCN: 5 months

In BCN: 2 years

“I get my food from Eroski and Caprabo. I

“I buy most of my food at Caprabo. I go to

get vegetables and fruit from local shops

Veritas to buy specific things like oatmeal,

because it’s convenient, close and cheap.”

green tea and whole-grain pasta.”

Andrew Thomson UK In BCN: 4 years

Michelle Munvez USA

Alexander Vassilev Bulgaria

“Ideally I like to do the majority of my

In BCN: 1 week

In BCN: 6 months

shopping at the local market but laziness

“I shop at the mercat on Gran Via.”

“Usually I get my food from Mercadona.

sometimes sees me use Bonpreu, which

Sometimes I buy vegetables and fruit from

is closer.”

the grocery shop near my house.”

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|M| 7

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| M | On the web

What’s happening on Diary of an adoption

The Informer Society... The Spanish government said

Our new series about Barcelona resident Meredith Gales, a single woman going through an international adoption process here, started on-line last

that the council of Vic must let illegal immi-

month. The aim of the weekly postings is to provide practical information

grants register (empadronar) in the town. Ac-

to anyone living here wanting to adopt, as well as to give us the chance to

cording to the government, the registration of

follow Meredith’s journey towards creating her new family.

foreigners on the official census (padrón) of a

This extract is taken from her first entry: “Whether by accident or design,

town or city here is done regardless of whether

adoption has always been part of my life. Two of my best, most loyal and life-

or not they are legally resident and that the

long friends were adopted, and a couple with two adopted children I count

only requirement to register on the census is to

as my pseudo-family here in Barcelona. During my 20s, I proudly boasted

be living in Spain.

that I would prefer to adopt than have a biological child, at that point for all

Health... A team of surgeons at Barcelona’s

the ‘wrong’ reasons (I probably did fancy myself as some sort of a Mother

Hospital Clinic carried out Spain’s first sex

Teresa in lycra tights). The idea of adoption was always boiling away, but as

change on a minor. The 16 year old underwent

I got older, worldlier and more cynical, lazy arguments took hold: Do I really

the procedure in early January after taking

want to be a single mother? Wouldn’t it be better to contribute towards a

hormones for two years in preparation for the

better quality of life in their own country? and Who in their right mind wants

surgery, which was carried out by a private

kids these days anyway?”

team of doctors employed by the boy’s family. According to Spanish law, the permission of a

Read Meredith’s new postings every Monday at: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/adoptiondiary

judge was necessary for the procedure to take place because of the youth’s age; this authorisation was given in November 2009. The only other known surgery of this type in the world

Having your say...

Visit WWW.BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM to have your say

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the number of practising Catholics in Catalunya has dropped from 33.8 percent to 18.7 percent Illustration by Fay Shelton

Comments can be submitted about any and all of the articles, blogs and reviews on our website, and each month we feature here a selection of what people are talking about. In March 2009, we published an article about foreign residents here dealing with problems with alcohol [‘The drinking sickness’]. Commenting on the piece on-line, Andrea wrote: “I had a similar experience as an expat. Living in Spain and drinking too much—I went to Castle Craig, a rehab centre in Scotland. The medical staff there helped me to get my life back on track, I would recommend it to anyone, especially expats who would want to return to the UK for treatment. www.castlecraig.co.uk.” Words of advice also came from ‘Autonomo going on 7 years’ in response to our article about freelancers in Barcelona, ‘The freelance life’: “The reality is that it’s a great feeling to be here inventing, creating and living—legitimately. It’s also the key to being able to do it long-term (paying your social security, having documented income that allows you to qualify for a car or home loan, etc.). It’s tempting to not declare your income for tax purposes...but the rewards of truly integrating into this great city and making it your long-term, stable home are unparalleled.”

has been carried out in Argentina.

Religion... A recent study revealed that of the population. Jordi Serrano, rector at the Universitat Progressista d’Estiu de Catalunya, undertook the investigation into religion and published a report based on his findings entitled ‘Catalunya ha deixat de ser catòlica?’ (Has Catalunya ceased to be Catholic?). In his study, Serrano claims that “the dramatic generational change that is reflected in the religious sphere is unprecedented in any other field of values or attitudes.”

Really... A woman was rescued after spending a week stuck in the lift of her house in Sitges. It appears that there was a power cut in the house that occurred when the 45-year-old Spanish woman was in the lift. She remained trapped there until a relative went to the Guardia Civil, concerned by the time that had passed without hearing from the woman. A team of police and fire officers broke in to her house and heard the woman calling for help from the lift, from where they freed her. The police said she was in relatively good health, although shaky and nervous.

For more details on these and other local stories, check our news blog, The Informer, for daily updates. barcelona-metropolitan.com/informer

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On the web

|M| 9

Popular pages What people have been looking at on www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

What’s for lunch: Non Solo Pizza January is always a difficult month with cold weather, empty bank accounts and, perhaps, not much to look forward to in the coming weeks. But there is usually something that can cheer us up at this time of year, and apparently for many users of our website, that thing is pizza. Or maybe pasta. The review of Italian trattoria Non Solo Pizza in Enric Granados was certainly one of the most popular items on the web last month, suggesting that even in times of crisis, there’s always money in the pot for comfort food. If you’re looking for ideas for somewhere good to eat in Barcelona, take a look at our new Restaurant Directory with listings for a wide range of city eateries.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/restaurantdirectory

New Year and Kings’ Day

fly to the uk

€24

The tail-end of the seasonal festivities were on the minds of many of our web visitors in January, with both our special section about celebrating New Year in Barcelona and our feature on Kings’ Day proving favourites. This month, the big event is Carnival [see page 32 for dressing-up ideas] and in our daily

from

on-line events listings, you’ll find details about what will be happening in Barcelona during the week-long festivities before

one way inc. tax

the spartan times of Lent (quaresma in Catalan) begin.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/events

manchester

Hidden treasures: Polaroid Bar Our occasional series about some of the small, out-of-the-way venues in Barcelona that you might not know about, Hidden treasures, has consistently garnered interest on our website and

*extra legroom

the offering from December’s magazine, Polaroid Bar, proved no

online check-in

group booking service

*food & drink

*pre-bookable seats

exception. As Lauren Mannion’s review explains, this Eighties’themed spot gives all of us a chance to get out in leg warmers, shoulder pads and ra-ra skirts without feeling out of place. And

flights

with a replica ET flying through the air, Mix-Tape parties every

holidays

hotels

Wednesday and mojitos considered the best in Barcelona, this Born bar could quickly become a must-go for many of the city’s foreign residents.

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/polaroidbar

Conditions apply. *Available to buy

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| M | 11 Sport shorts Columns

Wild Barcelona By Nick Lloyd and Lucy Brzoska

In the lead-up to Barcelona’s hosting of the European Athletics Championships in July, each month we take a look at what’s making the headlines in the local sports pages.

Almond blossoms

By Pete Jenson

t’s not quite a sign of spring, but

last of the fruit that has kept them go-

certainly of winter’s imminent end. In

ing all winter long. The carob trees have

pockets on Montjuïc and extensively

shed most of their dangling black pods,

ven people who don’t like sport love the Winter Olympics. Those lunatics in ‘The Skeleton’ event hurtling down icy death

slides at speeds of 80 miles per hour on tea

around the valley of Sant Just, in the Sant

which lie like heaps of rotting bananas

Pere Màrtir end of Collserola, almond

on the ground, conveniently for the

trays. The curling, where furious floor buffing

trees (almendrejo in Castilian, ametller

boars, badgers and other interested

meets bowls on ice. The ice skaters made-up

in Catalan) are blossoming. Gnarled,

passers-by.

like Eighties’ New Romantics. And don’t forget

decrepit-looking trees are unexpectedly rejuvenated and frothily bridal. Last year’s

The gregarious serins, small yellow and brown birds, are uncorked and

that other event, where the skiers stop every 3,000 metres, remove a rifle from their backpacks and shoot at something in the woods. Only James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me ever made snow and ice so glamorously, thrillingly, nonsensically watchable. The 2010 games are to be held in Vancouver this month but Barcelona want the 2022 Winter Olympics. Proximity to the Pyrenees means that, as Barcelona mayor Jordi Hereu said,: “There isn’t any technical reason which impedes Barcelona from hosting the Winter Games. The city is ready and has the experience.” Having held the 1992 Summer version, if successful, Barcelona would become the first city ever to host both Winter and Summer Olympics. Its strongest competition could come from within Spain with Zaragoza planning a joint bid with the town of Jaca, which is making its fifth attempt to host the contest. South Korea is likely to be given the 2018 games and because organisers favour alternating continents, Barcelona could be the favourite to get the nod when the Olympic committee decides on the venue for 2022 in 2015.

Almond trees

For more immediate winter sport satisfaction, follow the climax of Spain’s ice hockey season. The five-team national league played its last

January gale knocked many of them side-

sing in long fizzy outbursts of song,

round of matches at the end of January before

ways, but they still blossomed enthusiasti-

another prelude to spring. Great tits fill

the play-offs that run this month. FC Barcelona

cally in their prone positions. The clouds

the woods with their resonant, insistent

have been left trailing by Aramon CH Jaca and

of white flowers settling over the valley

two-tone calls. And at the side of the

Puigcerdà but did have a slightly easier match to

are a welcome promise of warmer days to

paths, small reticent flowers turn shyly

finish on, with their last fixture coming at home

come and new life stirring.

away: the first dog violets, half-hidden

to fellow strugglers Mahajonda on the 30th.

Near the almond trees, whistles and calls ring out, a typical sound of Collserola

in the ivy. This means it’ll soon be time to start

Away from the ice, Barcelona’s roller hockey team is flying in the European Roller Hockey

in February. These are the wild asparagus

looking up and scanning for the first

league. After a convincing 9-3 win over the Ital-

pickers, keeping in touch with each other

swifts and swallows. As the month goes

ians Bassano, Barça top Group C at the end of

as they spread out, combing the hillside

on and evenings draw out more and

for the tender new shoots. They squeeze

more, the skies seem increasingly empty

through stiff bushes of broom, stoop un-

without them.

der the pine trees and climb the steepest

chaffinches and blackcaps polish off the

the team confident of topping the group and reaching the final knock-out stages of the Finally, not all footballers are overpaid…

their booty and looking forward to asparaThe olive trees are nearly bare now:

round of games begins on February 20th with

competition.

slopes on forgotten paths, searching for gus omelettes for lunch.

the first round of league matches. The second

Nick Lloyd and Lucy Brzoska write for www.iberianature.com and run nature tours in Barcelona.

some don’t get paid at all. Third division Catalan side Terrassa went five months without wages before deciding in January that enough was enough. They barricaded themselves into the home dressing room of Terrassa’s Olympic Stadium for 10 days until the embarrassed president, Manel Ferrer, quit his post and vicepresident Jesús Fernández got together the cash owed.

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Interview

| M | 13

Emma Reynolds Director, Blue Mango Theatre, UK I came to Barcelona in 1998. I’d auditioned in the UK for an acting job that was based here for five months, and got it. Barcelona was very cheap then—it was still pesetas—and it was great weather, so after the job finished, I thought “I shall just stay here, thank you very much.” Then wondered what the hell I was going to do. I directed my first play the following year. A colleague and I put in a proposal for Northanger Abbey as an ‘off-Grec’ show, and managed to convince the organisers it would be a roaring success. We did three weeks and it was a sell-out, luckily. I tried English teaching once. It was just one lesson and as soon as the student said: “But why is it do and not make?”, I knew it wasn’t for me. I also did a two-week stint in an Irish pub, where I watched a lot of English, Irish and Scotsmen walk in, get drunk, take their clothes off and fall over. Didn’t take to that either. I started Blue Mango so I could stay in Barcelona. I’d had experience doing theatre and education, and although I’d never written a play, I decided to have a go. I did 17 shows in my first year, and it just doubled each year after that. This year we are set to do around 500 performances. Learning English through drama works. When you think about it, drama and theatre are all about communication, as is learning a language, so they are very compatible. It’s very rewarding, particularly when you’ve put on a show for a group of teenagers who may never have been to a theatre and they come up and ask you how to become an actor afterwards. Our shows are very interactive. As well as encouraging the students to use English, we are also educating them about issues such as teenage pregnancy, social integration and bullying. I do a lot of recording work. I am the English voice of Freixenet, the Catalunya Tourist Board, the Maritime Museum, Casa Batlló, and a lot of others. I haven’t done the Barça Museum yet though. I think it’s the only one I’m missing. I’m a big show off. I have this idea of doing a one-woman show one day where I’ll be singing and dancing and doing all sorts. I would love to direct a Shakespeare play in Parc Ciutadella. The Barcelona climate and that space would be perfect for outdoor theatre. The cultural scene in Barcelona is feast or famine. In 2008, the Grec had some incredible theatre—I went to four or five plays, all in English—but last year there was nothing. I see things go to Madrid that don’t come to Barcelona but there are a lot of underground things going on here, which is one of the encantos about Barcelona. Barcelona is ripe for a more formalised English-speaking theatre space. It’s very multicultural and, as well as being a great resource for the expat communities, it would be great to have a space where children and adults could take part in workshops, watch plays or hear poetry. It would need lots of money though. Interview by Nicola Thornton. Photo by Lee Woolcock.

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| M | Juvenile obesity

Too many kilos Why is juvenile obesity becoming a common problem in a country where it was practically nonexistent a generation ago? By Matt Elmore. Photos by Lee Woolcock.

early two metres tall and weighing in at 112 kilos, Alvaro López (not his real name) can be considered chubby. But that doesn’t mean he’s not proud of his weight, because just six months ago the 17 year old topped the scales at 158 kilos. “I didn’t realise that I was so fat until I saw myself now in comparison with what I was not too long ago,” he told Metropolitan. “The quantities of what I was eating before were immense. I could eat a whole family-sized pizza by myself, for example.” The secret to López’s success was a surgical technique known as vertical banded gastroplasty, in which the volume of his stomach was permanently reduced by stapling a portion of it shut, immediately diminishing the quantities he consumed. López is another statistic in an explosion of childhood and adolescent obesity that has spread not just globally, but especially in Spain. The latest studies completed for Spain by AVENA and enKid, report that one in four Spanish children and adolescents are overweight or obese, with Barcelona corresponding to the national average, according to a

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2007 report published by the Generalitat’s Department of Public Health. “Fifteen years ago, nine percent of infants and adolescents were obese,” said Vicente Varea, a physician who heads Childhood Digestive Services at Sant Joan de Déu Hospital. “Now 16 percent are obese and around 12 percent are overweight.”

“The quantities of what I was eating were immense. I could eat a whole family-sized pizza...” Obesity is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health. Its prevalence in youth can have a long-term impact: of the children who are

obese at 16, 80 percent become obese adults, which can contribute to arteriosclerosis, type-II diabetes, cancer, hypertension, osteoarthritis, gout and various cardiovascular diseases. It can seriously infringe on one’s quality of life, as well. Among children and adolescents, the effect of stigmatisation, either perceived or real, can be particularly devastating. “I felt a little isolated,” said Alvaro López. “I would feel panic if I went to a discotheque or even just to go out. It scared me just to meet people, as if they were going to laugh at me or something. But I felt the most different because of my clothes. My friends treated me the same as always, but they would always talk about the stores for buying cool clothes and I couldn’t go there because I had to buy clothes in stores for large people.” The causes of obesity among young people are multifactorial, Varea explained to Metropolitan. “Fundamentally, there’s a genetic factor. Then there are endocrine diseases and digestive diseases, although diseases constitute a small percentage of what causes obesity.” The primary cause for the boom in obesity, he said, comes from changing personal habits. “A human being is genetically prepared to conserve all the calories that he can, because we’ve always eaten little and had to work a lot. In the past 50 years, this has become inverted in the first world. Now, there is a lot of food and very little movement. “We did a study and found that parents 

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Juvenile obesity

| M | 15

Levels of childhood obesity in different countries Between 11 and 15 years old

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| M | Juvenile obesity



drive their children to school, even if it’s less than a kilometre away. Before, we used to go out on the street and run around. We didn’t have video games, nor was there so much television. Nowadays, because of traffic, children can’t go out in the street. It’s too dangerous. There are no public spaces like there were before.” Economic factors can also contribute to childhood obesity, because low-income parents must work longer hours and therefore lack the time and resources to buy and prepare fresh and healthy food. What’s more, wealthier parents are able to pay for extra-curricular activities like sports and dance, where children are able to burn away calories. One Spanish study, published in 2009, found a direct correlation between income and obesity. Communities with a per capita income of m24,100 suffered a 14.9 percent overweight and obesity rate in their children, while a per capita income of m8,800 corresponded to 29.4 percent. The main way to avoid having overweight and obese children is to increase the amount of physical activity in which they engage. The WHO recommends at least 60 minutes daily of intense physical activity five days a week. Less than that is considered ‘sedentary’. The Generalitat estimated in 2007 that 23.9 percent of 15-year-old Catalans were sedentary, while 14.9 percent were moderately or very active. They also found that 6-14 year olds watched approximately 11 hours of television per week in Catalunya—and that estimate doesn’t include time surfing the internet or playing video games. When a child becomes obese, however, the difficulties can be a little more complex than simply a change of eating habits and exercise. Alvaro López spoke of the psychological challenge of overcoming his problem: “I was so fat that, well, I needed to lose 50 kilos, but I knew that I wasn’t going to lose it by dieting. So, I didn’t really try.” Vicente Varea acknowledged the difficulties faced by his own patients. “The success rate is usually very low. If you can cure 30 percent, then you’re doing well. That’s because 70 percent aren’t mentally prepared.”

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Nuria Roca, the physician who treated Alvaro López in the Metabolic Surgery Unit for Morbid Obesity at the Sagrat Cor hospital in Barcelona, described the number of specialists necessary to treat a child when the problem becomes unmanageable. “Treatment must be coordinated by a multidisciplinary unit in a hospital environment, counting on the partici-

“Fifteen years ago, nine percent of infants and adolescents were obese. Now 16 percent are obese...” pation of surgeons, nutritionists, psychiatrists, psychologists, pediatricians and other consultants when necessary. In the case of children who are still growing, our team involves the parents and teachers when giving dietary suggestions. We also insist on physical exercise and try to reeducate them on bad habits.” While Roca declined to specify the costs at Sagrat Cor, Vicente Varea provided an estimate. “It depends on the number of people who intervene. If you include many specialists,

the cost will obviously be higher. If a patient has a balloon put in for six months, it could be m5,000. But if you have a biweekly visit with a psychologist and dietician, that could be between m400 and m800 a month.” Alvaro López went through all the procedures for obesity including diet, increased physical exercise, medication, the insertion of a gastric balloon and surgery to staple his stomach. At 14 years old and 120 kilos, and after medication failed, a gastric balloon was inserted in his stomach for six months. He lost 20 kilos, but immediately gained them back after the balloon was removed. The only thing that managed to help him in the end was having his stomach stapled. Still, he wishes that it hadn’t been necessary. “It’s true that it hurts a little if somebody says, ‘You know, you’re fat.’ But, I really would have preferred that somebody had said something to me early and then, at 17, I wouldn’t have been operated on.” Nevertheless, he said, he is happy with the current situation. He continues to eat lightly and anticipates that he will lose even more weight in the future. “Things are much better now. I can buy my clothes in any store. It doesn’t scare me to meet people. It’s changed my life completely.”

21/1/10 18:15:25

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14/8/09 09:18:56

| M | Markets La Boqueria

Market makeovers One after another, the city’s markets are being brought into the 21st century. By Catherine Hubbard. Photos by Julio Arboleda.

arcelona’s centuries-old markets are being made over. But with the onslaught of corner stores and innercity supermarket chains, will it be enough for them to survive? The Ajuntament is pouring funds into keeping Barcelona’s famed meat and produce markets alive. These fresh-food mercats are an important part of the Catalan cultural and historical heritage. While those built on the outskirts of the city in the Sixties and Seventies were the result of population growth thanks to Spanish immigration, many in the city were constructed in

the Modernista period. Since 1992, 19 of the city’s 40 markets have been modernised, and another seven are currently in the process. “They got their beauty from the same craftsmen who later worked on emblematic monuments to the city,” explains Barcelona’s mayor Jordi Hereu, in ‘La Ruta dels Mercats’, a pamphlet guiding tourists through the iconic markets of the city. “Before newspapers, television and radio existed, they were the places to find out what was going on in the villages, towns and around the world.” The process of modernising the buildings

is long and arduous. Typically, the market is moved in its entirety to a temporary facility housed in gigantic tents, while roofs, pavements and floors are replaced and façades are restored. Once complete, some markets update their services as well as their dwellings: boasting WiFi, home delivery, underground parking, internet and telephone orders, stools for customers who sit and wait to be served, extended opening hours without lunch-time closures and benches for resting shoppers. In markets like the completely refurbished Concepció, these kinds of strategies

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Markets seem to have paid off. The Eixample edifice bustles on a Saturday morning, its bars full of men drinking beer and chewing through sandwiches as their wives negotiate shopping trollies through the aisles, while the onsite Caprabo supermarket in the basement is relatively empty. Nevertheless, stall holders agreed that sales during the 2009 Christmas season were sluggish. Unemployment and the crisis took their toll, and elderly shoppers were venturing out less. Still, Barcelona’s markets have probably gone through rougher times. After all, written evidence of their existence dates back to the end of the 10th century. The renovation process, started in 1992, is an attempt to keep these cultural institutions alive and relevant in an era of hypermarkets and cars. The Barcelona City Council has allocated m138.5 million for this work between 2008 and 2011. “We’re not doing the buildings just as a question of prestige, or for historical remembrance or things like that,” Jordi William Carnes, Deputy Mayor and president of the Municipal Institute of Markets of Barcelona (IMMB), told Metropolitan. “What we want is to make those buildings economically competitive. We don’t want to have just a building; we want to have an economic instigator.”

Eighty-five percent of shoppers at the markets arrive on foot, according to figures from the IMMB, and they spread their spending over a wide range of family businesses, ensuring the survival of inner-city shopkeepers whose livelihoods may be threatened by ‘big box’ retailers in the suburbs. “It keeps people in the vicinity,” said Carnes, adding that markets “protect” the central-city areas and allow them to continue providing a wide variety of services.

Critics point to a lack of diversification in many of the markets. At present, the markets employ around 8,000 workers and generate an annual turnover of up to m1.1 billion. IMMB surveys have shown that 69 percent of residents shop at Barcelona’s markets, with approximately 65 million visits per year. They are a loyal bunch of customers too: 79 percent of them always buy from the same stalls. Critics, however, point to a lack of diversification in many of the markets. Barcelona

| M | 19

is no longer a monocultural city thanks to recent immigration from Asia, Africa and South America, but these demographics frequently are not reflected in the make-up of what’s on offer. Sonia Baluk, a 34-year-old Argentine immigrant, lives five blocks away from the Hostafrancs market, but usually shops at Mercadona or Carrefour. “I think the prices are more or less the same,” she said. “But if you go to the market you spend plenty of time there. You have to go and wait at the butcher’s, and then you have to go and wait to buy cheese and so on.” Argentine products, such as dulce de leche, bizcochos and yerba mate tea she buys at Carrefour. Conversely, those who work in the markets see the supermarkets as being less specialised. David Sánchez Ponsa, the owner of Maria Teresa fruit and vegetable shop in the Concepció market, rejects the notion that the markets are not globalising. “Go into the supermarkets, look at their fruit and vegetable section, and then go to a fruit store in the market. I’m absolutely certain you’ll find more variety in the fruit store. There are more and more products, and every day people are asking for more and more different items.” Sánchez recalled that when the Concepció



Concepció

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21/1/10 13:06:13

| M | Markets

La Boqueria



market reopened, not everyone was willing to pay the taxes required to move back into the shiny new facility. “That year was a critical year. People thought about whether it was worth it to reopen after the renovations, there were people close to retirement who didn’t know if it was worth investing because the business was going to bring in less.” Jordi William Carnes sees the closure of smaller shops and those headed by the elderly who don’t have family members standing in line to take over the businesses as a positive thing. “The renovations help with two phenomena: one to make [the markets] younger, and also to make them bigger,” he told Metropolitan. “They have more space and they can enlarge their businesses.” David Sánchez said that while the Ajuntament “give themselves medals” at the reopenings of renovated markets, almost all of the cost of the renovations is actually paid by the shop owners, the people who “have spent years and years working in the market, who paid to move in, who pay for the square metres, who pay their taxes each month. They paid for the floor space when they first got into the market, then they have to pay again after the renovations.” In some cases, these increased costs are passed on to the consumer in the form of higher prices, although Jordi William Carnes maintained that, in the end, that’s a matter to be decided by the “intelligent” consumer. In locales in which dozens of vendors compete for the same clients, customers are able to pick and choose.

18-20. markets PDF.indd 36

Concepció

Other business owners said that the city council has to prioritise the markets better. “There have been four supermarkets built in the vicinity recently,” said Lidia Castelló, who runs Lagrana dried fruits and nuts store in the recently reopened Llibertat market in Gràcia. “They come one after the other. The Ajuntament says it wants to promote the markets, but acts otherwise.” David Sánchez agreed, and said that the city council’s primary interest is collecting taxes. But at the same time, he’s most decidedly staying put. “You take risks, obviously, and it works out for some people and doesn’t for others,” he told Metropolitan. “The numbers come out in the end, but it’s tough.”

El Ninot

A little history from the IMMB’s website (www.mercatsbcn.cat): “The first documents written related to the markets of Barcelona date back to the end of the 10th century, although their origin could be earlier. “Since the Roman period, Barcelona has had intense commercial activity, thanks to its privileged situation open to the Mediterranean, with easy access by sea, and a starting point of different natural ways that go deep into the interior of Catalonia... “The first open market was organised on the other side of the Roman wall, on the site of the present Portal de l’Àngel. In this way a merchant neighbourhood emerged made up of little stalls and specialised shops, workshops or stores, that were to grow with the passing of the centuries.”

El Ninot

21/1/10 13:06:31

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21/1/10 17:34:03

Free food It’s there for the taking. By Andrew Gubb. The author scores.

t was 9.30pm, on what seemed like a normal Wednesday night. I was walking at a fast pace. “Come on,” I said to my girlfriend, dragging her by the hand, “we’re going to be late, there won’t be any left for us.” “But... can you really eat what you find in the bin? Is that hygienic?” “Yes, you’ll see. Come on!” The story is, a year ago, I decided to try and never have a boss. I just couldn’t stand the idea. So I have tried to carve myself out an alternative way of life, with a plan to earn

22-24.bin-diving PDF.indd 34

money via my blog (www.andrewgubb.com). That’s a slow process, though, so I do English classes... and for food, I do bin-diving, finding edible commodities that have been thrown out. As we came within sight of our goal, the organic supermarket ‘Veritas’, we saw a crowd of at least 20 bin-divers. I recognised some faces and made to greet them. Something was different on that night, though. The bin-divers were talking amongst themselves agitatedly. One of the shop assistants was standing at the door.

“What’s going on?” I enquired. “We’re not bringing out the bins any more,” said the shop employee. “What?” “The management has ordered that the bins be left inside for three days, from now on, so that the food will rot and be unusable. I’m sorry.” This hit me hard because Veritas was my sole source of food at the time. The other bin-divers were more seasoned and used to getting their food from many different places, but I don’t think anyone was happy that Wednesday evening. A few days later, I headed back to the Veritas shop during opening hours. I asked for the manager, and found her at the back, just preparing to leave. I got a nice vibe from her—she didn’t seem like the sort of person to deny people food. I asked her if we could talk about her company’s decision to block bin-diving? At this, she began to reply to everything I said with, “You should talk to the main offices.” Finally, she told me she had to leave, and did so. Despite her reluctance to discuss bin-diving and her company’s attitude towards it, the practice is widespread, even when the developed world is not in the midst of an economic crisis. Bin-diving is also known as ‘skipping’ and ‘binning’ in British English, and ‘dumpster diving’ in American English; in Castilian it’s ‘reciclaje’, short for ‘reciclaje de comida’. Related is the ‘freegan’ lifestyle, which involves a combination of anti-consumerist practices, the most important of which are bin-diving and veganism. Binning is practised all over the First World, everywhere that regulations and aesthetic considerations bring supermarkets to throw usable food away. In the US, it’s estimated that 50 percent of all food goes into the rubbish bin, while in the UK, the figure is a more modest 30 to 40 percent. While no one has come up with a figure for Spain, observers say it is increasing. “Now that there is the crisis, people can’t buy,” said Tamanna, a worker at a Pakistani supermarket in the Raval. “A lot of people

21/1/10 13:11:28

Photo by Stewart Weir

| M | Bin-diving

Photo by Anna Esplandiu

| M | 23

Photo by Stewart Weir

Bin-diving

Tossed bread that’s still edible.

take food from the rubbish. Or they’ll come up and ask for anything I’m throwing away. I like to help out, so if I have a piece of fruit that’s very ripe, say, I’ll give it to them.” As I’d only dipped my feet into the bindiving lifestyle, I decided to interview someone who had—figuratively—jumped right in: my friend Natalie, a fellow British resident of Barcelona. What got you into bin-diving? My introduction to bin-diving was going to the markets with a friend I have who is an illegal immigrant who doesn’t earn enough to pay his rent and eat. Later, bin-diving became part of my lifestyle as I work in various social projects and bin-diving means that I don’t have to rely on my job so much and I have more time to spend on my projects. Tell me about these projects? I’m a volunteer English teacher for a col-

22-24.bin-diving PDF.indd 35

Fruit for dessert.

lective in Raval that helps immigrants. I also participate in a free university project, which I help to maintain as well as planning events.

“Can you really eat what you find in the bin? Is that hygienic?”

Would you say that all bin-divers share a similar profile with you? Not at all. Maybe now you see more middle-aged people than before, because of the crisis; and normally there are a lot of quite young people who bin-dive as part of social

projects. The saddest thing is the amount of really old people you see.

Old people? They’ve been forgotten by everyone and now the only thing left for them is eating out of containers. It’s sad, because they’re uninformed and unorganised and they go to containers of household waste instead of those used by the shops. So you need to be well-informed and wellorganised to bin-dive effectively? Organisation means that you have a network of information about where to go and where to avoid and so on, and a network of support if a shop creates problems. Have you ever gotten sick eating bindived food? No. The only time I got food poisoning in Barcelona was from a takeaway.



21/1/10 13:11:39

| M | Bin-diving



What sort of food do you normally get? Fruit and veg and bread. Have you ever found anything really surprising? A few days ago we found a real Louis Vuitton bag. Before we found more than 20 chocolate desserts that were before their sell-by date but had shaken in transport. And also some gone-off Haribo. But sugar doesn’t go off!

Photo by Stewart Weir

So what do you think has gotten into Veritas? Why did they stop bringing out their bins? Because as long as we’re bin-diving, we’re not buying, which is stupid because what we don’t bin-dive ends up in a landfill. And Veritas is meant to be an ecological supermarket. But maybe that’s an oxymoron. Thanks for the interview, Natalie. To finish off, how do you think we can do our part to change the world? Answering back. Qui és l’últim?

Photo by Stewart Weir

How to bin-dive

• Go to the bins outside markets and supermarkets after closing time, around 9.30pm. In some places, the food gets taken quickly, so be punctual. • Some bins are messier than others. Bring gloves or tissues to wipe your hands on. • Learn about different places to go around where you live. Word of mouth is more effective than trial and error. • Wash everything when you get back and if any food seems doubtful, throw it out!

European bin-diving

It’s there for the taking.

Torrent de l’Olla, 208 08012 Barcelona Tel. +34 93 2385889 info.iedbarcelona iedbarcelona.es ied.es info@bcn.ied.es

Barcelona

• In the UK, it’s common for bins to be locked away or food spoilt intentionally with bleach. Things are a little easier outside of London. • In France, bin-diving is somewhat easier than in England. French bin-divers recommend going to markets. • In Spain, with its laissez-faire atmosphere, bin-diving is probably the easiest in Europe. • Dumpster diving is widespread in the US, where the quantity of food thrown away is the greatest in the world.

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main pages - Feb10.indd 10

15/1/10 13:51:43

| M | Street life Rab Bar, nº. 9

Fragments Café, nº. 12

Plaça de la

Farmàcia Antiga de Les Corts, nº. 3

Concòrdia T

ucked away in the neighbourhood of Les Corts, behind the tall office buildings on Avinguda Diagonal and just a few minutes walk from L’illa shopping centre is Plaça de la Concòrdia, a tree-lined pedestrianised square with a mix of restaurants, bars and small businesses. The plaça is dominated by the Església Maria de Déu del Remei (nº. 1), which dates from the mid-19th century and occupies the whole northern side of the square. Opposite it, are three quite different places to get something to eat: Boages Pastisseria (nº. 10-11), a traditional-style cake and sweet shop; Fragments Café (nº. 12), which serves an original assortment of tapas and a range of mainly Italian dishes—its garden is ideal for al fresco dining in warm weather; and the newest ‘face’ on the square, Rab Bar (nº. 9). Inaugurated in November 2009, with the aim of bringing “something different” to Concòrdia, bar owner Enrique Delgado said he was worried about starting the business in the midst of the crisis, but that so far, things were going well. Open from 8am to 2am, it serves food throughout the day, before becoming a bar de copes around 11pm.

26-27. Street life PDF.indd 6

The square is also home to a couple of small cafés—Bar-Frankfurt La Plaça (nº. 8) and Restaurant-Pizzeria Concòrdia (this is officially on Carrer Déu i Mata, but its terrace is definitely in Plaça Concòrdia)— popular with locals for Sunday morning coffee and croissant on their respective terraces. At number 13 stands the Centre Cívic Can Déu. Now a cultural centre running classes and art shows, it was built in 1898 by the Déu family as their home. The Modernista building was recently renovated and many of its original features are visible, including in the reasonably-priced café at the back that overlooks a large terrace garden. Finally, the square is also home to a few of those neighbourhood businesses that characterise many streets of Barcelona, managing to survive (and sometimes thrive) despite competition from shopping centres and high street chains, including: the oldest chemist’s in Les Corts at nº. 3 [see ‘A resident’s view’, opposite], an ironmonger’s (nº. 4), a florist’s (nº. 12) and a convenience store (nº. 14).

21/1/10 13:38:55

Street life

Església Maria de Déu del Remei, nº. 1

| M | 27

La Plaça florist’s, nº. 12

nº. 3

Centre Cívic Can Déu, nº. 13

The name of this plaça means Harmony Square, most appropriate for a place popular with locals for meeting up and having a drink or something to eat, as well as for the staging of special events like concerts, markets and activities for children.

A resident’s view: Ferran Oller, 59, Catalan Chemist Ferran Oller is the grandson of the founder of the Farmàcia Antiga de Les Corts, created in 1860 and today the longestrunning chemist’s in the neighbourhood. As well as his grandfather and father, Oller’s wife and two children are all chemists and work with him in the Plaça Concòrdia business. He lives in the flat above the pharmacy. How much has the square changed? It’s hardly changed; it’s changed very little. The pharmacy is the oldest business in the square—there used to be a chicken shop (polleria), a dairy (lleteria) and two places selling comestibles (grocers). Eight or nine years ago, they converted the casc antic (old part) of Les Corts into a pedestrianised area. It’s changed positively; [there’s] much more quality of life for the people of the neighbourhood. In the square, there’s always been children, avis (grandparents), people coming to sit on the benches. They came before [when cars were allowed] but it was more dangerous. Now the square is super-tranquil. The houses here have big terraces and when you’re on them you can’t hear any traffic—it’s like being in a quiet village. It seems incredible because the Diagonal is so close. Is there anything you don’t like about the square? The council could take more care at night in terms in noise. When bands play—and I don’t mind that they play—sometimes the music is too loud.

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Credits: top—Unknown author, 1910-1920, AMDC; bottom R—Joaquim Tapiola i Balmes, 1945-47, AMDC; bottom L—Montserrat Pagés, 1987, AMDC

Plaça de la Concòrdia

c. 1910-20

Then and now Plaça Concòrdia was designed by municipal architect Josep Oriol Mestres in 1845 as part of the les Corts Noves (New Les Corts) extension (eixample) of the small town of Les Corts, as it became absorbed into the city of Barcelona. The development, on land previously used for vineyards, included the construction of the Maria de Déu del Remei church between 1846 and 1849. The square was quickly popular amongst menestrals (artisans) who constructed buildings that had a business-space on the

ground floor and living quarters and interior terrace on the upper level. Examples of those early buildings remain today, numbers three to six, which were all built in 1856. From the start, the square was intended to be at the heart of local social life. However, for much of the 20th century, various transport types passed through it: a tramline ran in front of the church in the early 20th-century and later cars and other vehicles were allowed to drive through and park there. This all changed at the start of this century when the square was pedestrianised.

1987—as seen from the church tower

c. 1945-47

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19/1/10 16:02:34

On FLAMENCO FESTIVAL P. 30 RICHARD HAWLEY P. 31 FOTOPRES P. 34 DOCS BARCELONA P. 36

Scottish novelist Ian Rankin will be in Barcelona this month, receiving the Pepe Carvalho prize for his work as part of the annual BCNegra festival of crime literature. See page 36 for details and our exclusive interview with Ian Rankin

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21/1/10 14:32:03

Live

Going out this weekend? DISCOVER WHAT gigs ARE on: WWW.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Put your hands together BARCELONA’S FLAMENCO FESTIVAL, DE CAJÓN!, RETURNS WITH AS MUCH PASSION AND ENERGY AS EVER. BY NATASHA YOUNG

Tribute to Camarón

lamenco. It either gets under your skin and you’re an aficionado from the moment you first experience it, or you wish they’d stomp off and have their wailing temper tantrums elsewhere. If you’re not sure which camp you belong to, this month’s flamenco festival, De Cajón!, could help you decide. Hailing from Andalucía but with Indian roots, flamenco in its original form was the simple sound of a plaintive voice accompanied by the rhythm beaten out with a stick. Centuries on (and as this festival shows), modern flamenco covers a vast range of styles but most feature a combination of voice (cante), dance (baile), guitar (toque) and generally having a right old knees-up (jaleo). Now in its fifth year and with many a loyal fan in the Catalan capital, De Cajón! proves that you don’t have to be Andalucian to have gypsy magic in your feet, voice or fingers. This year’s festival is its most eclectic yet, running the whole gamut of styles from gravelly-voiced ‘cante jondo’ (a vocal style whose name means ‘deep song’) to flamenco hip-hop fusion. There’s even a cycle of flamenco in Catalan at Apolo 2. Festival highlights include flamenco pop sensation and actress, Rosario (the bullfighter from Almodovar’s Talk to Her), who takes to the stage at the Palau de la Música (Feb 25th), the rap/flamenco stylings of La Shica at Luz de Gas (March 19th) and a tribute to Camarón—the late-but-great godfather of new flamenco—in Hospitalet (March 12th). Our picks are legendary crooner José Mercé, whose gritty ‘50 a day’style voice and catchy choruses come to the Liceu on March 8th, and Tomasito, a man famous for throwing a moonwalk or bizarre breakdance move into his flamenco shufflings (March 26th, Apolo). There’s also an extraordinary opportunity to see Spain’s gloomiest indie rockers, Los Planetas, pay homage to flamenco daddy Manolo Caracol at the Palau de la Música on March 11th. Quite how that will sound is anyone’s guess. De Cajón! Festival Flamenco de Barcelona Various venues February 11th to April 15th www.theproject.es

Tomasito

How to Jaleo There’s no room for wallflowers in a flamenco club. To fit in, all you need to do is stamp your feet and shout out encouragement. It goes something like this: At the opening few bars, or at the first sign of faffing, pipe up with a ‘Vamo’ ya!’ (‘Let’s go/Get on with it!’), followed with an ‘Eso es!’ (‘That’s it!’) when they do. When the dancers impress with their nifty footwork, try out an ‘ASÍ se baila!!!’ (‘THAT’S how to dance!!!’) or a ‘Toma que toma!’. Once you’ve got the hang of it, it’s time for an ‘Olé!’. For the flamenco equivalent of an ‘I need to be hosed down that was so good’, a simple ‘AGUA!’ does the trick. Be warned though, those hand claps are more complicated than they look.

Also starting this month is the 21 Festival de Guitarra de Barcelona—its inaugural concert features Pat Metheny at L’Auditori on February 21st at 9.30pm; tickets cost from €30 to €50. For more details about this performance and the rest of the programme, visit: www.theproject.es

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Live

| M | 31

The under-rated RICHARD HAWLEY comes to town. BY LAUREN MANNION

22nd

Who’s on

A selection of this month’s Concerts Backyard Babies February 4th Bikini Pastora Soler February 5th, 9.30pm Luz de Gas

6th

Arctic Monkeys February 6th Sant Jordi Club Peret February 11th, 9pm L’Auditori Joss Stone February 11th, 9pm Palau de la Música Dinosaur Jr February 11th, 9pm Apolo

11th

La Bien Querida February 12th Sala Salamandra (L’Hospitalet) Dent May & His Magnificent Ukelele February 13th, 5pm CCCB

sk your friends if they’ve heard of Sheffield singer-songwriter Richard Hawley, and chances are they won’t have a clue. And yet, listening to his songs, you’ll feel as if you know them already. His melancholy love songs, bitter-sweet lyrics and references to the everyday details of life in his hometown evoke the best of Jarvis Cocker or Neil Hannon. On the 16th of this month he visits Sala Bikini to promote his latest album, Truelove’s Gutter. Hawley has hovered on the edge of the limelight for the past two decades, forming part of Nineties’ Britpop group The Longpigs and playing guitar with Pulp. But it’s his recent solo work that has brought him closest to mainstream success. His highest-charting single, 2007’s ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’, peaked at number 40 in the UK charts, while the album it was taken from reached number six. He may not have reached super-stardom, but Hawley’s music is hugely respected. He finally landed a Mercury Music Prize nomination for 2006 album Coles Corner, but lost out to the all-conquering Arctic Monkeys. Hawley at least got a nod from the band’s frontman and fellow Sheffield native Alex Turner. Accepting the award, he shouted, “Someone call 999, Richard Hawley’s been robbed!” WIN TICKETS: We have a double pass to the Richard Hawley concert to give away. Tell us who was the surprise guest at his October 2009 concert in London. Send your answer to info@ barcelona-metropolitan.com before February 11th at 2pm

Man of many names

Eros Ramazzotti February 15th, 9pm Palau Sant Jordi

12th

Bill Callahan February 15th, 8.30pm Apolo The Fiery Furnaces February 22nd Razzmatazz Milow February 27th, 9pm Razzmatazz (please note, where a time is shown above, it indicates when the artist(s) is due on stage)

15th

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FOR MORE DETAILS:

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Visiting Barcelona this month is British alternative stand-up comedian Simon Munnery, who also goes by the stage names of ‘Alan Parker: Urban Warrior’ and ‘The League Against Tedium—an English comedy legend’. Catch him at the Cafè-Teatre Llantiol on February 20th (doors—9.30pm, show starts—10pm). Tickets cost €15 in advance (from Hibernian Books and A Taste of Home) and €17 on the door. www.comedyinspain.com

22/1/10 14:03:07

| M | Live Rebecca Gates

Two Dead Cats

Compact music

he Minifestival de Música Independent once again brings us the freshest acts not found on the usual top bills. Small in size but not in grandeur, Minifestival is one of the oldest festivals in the city. Still going strong after 16 years, it all started when Xavi Guillaumes was doing the fanzine Miracles For Sale and Carles Lafuente joined him shortly after with the fanzine, Marca Acme. The two were listening to and talking about new groups who sent in their demos, when they had the idea to showcase those artists who found it difficult to get a gig. Their mission, according to Lafuente, is “to bring artists that we like regardless of fashion and hope that everything goes well. To be able to meet modest expectations and make sure that the bands are happy.” For the first time this year, the Minifestival is served in three parts: the ‘entrée’ was a presenta-

Luke Haines

thE MINIFESTIVAL OF INDEPENDENT MUSIC IS BACK, BRINGING WITH IT A NEW one-DAY FILM festival. bY CRIS JIMENEZ

tion concert held at the end of January. The ‘second course’ happens on February 20th (free entry) in the form of a new film festival held in the incomparable setting of the Convent de Sant Agustí. Starting at 11am, it will include exhibitions, an ideas exchange, short film screenings and a film competition using the Super 8 format, the results of which will be screened during the event. In the evening, from 7pm, there will be concerts with Nacho Umbert playing Spanish pop folk and Catalan quartet Minimal delivering atmospheric electro-pop. For ‘dessert’, there’s the music festival itself taking place at Espai La Fontana on February 27th, starting at 5.30pm (€10 in advance, €12 on the door). The performers are a hybrid of artists from both here and abroad. Starting with the local musicians, Antonio Arias brings us quality Spanish pop-rock from Granada, while two Barcelona

bands take to the stage: post-punk rockers The Last 3 Lines and Mujeres, who perform their own energetic rock. From Girona come Two Dead Cats, blending power pop and pure rock ’n’ roll. Among those making a longer journey to take part are: Londoner Luke Haines, an artist that Guillaumes has faithfully followed since Haines started and who plays infectious pop rock beats combined with tongue-in-cheek lyrics; Mark Gardener from Oxford, who performs dreamy shoegaze pop accompanied by beautiful vocals; and US musician Rebecca Gates who will also be exhibiting her photography here. MiniFestival de Música Independent Convent Sant Agustí and Espai La Fontana February 20th and 27th www.minifestival.net

All dressed up

ebruary means just one thing to committed party people of all ages: Carnival. And Carnival here means one thing: dressing up. Well, not quite, but getting a costume shows you’re getting into the true spirit of it, and if you haven’t already planned your outfit, it’s time to get moving. People of a creative turn-of-mind and good with their hands can find rolls of material, coloured foam and card of all shapes and sizes at Servei Estació (Aragó 270-272, www.serveiestacio.com). Alternatively, try the stalls of the Encants flea market (www.encantsbcn.com) for material off-cuts, unusual props and unique decorative features. If you don’t fancy trying to put together the perfect lobster outfit from scratch, there are various outlets where you can find a costume to rent or buy. Menkes (Gran Via 642, www.menkes.es) is a Barcelona classic and well-located just minutes from Passeig de Gràcia. It’s an ideal place to find a range of outfits to rent, although you probably shouldn’t leave it to the last minute to check out their offerings. If you think you’re going to be getting a lot of use from your trendy witch or Roman centurion outfit, head to El Relámpago (Torrent de l’Olla 115, www.elrelampago.es)—they have costumes for sale starting around €25. Finally, the vintage shops on Carrer Riera Baixa should be a good source of dramatic dresses and retro suits. Carnival 2010: the essential dates Thursday 11th—Dijous gras (Fat Thursday). Get the week’s festivities off to a good, and traditionally Catalan, start by eating egg sausage (botifarra d’ou). Tuesday 16th—This is the big one, when most of the more popular celebrations take place into the early hours, such as the flamboyant procession in Sitges, and the debauched night of Pullasu in the town of Torelló, an hour and a half from Barcelona. Wednesday 17th—Dimecres de cendra (Ash Wednesday). After the hedonism of the all-night parties, this is the first official day of Lent and the main item on the agenda is burying a sardine. This strange tradition has unclear roots, but is often followed by a sociable sardine barbecue. And why not?

For more live events, visit our website www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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21/1/10 14:34:43

IH BCN Metropolitan Advert Enero 2010.pdf

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11:44:00

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Arts

FIND FULL DETAILS OF CURRENT EXHIBITIONS ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

Quick pic(k)s Art shows on now 1. Mapa dels sons de Tòquio Casa Asia Until March 28th www.casaasia.es

2. Cantos a la naturaleza H2O February 3rd to 27th www.h2o.es 3. La princesa sàvia MNAC Until February 28th www.mnac.cat 4. Monzó Centre de arts Santa Monica Until April 11th www.artssantamonica.cat

5. Miguel Hernández, 100 anys Setba Until February 14th www.setba.net

Captured FOTOPRES DISPLAYS THE BEST SPANISH PHOTOJOURNALISM OF RECENT TIMES. BY ALX PHILLIPS

Violencia postelectoral en Kenya (2008), Walter Astrada

otoPres is a biannual Spanish photography competition that gives awards for documentary-style assignments. Winners tend to be wellestablished photojournalists, whose work histories make for impressive, if alarming, reading. FotoPres also awards six grants to less established photographers to follow up their own projects. The contest bears witness to the evolution of documentary photography, from its role as an accompaniment to a written text to becoming the news item itself and incorporating the techniques of an art form. Each FotoPres project compiles a number of interrelated images; the impact of press photography these days rests on it telling a story. In terms of narrative, it is the runner-up, Walter Astrada, who excels. His gripping photostory of post-electoral violence in Kenya, in 2008, features vibrant colours, daredevil angles and echoed imagery that trips through the series of 10 shots, evoking an atmosphere of fear and frenzy. A sense of foreboding permeates the work of Alfonso Moral, third-prize winner, who has compiled a mosaic of Lebanese society afflicted by the conflict between Hizbullah and Israel. There is a degree of dialogue between the works on show. Grant winner Marta Ramoneda’s garish shots of the transsexuals of Pakistan, tolerated in the country if only as a kind of freak show, make Emilio Morenatti’s first prize images of violence against women in the country yet more devastating. Women also predominate in Lurdes R Basolí’s depictions of a squalid shantytown near Caracas, where the prospect of survival seems the more terrible of the options.

FOR MORE EXHIBITION REVIEWS, VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WWW.BARCELONA-METROPOLITAN.COM

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Art news

Personatges sobre fons vermell (c. 1939). Fundació Joan Miró Barcelona. Dipòsit d’Emili Fernández Miró © Successió Miró, Palma de Mallorca

The Fundació Joan Miró has inaugurated a new space featuring 17 works on paper by the late Catalan artist, and created a new installation for its permanent exhibition. To mark these changes, from February 18th to March 25th, entry to the Fundació is free every Thursday between 5 and 9pm. www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org

Kushra. Transexuales en Pakistán (2008), Marta Ramoneda

There are some misses too. Aleix Plademunt’s images of Disney-inspired (if debt-ridden) Dubai seem too dispassionate in this context. The collective Jo Expositos, a group of illegal immigrants living in Barcelona, is worthy of a grant, but this output is disappointing. The arty stills of a Seventies’ dancehall by Fossi Vegue are accomplished and juxtapose weirdly with the best work in the show, which are hung opposite them. Mikel Aristregi took his grant and travelled to Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, where temperatures can drop to -40º Celsius. His opaque images of alcoholics living in the bleakest conditions imaginable are utterly mesmerising. Here is where documentary photography really packs its punch.

Alx gave this show ﬁve stars out of ﬁve FotoPres ‘09 CaixaForum Until February 21st www.lacaixa.es/obrasocial

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21/1/10 14:39:58

Something else Black books

WORD IN YOUR EAR

THE BCNEGRA FESTIVAL EXPLORES CRIME FICTION FROM CATALUNYA, SPAIN AND ABROAD. BY JETHRO SOUTAR

crime wave sweeps through Barcelona in the first week of February but don’t be afraid to leave home. The BCNegra festival is a celebration of crime fiction, encompassing book presentations and signings, talks and round-table discussions, and the award of the Pepe Carvalho prize. This year’s guests from abroad include: Irishman John Connolly; US private investigatorturned-author Don Winslow; Swede Åsa Larsson; as well as the recipient of the 2010 Pepe Carvalho award, Ian Rankin. The novela negra, the hardboiled style pioneered in the US in the early 20th century, was slow to take root in Spain. Unlike traditional British mysteries, solving the puzzle is not key to the novela negra: it is more concerned with examining the society that spawned the criminals than the criminal acts themselves. However, under Franco, Spain was officially a conflict-free society and so realistic portraits of injustice and corruption were forbidden. By the Seventies, with the regime weakening, several established writers turned to the novela negra, including Manuel Vázquez Montalbán. His Pepe Carvalho series, written between 1972 and 2003 and spanning 25 adventures, is considered one of the sharpest commentaries on the transition to democracy. Carvalho, a former Marxist and CIA agent work-

ing as a private detective in Barcelona, solves crimes for his clients while investigating the changing city itself. He is relentless in his pursuit of the truth, as well as erotic and gastronomic pleasures. As the title character in The Angst-Ridden Executive states: “It was only women and good food that saved us all from going mad under Franco.” Several female authors have also chronicled the mean streets of Barcelona. Maria-Antònia Oliver developed a brand of feminist detective ﬁction, while Alícia Giménez Bartlett, a member of the Pepe Carvalho Prize jury, created Inspector Petra Delicado, as contradictory a character as her name might suggest (Delicate Stone). Teresa Solana’s debut, A Not So Perfect Crime, poked fun at the Catalan upper classes, her follow-up, Short Cut to Paradise, at Barcelona’s publishing industry. Montalbán, Oliver, Bartlett and Solana are all available in English but there are many great Spanish and Catalan crime ﬁction writers who have yet to be translated. The BCNegra festival is the perfect opportunity to discover them, as well as a chance to encounter more familiar names. BCNegra 2010 February 1st to 6th Various venues www.bcn.cat/cultura/bcnegra

Scottish author Ian Rankin has been honoured with the 2010 Pepe Carvalho prize for his Inspector Rebus series. Ahead of the festival, Metropolitan asked him about Edinburgh, Barcelona and winning the BCNegra award. Ian Rankin

Metropolitan: Does your work being recognised abroad bring a different sense of satisfaction to winning prizes at home? Ian Rankin: When a book gets translated, you have very little idea how it will be received in that new territory. I cannot, for example, read my own work in Spanish, so I depend on the quality of my translators. If my books then go on to win awards or prizes in a country like Spain, it means that the translator has done a good job, and that I am exploring themes and characters which have resonance in Spain. Metropolitan: Do you see any parallels between Edinburgh and Barcelona which make them good settings for crime ﬁction? Ian Rankin: I have only been to Barcelona once before, and then only for a couple of days, so I don’t really know the city. But I feel that it has similarities with Edinburgh. Both are coastal cities and proud cultural capitals, with amazing feats of architecture...and some good restaurants, too! But crime and the potential for crime are everywhere, even in the most beautiful cities—lurking just beneath the surface. And then, of course, you have the political situation, which is always interesting for a crime writer! Metropolitan: Are you a Pepe Carvalho fan? Ian Rankin: I have read only a couple of Montalbán books—they are not that easy to ﬁnd in English translations! But I do like the character of Pepe Carvalho, and I like the way Montalbán uses the crime novel to ‘dissect’ the culture and politics of 20th-century Spain (and especially, of course, Barcelona). I try to do something similar in my own books. When the G8 world leaders came to Scotland, I wrote about it in a novel; when the Olympics came to Spain, Montalbán wrote about it in a novel. --JS

Select images

Freetime Machos (2009)

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DOCSBARCELONA SUCCEEDS BY BEING PICKY. BY ALX PHILLIPS

An all-inclusive line-up in a documentary film festival is not entertaining to the viewer. Happily, DocsBarcelona is one event that has professionally streamlined its programme. To prove this point, this edition kicks off with a film that American cable networks were clamouring for recently and which was at last month’s Sundance festival. Pecados de mi padre (Sins of my father) is Nicolas Entel’s gripping portrait of Pablo Escobar, the infamous boss of Colombia’s Medellin drug cartel. Elsewhere, eight sections include those aimed at children and teenagers. Of the others, ‘Panorama’ deals with recent quality material, including quirky Finnish film Freetime Machos, following the sporting and domestic highs and lows of a Finnish rugby team, while Scottish film The Edge of Dreaming pits hard-edge northern realism against spiritualism. ‘Catalan Day’ is a nod to local productions, such as Ventura Durall’s devastating El Perdón (The Forgiveness), which tells the story of paranoid schizophrenic Andrés Rabadán, who was sectioned in a secure psychiatric unit after killing his father with a crossbow. The festival bows out with El Último Aplauso (The Last Applause), an ode to veteran singers of tango directed by German Kral. DocsBarcelona: February 2nd to 7th; Various venues; www.docsbarcelona.com

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20/1/10 13:05:42

| M | Food & drink

Sexing up the samosas It may not be all that sexy, but Mayura satisfies with good Indian cuisine at reasonable prices. By Nadia Feddo. Photo by Patricia Esteve. through the antique wooden Indian door into the VIP lounge where a large bed awaits, but the best bit of all is the toilets: the ladies get a wall covered in a 12rung rack of sparkly Indian bangles (firmly padlocked to the wall), while the men get to pee as they gaze at Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai. It is all beautifully sourced and put together, and if it fails to succeed completely it is only because of the rather corporate feel of the space itself, which is high-ceilinged with huge windows—the end result being that the main space feels like an airport departure lounge in sari drag. For any sense of intimacy, it’s best to sit in the back section which is cosily cocooned in crushed red velvet. The menu is a quick trot through the Indian canon, especially tandoor, with a few Euro stop-offs at vegetarian lasagne or duck confit. This did not bode well for the authenticity of the food, and my companion and I were fully expecting something bland and decidedly non-pukka. To our great surprise and relief it was actually one of the best Indian meals either of us have ever had in Barcelona—that, plus the sexy factor, must explain why the place is so packed that they have two sittings at weekends. We started with some light and crispy pakora served with tamarind and minty yoghurt sauces, along with a ****Mayura; Girona 57. Tel. 93 481 4536. Open: Mon-Fri, 1pm-4pm, 8.30pmtruly killer hot sauce. To try the menu’s Euro side, we midnight; Sat & Sun 8.30pm-midnight. Approximately €30 for three courses also shared a mousse-like avocado gazpacho served in and drinks. Lunch menús: €9.90 & €10.90. a cosmopolitan cocktail glass with lemon grass sorbet, chopped peppers and onions. It was delicious, but so rich that after about five spoonfuls it felt like eating straight whipped ayura describes itself on its website as ‘sexy’, which is imcream—maybe a little more salt or something crunchy to dip might mediately intriguing as most Indian restaurants in Barcelona have helped. are anything but. Obviously, a restaurant can’t be ‘sexy’ anyFor mains, I had four fat and juicy tandoor-cooked Malai prawns, more than an iPhone or a golf club—although that doesn’t stop marwhich were each about the size of a croissant, while my companion keting folk from continually trying to convince us otherwise—but I had lamb Rogan Josh, which came with rice (properly cooked with was interested to see what they would offer in the absence of Formica ghee butter) and naan, and was melt-in-the-mouth tender and full of tables and old Bollywood videos. the flavours of fennel and caramelised onion. Everything was prettily In fairness, what restaurants tend to mean when they describe presented on metal platters and so large that we were simply too full themselves as ‘sexy’ is: “We have low lighting and/or at least one strikto order dessert, but the menu read well with interesting choices, such ing design feature.” By these standards, Mayura is sexy indeed. Here, as gulab (milky dough balls) with rosewater and saffron syrup and the light comes mainly from candles and soft lamps, a welcome change several East-West fusion puds such as chocolate samosas or gajjar ka in a land where restaurants often have the wattage so high that a team halwa with mascarpone ice cream. of surgeons could rush in at any moment and start operating on the In a coy little touch, the bill arrives in a small woven basket inside dining table. As for design features, there’s a chunky wooden cocktail a silk drawstring bag so you have to open it up as if it were a surprise. bar with a little stream running underneath that gushes into a stone Fortunately, it’s a nice one. The prices here are eminently reasonabowl, while colourful curtains and cushions brighten up the surroundble—and in times like these, that’s the sexiest thing of all. ing teak and wicker furniture. If you’re very wonderful you can go

Market Watch Xató

t’s February and high season for the Catalan dish of xató, a salad made from preserved and seasonal ingredients that purportedly has its origins in the festival that traditionally accompanied the first tasting of the new wines. Apart from the sauce (more on that in a moment), it only has five basic ingredients so it’s easy to make, but it’s worth spending some time scouring the markets for the best crisp escarola lettuce, anchovies, salt cod, tuna and peppery little arbequina olives.

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The cod needs to be bought pre-soaked or soaked at home for around 48 hours (change the water every 12 hours) to the point where it’s not too salty to eat but retains some tang, and then cut or shredded into small pieces. For the tuna, a tin of something decent, such as Ortiz’s line-caught Bonito del Norte will do very nicely, while the best anchovies, of course, will be from the town of l’Escala in the Alt Empordà. Arrange it all on a platter, then add dollops of the sauce which is similar to romes-

co and made in a pestle and mortar by grinding up almonds, hazelnuts, nyora peppers, garlic, onion, fried bread and olive oil (preferably made with arbequina olives too), although there is quite a bit of regional variation. For detailed recipes, visit www.rutadelxato.com and check out the 85 restaurants on the official ‘xató route’ around the Penedès and Garraf, which lasts from December to April, and includes towns such as Sitges and Vilanova i la Geltrú.

21/1/10 14:30:53

Reviewed eateries are rated using stars with five being the best.

Food & drink

| M | 39

What’s for lunch

****Casa Blava; Av. Verge de Montserrat 1, La Floresta. Tel. 93 674 9351; www.casablava.com. Open: Tues-Sat 1pm-4pm, 9pm-11pm & Sun lunchtime. Three courses à la carte plus drinks, around €35. Lunch menú: €20.

f you fancy a bit of greenery with your lunch then hop on the train to the bosky Barcelona suburb of La Floresta. It’s a halfhour stroll from the FGC station along Avinguda Verge de Montserrat to the iconic Casa Blava, where the eponymous blue façade peeps out from amongst pine trees, holm oaks and the haphazardly parked cars of hungry diners. The cottage-like façade opens out dramatically onto a vast, sleek terrace clad in wooden decking and topped with a smoking open-air grill, but seeing as February is a bit nippy for those kind of shenanigans, head inside to the spacious dining room. It manages to be hip yet cosy, and even incorporates a glass-lined ‘chill-out room’ for anyone who wants to look at the trees. Although the restaurant has been going since 1925, the current proprietors are Argentines and this is the main influence on the menu, with plenty of cuts such as entraña, ojo de bife, or asado de tira thrown on the grill. Casa Blava is not cheap, but portions are enormous and one starter would have been more than enough between two: we tried an excellent ‘Audrey’ salad (with wild mushrooms, walnuts, grilled artichokes, mixed winter leaves, goat cheese topped with ever-fashionable shavings of fried yucca), and some chicken croquetas that were so dense and meaty that they laughed in the face of the fried tubes of béchamel that usually pass for croquettes in Restaurant-land. The grilled meat—half a rabbit and a vast slab of rare entraña— was absolutely superlative, although so ample that we ended up taking most of it home in a doggy bag. Even so, the dessert menu read so well that we couldn’t resist and, fortunately, we plunged ahead to try a wonderful lavender sponge with a white chocolate and raspberry ganache and rich olive-oil ice cream drizzled in blackcurrant and txakoli sauce. Be warned that Casa Blava is a local classic and booking ahead is essential.

Read the food and drink blog on our website for the latest gourmet news and reviews: www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

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Stush & Teng Jamaican restaurant offers you the very finest in Jamaican cuisine in luxurious surroundings, complete with cool, relaxing reggae sounds. Why not come in and see what all the noise is about…

Special Romantic Valentine’s Day Menu please call 93 368 9393 to reserve your space.

C/Rossello 209 * Tel. 93 368 9393 * info@stushandteng.com Open Mon-Fri 8am-12am and Sat 8pm-2am

www.stushandteng.com

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21/1/10 17:41:53

Communication without surprises Konnekt makes calling transparent Pay for what you buy. That sounds like something logical. However, it isn’t always that easy, says Daniel, owner of Konnekt: “The telecom market is full of beautiful promises, and you should really be careful with what you buy. We don’t play those kind of games. At Konnekt, you will actually pay the prices we promise.” No small print

“We won’t give you complicated contracts in which you discover that an offer isn’t valid after all,” explains Daniel. “We never mislead our customers!” On the contrary: “If a customer is not satisfied, they can stop using our service immediately.” With this attitude, Konnekt aims to show that telecommunications can be different. Penelope, co-owner: “Yes it can. We attract people by being honest and clear. The fact that our clients stay with us is the best proof of our reliability.”

An agreement is an agreement

How does Konnekt work? “First we identify what the customer spends on telecommunications per month. Then we compare these costs with our rates; in general we are around 40% cheaper. And with international calls, the cost reduction can be up to 90%. For us, these price comparisons are binding, and we always act accordingly,” stresses Penelope. “In fact, there should be nothing special about this way of working,” adds Daniel: “It is actually bizarre that it’s unusual to do what you promise.”

The customer comes first

This attitude is symbolic of how the company approaches its

konnekt fullpage sep09 v2.indd 1

customers: everything is focused on quality and service. Penelope agrees: “We work exclusively with high-quality international suppliers. To ensure that customers are well supported both technically and organisationally, we have set up a professional service organisation.” Daniel adds: “We adapt our services to the customer, instead of vice versa. For example, our helpdesk is multilingual, customers don’t pay for portability of their number and you can unsubscribe immediately. Customers are always our priority and we don’t turn our back on them once the contract has been signed.”

The success formula

Konnekt keeps growing steadily. Daniel: “Now, in times of crisis, everybody is more aware of their spending. Customers leave the more expensive companies to sign up for our service. There is no longer room for costly surprises.” The services of Konnekt are also growing steadily. “The customers are the driving force of this growth,” explains Daniel: “Through our personal contact we hear what sort of needs our clients have. For instance, there is a growing demand for VoIP and 900 numbers. If the customer wants this service, we make it possible.”

Konnekt: the full-service telecom provider ‘par excellence’

In the almost ten years in which Konnekt has been active in the telecom market, a personal business has been built up which offers friendly, honest telecom services at very competitive rates. The success has been rolled out in Spain and the customers form a good crosssection of Spanish SMEs. Daniel: ‘‘After more than thirty years of entrepreneurship, we know what customers want and how to retain them. Experience shows that the products should be flexible, reliable and transparent. Complicated rate structures are definitely no option!’’

Do you want to know more?

Give us a call or send us your invoice and we will tell you exactly how much you can save!

Call us at 902 026 781 www.konnektspain.com

18/8/09 17:01:09

Só-Ló4Poble Sec

Food&Drink

Só-Ló is an international bar with a fusion of flavours and music with a focus on Latin America and the Mediterranean. They specialise in rums with more than 70 different brands, plus don’t forget their mojitos which come in various flavours. Enjoy their live jazz and world music on offer every night.

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Under 20 / 20-30 / 30-40 / Over 40 / IN F&D RV Reservation Advised /4new restaurant in food & drink C/Margarit 18 | Poble Sec | Tel. 93 329 7618 Thurs-Tues 7.30pm-2am, weekends 2.30am, Closed Wed

Bistro

Bakery

Fabulous Baking Co. 4Sant Gervasi

Margarita Blue 4BARRI GÓTIC

Come by and enjoy Fabulous Baking Co.

Located in the heart of old Barcelona, Margarita Blue has become a classic in the city’s bar scene. This bar/restaurant is full of life and energy and gives its guests a world of options. Delight in the dishes from the “Mexiterranean” kitchen, such as a variety of tacos, amazing guacamole, fresh carpaccio and tomates verdes fritos or take pleasure in a drink or cocktail whilst appreciating new music and spectacular shows that alternate between theatre and performance art. The kitchen is open until 2.30am. Reservations essential for groups.

Old-fashioned bakery Bakeware store Baking ingredients Tea room Join them on Facebook “Fabulous Baking Co” for updates on their New baking and cooking classes.

Join them on Facebook “Margarita Blue” to receive info on events.

C/Bisbe Sivilla 48 | FCC Puxet | Tel. 93 418 6616 | www.fabulousbakingco.com Mon-Fri 9.30am-8.30pm, Sat-Sun 10am-2.30pm

C/Josep Anselm Clave 6 | Drassanes | Tel. 93 412 5489 | www.margaritablue.com Mon-Fri 1.30pm-4pm, 8pm-2.30am, Sat-Sun 6pm-2.30am | RV

Indian- Modern

Bar - Live Music 7 Sins Bar and Lounge 4EIXAMPLE e New food menu with an even bigger selection of American style burgers, including chicken fillet and vegetarian options. Tasty tapas accompanied by one of our 7 beers on draught or 7 deadly cocktails for the ladies…? Entertainment every weekend in the basement club bar where you will find local & international DJ’s as well as live music acts. A great pre-club venue to get your weekend started. Big screen sports events over 2 floors. All Champions league games. Join us on Facebook “7 Sins Barcelona” to receive info on weekly events. C/Muntaner 7 | Universitat | Tel. 93 453 6445 www.7sinsbar.com Mon-Fri 11am-3am, Sat-Sun 6pm-3am | RV

Food & drink_feb10.indd 42

BEMBi4Eixample D Bembi offers an authentic Indian experience unlike any other in Barcelona. Traditional Indian recipes are passionately prepared and presented in a modern, stylish way by their India- and UK-trained master chef. Experience Bembi in trendy surroundings, and try their lunch menu for 14 (choice of four starters, main courses and desserts). Highly recommended is the menú de degustación for 26.50, you can try the chef’s selection and Hyderabadi lamb biriyani (succulent lamb and basmati rice cooked with a natural dough seal). C/Consell de Cent 377 | Girona/Passeig de Gràcia Tel. 93 502 4952 | www.bembi-barcelona.com 1.15pm-3.45pm, 8.30pm-11.30pm (11.45pm Fri and Sat) Sun 1.15pm-4.30pm | Closed Sun dinner

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Food & Drink

| M | 43

Veg WoRlD4GRÀCIA Discover a world of sensations in a relaxed and homely atmosphere. Try vegetarian delicacies from all over the world such as delicious bread home-made in a Tandoori oven and south Indian dishes like MASALA DOSA and IDLY. Daily continental and Indian menus, 9.50 inc. Free soup and salad buffet.

C/Bruniquer 26 | Plaça Joanic | Tel. 93 210 7056 Tues-Sun 1pm-4pm, 8pm-11.30pm

Food&Drink to advertise in this section, please call 93 4514486 or email ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com

SHANTI4LES CORTS Shanti (which means peace in Sanskrit) have selected a rich and varied menu comprised of traditional dishes that offer an authentic Indian experience to even the most discerning palettes. Using classic recipes their dishes respect tradition but come with modern presentation. Try their tasting menu for only 24.90 (+IVA).

Indonesian- Thai

Group menus starting from 20 per person of groups more than 8 people.

BATIK4SAGRADA FAMILIA

Come to Shanti and enjoy authentic Indian cuisine with inner peace and a 10% discount with this advertisement for the month of February.

Close to the Sagrada Familia you will find a small and very special restaurant with authentic Indonesian, Malaysian, Thai and Singaporean cuisine. Enjoy one of the house recommendations “Satay”, “Nasi Goreng”, “Sambal Udang”, “Tom Yam Soup” or the tasting menu for 15 per person. Menu del dia runs Monday – Friday for 9.50€and 11.50. Reservations are strongly recommended Friday and Saturday nights. C/Valencia 454 I Sagrada Familia I Tel. 93 231 6015 and 677 594 533 www.restaurantbatik.com I Mon-Sat 1pm -3.45pm Tues-Sat 8.30pm-11.30pm Closed Sun and Mon Evening

C/Agustina Saragossa 3-5 (in front of CC L’Illa) | Maria Cristina - Tram 1,2,3 L’Illa | Tel. 93 252 3115 www.restaurantshanti.com | Mon -Sat 1pm-4pm 8pm-11.45pm Closed Sun | RV

International

Indian - Hindu Govinda (VEGETARIAN) 4BARRI GÒTIC A restaurant veteran for 23 years, Govinda specialises in vegetarian Indian cuisine. The international menu features talis, a salad bar, natural juices, lassis, paninis, pizzas and crêpes. It offers a vegan-friendly, nonalcoholic and authentically decorated environment with lunch and weekend menus.

Pl. Villa de Madrid 4-5 | Catalunya | Tel. 93 318 7729 www.amalteaygovinda. com Tue-Sat 1pm-4pm, 8.30pm-12am, Sun-Mon 1pm-4pm

Moti Mahal4RAVAL Conveniently located between the Rambla de Raval and Paral-lel, Moti Mahal offers an extensive menu of Indian cuisine, including madras and tika dishes, sheek kebabs, traditional soups breads and biryanis.  A large variety of vegetarian dishes are also available.  House specialities are the clay oven-cooked tandoori dishes and the tofu paneer pakora. Menu of the day is on offer Monday - Friday for 9.25 and an evening and weekend tasting menu for 14.95.  All items can be prepared mild, spicy, super spicy or suicide. Take-away is available. C/Sant Pau 103 | Paral.lel | Tel. 93 329 3252 Fax. 93 441 3713 | www.motimahalbcn.com Every day 12pm-4pm, 8pm-12am Closed Tues Lunch | RV

Food & drink_feb10.indd 43

Hard Rock CafE4CIUTAT VELLA Hard Rock Cafe Barcelona offers an inspired, creative ambience with incredible rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia on display. Come and taste authentic American food. Their berbecue entrees slow cooked in the cafe’s hardwood smokers are delicious. Visit the bar to try a premium cocktail and check out the live music and special events on offer. Don’t forget to stop at the Rock Shop for fine, classic, cotton T-shirts or a collectable Hard Rock pin. Imagine There’s No Hunger Hard Rock is proud to support World Hunger Year (WHY) and its many Global initiatives to help children and the fight against hunger and poverty. As part of Imagine There’s No Hunger campaign, when you add a donation of 1 or more onto your bill at Hard Rock Cafe in Barcelona, you’ll receive a very special charity bracelet. To find out more visit: www.hardrock.com/barcelona. Plaça Catalunya 21 | Catalunya | Tel. 93 270 2305 | www.hardrock.com/barcelona Restaurant: Sun-Thurs 11am-2am, Fri, Sat and hol eves 11am-3am Rock Shop: Sun-Thurs 10am-1.30am, Fri, Sat and hol eves 10am-2am

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| M | Food & drink

Jamaican

Take-away

Stush & Teng4Eixample E

Pim Pam burger4Born

Stush & Teng is Barcelona’s first Jamaican restaurant. Enjoy the reggae vibe and Jamaicanbased cuisine in a beautifully sensuous and stylish setting. Stush & Teng opens at 8am offering a wake-up breakfast and Blue Mountain coffee. The lunch and dinner menu include traditional Jerk chicken, salted fish and ackee (a delicious Jamaican fruit with a milky taste). New menu of the day for 9.50 on offer. At midnight, Stush & Teng converts into a laid-back lounge bar with excellent music and a good selection of classic fresh fruit Caribbean cocktails that are a must!

Quality is of utmost importance making it the best burger and frankfurter take-away in town. Special hamburgers, chicken burgers, bratwurst, frankfurters, home made chips and stroganoff are also available and are all prepared on the premises.

Special Valentine’s Menu only 20. Call 933 689 393 to reserve your space.

C/Rossellò 209 | FFCC - Provença Diagonal | Tel. 93 368 9393 | www.stushandteng.com Breakfast: Mon-Fri 8am-12pm, lunch: 1-4pm, dinner: 8-11.30pm, Lounge bar: 12-2am, Sat dinner 8pm-11.30pm

Nepalese

C/ Sabateret 4 I Jaume I Tel. 93 315 2093 I burger@pimpamplats.com I www.pimpamplats.com Every day 1pm-12am

Thai NAMASKAR NEPAL4GRÀCIA

tHAI GRACIA 4GRACIA A new Thai restaurant has just opened on the edge of Gracia! Thai Gracia occupies two floors with comfortable creamy white booths, wooden tables, intimate lighting. Expect authentic ingredients all imported from Thailand and cooked by experienced Thai chefs. The pad thai, green and yellow curries have excellent subtle flavours. Simply delicious! The special tasting menu for 19.80 is a huge hit and allows you to try all the exotic dishes Thai Gracia has to offer. An affordable 10.90 menu del dia is available during the week. The warm hospitality and attention to detail to every dish at Thai Gracia will keep you coming back for more.

Recently opened Nepalese restaurant that brings you traditional cuisine that will carry your taste buds to Nepal. Enjoy thali food in a tranquil, friendly environment. The chef has years of experience and is keen to prepare food that meets the diners expectations.  A take-away service is available and the menu del día is only 8,70. We are waiting for you with a warm Namaskar welcome.

C/Hipòlit làzaro 34, Local 1 ( Pi i Margall 38-40) Joanic | Tel. 93 213 1220 | Tues-Sun 12pm-4pm, 8pm-11.30pm, Closed Mon

Annapurna4Eixample e

Thai Thai4EIXAMPLE E

The name of a series of peaks in the Himalayas, Annapurna is a great place to enjoy Nepalese culinary delights.It serves tasty and aromatic dishes such as grilled meats cooked in a Nepalese tandoor oven as well as a top quality vegetarian dishes.Try Nepal’s most famous dish, Dal-bhat or drop in for their fixed lunch menu for only 9,75.

Thai Thai restaurant invites you to taste and enjoy traditional Thai food with tropical ingredients from Thailand prepared by Thai chefs. They specialise in all kinds of Thai curries. Thai Thai has created a delicious tasting menu for only 24 and a fresh menu of the day is on offer for 9.50 during the week. Enjoy Thai Thai’s authentic cuisine at their NEW location near Plaza España.

C/ paris 161 I Hospital Clinic I Tel. 934 102 947 I www.annapurna-restaurant.com Mon – Sat 12 – 4pm and 8pm -12am Clsd Sunday I RV

C/Diputació 93 | C/Princep Jordi, 6 |

Food&Drink to advertise in this section, please call 93 4514486 or email ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com

Food & drink_feb10.indd 44

C/ Córcega 381 | Metro Verdaguer / Girona Tel. 93 459 3591 | www.restaurante-thai-gracia.com Every day 1pm -4pm 8pm-12am | RV

Urgell | Tel. 620 938 059 | www.thaithai.es España | Tel. 663 126 398 | Every day 1pm-4pm, 8pm-12am | RV

Vegetarian Amaltea4EIXAMPLE E Visit Amaltea vegetarian restaurant, where tasty and healthy meals are served in a welcoming environment. Dishes include cereals, pulses and vegetables, with homemade puddings. The cuisine is creatively international with care taken to ensure all ingredients are fresh and dishes are well balanced. Menu of the day 10, night and weekend menu 14.50. C/Diputació 164 | Urgell | Tel. 93 454 8613 | www.amalteaygovinda.com Mon-Sat 1pm-4pm, Mon-Sat 8.30pm-11.30pm, Closed Sun

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| M | Beauty | Health | Wellbeing

Marketplace  Services directory To advertise in this section, call: 93 451 44 86 or email: ads@barcelona-metropolitan.com

beauty health & wellbeing

home services

education

services

business employment

Hairdressers Beauty / Spa Dress Designer Massage Dentists Pharmacy Doctors Podology Nutrition Chiropractors Psychologists / Psychotherapists Personal Coaching Hypnobirthing Personal Training Martial Arts Pilates / Wellness Personal Coaching Yoga Veterinarian Dog Care Painting & Carpentry Interior Design Architecture & Construction Security Plumbing Real Estate & Accommodation Transport / Storage Relocation Language Schools Nursery / School Translation Course Computers Electrician Television Services Design Drinks distributor Legal Practices Financial Services Insurance Office Rentals Job Opportunities

46 46-47 47 47 47-48 48 48 49 49 49 49 50 50 50 50 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 51 52 52 52-53 53-54 54 54-56 56 56 56-57 57 57-58 58 58 58-59 60 60 61 61-62

Beauty / Spa

i s pa H a m m a m j

Hairdressers

The unique Hammam experience… Begin a journey through the thousand year old Arabian rituals of beauty and wellbeing in a place of complete relaxation. AV .DI

O ET

OR EL

C.D

P EP

.DE AV

.D DA AV

R TA

AL PLAZA FRANCESC MACIA AV.D S A L I C.D'URGELL

informations & booking AG

93 419 14 72 C. Loreto 50 - BarCeLona - Plaça F.Macia

www.rituelsdorient.com

IÀ RR

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Beauty | Health | Wellbeing

| M | 47

Dentists

Iradier, 30 years at your service. The perfect present for your loved ones... health, beauty and well-being.

www.iradier.com 93 254 17 25

Dress Designer

Gift cards available for facial or body treatments, a session at the thermal spa, a day of relaxing...

Massage

American Dentist

Associate Member of American Dental Association Dr. Joseph de Vilallonga

We Fix Smiles 100% Ceramic Crowns First review at no cost

General Dentistry Implants

Emergency Line

659 443 583

www.clinicavilallonga.com English, Japanese and Spanish spoken

American Dental Association

Calvet, 15 pral. 1ÂŞ - 08021 Barcelona â&#x20AC;˘ Tel. 93 209 61 21

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| M | Beauty | Health | Wellbeing ...open monday to saturday

Clinic: Castellnou 47, 08017 BCN Tel: 932 051 903 / 696 664 430 / 636 312 522 Email: tingsvall_ mccarthy@hotmail.com www.tingsvall-mccarthy.com Transport: Station Les Tres Torres (L6) & Bus 16, 30, 66, 70, 72, 74.

Pharmacy

Doctors Leila Catherine Onbargi, M.D.

OBSTETRICS and GYNECOLOGY

Centro Medico Teknon American Board Certified C/Vilana, 12 • consulta 161 Barcelona • Tel: 93 393 3161 Email: dr.onbargi@gmail.com www.teknon.es/consultorio/onbargi Fellow, American College OB/GYN Diplomate American Board of OB/GYN

ENGLISH • SPANISH • FRENCH

English Doctor Dr. Steven Joseph

Col nº 38291

BSc, MBBS, DRCOG, MRCGP, MRCPsych (London) Member of the Royal College of General Practioners U.K Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists U.K

General Practice · Mental Health Extensive range of primary care services Access to all medical specialists/investigations

GOOG medical centre

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Tel 93 330 2412 • Mobile 627 669 524 Email: googol@hotmail.es www.googolmedicalcentre.com

Gran Via Carles III nº-37-39 08028 Barcelona Les Corts

22/1/10 14:19:45

Beauty | Health | Wellbeing Podology

Personal Coaching

| M | 49

Psychologists / Psychotherapists

English Speaking and Trained Counsellor and Psychotherapist Help and Support with; • Lack of Energy or Low Self-Esteem • Improving Family and Personal Relationships • Feelings of Anger, Loneliness and Isolation, or Anxiety • Expat Issues and Adapting to, or Preparing for, Change • Achieving a Particular Goal or Finding a New Direction • Changing Unhelpful or Destructive Habits or Patterns of Behaviour

Free Initial 20 minute Introductory Meeting

Jonathan Lane Hooker

Psychotherapist, Counsellor, Coach and Guide Tel: 93 590 7654 • Mob: 639 579 646 • jonathan.hooker@yahoo.com

Network of English Speaking Therapists Established since 2000

Connie Capdevila Brophy PhD Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist 932 179 841

Anna Jansen MA Dance Movement Therapist 657 183 542

Denise Marmelstein MA Learning Specialist 932 111 095

Christen Bruce MS Speech & Language Therapist 687 635 630

Donna DeWitt MA Performance & Sport Psychologist 607 636 246

Vera M. Hilb MA Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist, EMDR 667 584 532

Jill Jenkins PsyD Child Clinical & School Psychologist 932 179 841

Emma Judge MA Licensed Counselor Psychologist 639 041 549

Claudia Ros Tusquets MA Clinical Psychologist & Psychotherapist 934 102 962 / 657 570 692

Peter Zelaskowski UKCP Registered Psychotherapist 628 915 040

www.barcelonanest.com

All NEST professionals are Licensed / Certified English - Spanish - Catalan - Dutch - German - Italian

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| M | Beauty | Health | Wellbeing

Chiropractors

HypnoBirthing

Martial Arts

Wing Chun is a concept-based system of self defence from southern China, renowned for itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s simple, direct techniques. Improve both your body and mind. Find out more at:

www.wongshunleungspain.org

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16:48:01

Contact David on 617 357 184 or david_615734@yahoo.co.uk Classes every Tuesday & Thursday 7pm - 8.30pm C/ Enric Granados 48, 08008, Barcelona

Pilates

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Beauty | Health | Wellbeing

| Home Services | M | 51

Personal Training

Interior Design GRAHAM COLLINS PROPERTY CONSULTANCY INTER IOR DESIGN & DECOR ATION Puzzled by the property market ? Need a renovator that speaks your language ? Want that designed look on an Ikea budget ? C / CONSULAT DEL MAR 35, 3er BARCELONA t: 0034 678 75 75 11 e: grahamcollins@talk21.com

Yoga

Dog Care

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Veterinarian

Architecture & Construction

Dog Care

Painting & Carpentry

22/1/10 14:20:24

| M | Home Services Security

Plumbing

Real Estate & Accommodation

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Home Services

| M | 53

Transport / Storage

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| M | Home Services | Education

Language Schools

SPANISH COURSES

ACELE

Catalan Association of Spanish Language Schools

Your guarantee of high quality service (*) abcCollege www.abccollege.es

Centro Humboldt www.centrohumboldt.com

Enforex www.enforex.com

BCN Languages www.bcnlanguages.com

Don Quijote www.donquijote.org

IH Barcelona www.ihes.com/bcn

(*) All ACELE schools have been accredited by the Cervantes Institute and/or CEELE.

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Home Services

| Education | M | 55

“I really enjoyed the Spanish classes and learned a lot.” “My Spanish improved rapidly.” Lene Sandvik Norway

Josephine Tustin Canada

“Small classes!”

Fleur Van de Wijgert Holland

“A warm and friendly environment with great teachers.” Carol Mallinson Australia

“I’ve learned more Spanish at Speakeasy in 3 weeks than I’ve learned in the US in 3 years.” Tom Carey USA

“Rewarding and intense.” Carina Mikka Olsen Denmark

“I’ve learned a lot!” Anna Tomaszewska Poland

“Very friendly staff, excellent teachers and great location.” “I’m really speaking Spanish!”

Dionne Jacomello Greece

Merel Fernandes Holland

Spanish lessons from 4€ www.speakeasybcn.com

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Tel: (+34) 933 427 197

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| M | Education |

Services

Language Schools

Translation Course

Nursery / School

Computers

Day Care and Kindergarten

Summer school Saturday workshop for children After-school activities Family space and workshops for parents Children’s bookshop “El Jardinet” Excellent quality of care with only 7 children per teacher Appropriate installations and warm environment with a garden, animals and vegetable garden Flexible time-table to suit your family (from 8.30 to 18.30) Groups divided by language with native speaking teachers: CATALAN, ENGLISH, GERMAN AND SPANISH

In Poblenou:

Llatzeret, 9 (Metro Poblenou)

Tel.

663 021 457

secretariakinder@gmail.com www.kinderbarcelona.org

Personalised education for overall development - children from 0 to 8 years

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Services

| M | 57

Computers

Electrician

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Television Services

19/1/10 13:54:15

| M | Services | Business Television Services

Drink distributor

Design

graphic design

& photography for all your projects

corporate identity logo design web design advertising

brochures & magazines signage call 659 526 639 or send us an e-mail info@happy2design4u.com

www. happy2design4u.com

Legal Practices

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Services

| Business | M | 59

Financial Services

Financial Advice on all aspects of living in Spain from our experienced, regulated and qualified team. For your free guide to independent financial advice email barcelona@spectrum-ifa.com or phone 93 665 8596

Founder Members of FEIFA Regulated in Spain. Offices also in France, Luxembourg and the Netherlands

www.spectrum-ifa.com

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The Spectrum IFA Group en España – Baskerville Advisers S.L. CIF B-63/137.020 – Correduría de Seguros; Nº de registro RDGS J2306 Paseo de Gracia 63, Principal 2a, 08008, Barcelona Seguro responsabilidad civil AIG Europe Nº 0131900503.1330 Registro Mercantil de Barcelona, Tomo 35489, Folio 170, Sección 8, Hoja B-269534

20/1/10 12:38:26

| M | Business | Employment Insurance

British qualiied accountants with local solutions

Traditional accounting and taxation covering both territories Outsourcing Solutions for all sizes of enterprises Cost reduction appraisal Assistance to doing business in either UK or Spain Business development and Strategy Bespoke Services

Job Opportunities

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Business Office Rentals

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| Employment | M | 61

Job Opportunities

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| M | Employment Job Opportunities

ELON ENJOY BARC

WITH A STABLE JOB

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main pages - Feb10.indd 14

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low fare flights to the uk with monarch! Award-winning low fares airline Monarch offers a great choice of year round flights from Barcelona to Manchester – a cosmopolitan city and a key gateway to the North-West of the UK.

This winter season up to four flights a week are available from Barcelona to Manchester, increasing to daily flights for the summer 2010 season. Flights are available to book online at www.monarch. co.uk up until March 2011, with fares starting from just €33 one way, including all taxes and charges. In addition to year-round low fares and convenient flight times, Monarch offers a unique range of tasty hot and cold food onboard from tasty cooked main meals to appetizing hot snacks and fresh handmade sandwiches. To avoid the last minute free-for-all experienced

flights

main pages - Feb10.indd 6

on some airlines, seats can be pre-booked with Monarch at €9 per one-way flight ensuring that families or travelling parties are seated together. Monarch also offers more extra legroom seating on their scheduled services than any other low fares airline meaning you can upgrade to a luxurious 34” extra legroom seat pitch from just €19 per person, per one-way flight. Passengers travelling on scheduled flights can avoid the queues at the airport and check in from the comfort of their own home by taking advantage of the online check-in facility on monarch.co.uk, which is available between seven days and four and a half hours prior to departure. For more information on Monarch’s flights to the UK and other destinations, or to check out the latest deals and book your flights, visit www.monarch.co.uk

holidays

hotels

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main pages - Feb10.indd 17

22/1/10 13:32:48

| M | Back page Couples, cakes and carnality

weet Saint Valentine! How little he sus-

squabbling models disappear at dusk, leaving

going to spend my money on some ill-thought-

pected the suffering he would unleash

their contented counterparts to promote cou-

out Saint Valentine’s Dinner just so it looks as

on a vulnerable world. What should be

pled propaganda to the ravening singles wan-

if I really love you.’ And Barcelona has become

a straightforward celebration of love has be-

dering the night. They swan around hand in

increasingly switched on to the commercial

come a minefield of etiquette and emotion. Is it

hand, laughing at one another’s jokes, enjoying

possibilities of Saint Valentine’s Day, especially

too much? Is it too little? Is it too big? Is it too

one another’s attention, then, to rub it in, leave

compared to his bookish cousin Saint Jordi.

small? For singles, there’s the social stigma of

earlier than everyone else, as if they have better

But what should be a special evening of

watching Saint Valentine’s Day from the out-

things to do with their time. Which, of course,

delight is usually the opposite. You might find

side. For couples, it’s the tricky question of how

they do. That’s why it’s so galling.

yourself in a halo of candle-lit passion, enjoy-

much to celebrate. If it’s a new relationship, is

It’s possible, though, that the backlash is on

ing the food of the gods. Or, more likely, you’ll

your bed of rose petals and bath full of cham-

the way. With Valentine’s Day increasingly com-

be forking out for an overpriced ‘special’ menu

pagne a step too far? Does chocolate suggest

mercialised, it’s being removed from the hands

(special in that it is overpriced), rubbing shoul-

disinterest? Or lingerie lust? (Yes, obviously, is

of the individual, and if anyone can be relied

ders with at least two other couples who are

the answer to this last question. But then isn’t

on to mess it up, it’s the faceless powers of com-

equally intent on proving their love through

that what Saint Valentine’s Day is all about? If

merce. Forget the toys and cards and balloons

gastronomy. One couple will be snogging en-

you can’t buy lustful gifts on February 14th,

and cakes, the little things that say ‘I care so

thusiastically, the other will be splitting up,

when can you?) If you’re recently separated,

much I spent my money on some ill-thought-

equally enthusiastically. Neither is conducive

is it acceptable to send your ex-partner dead

out trash, just so it looks as if I really love you.’

to a romantic evening.

rats? Or barbed wire? For long-term couples,

Only the foolish still fall into that trap. It’s a

Probably the best food for Valentine’s Night

can you even be bothered?

bit like Mother’s Day cards and cakes and flow-

is sushi. It has the aphrodisiac qualities of oys-

In a society that prioritises pairing off, the

ers and gifts, except that mothers either don’t

ters but without the snottiness. It’s velvety and

state of singlehood is already stigmatised. All

see through the thinly-veiled fraudulence, or

carnal and doesn’t weigh you down, which, if

year round, couples smugly parade around

are well-practised at turning a blind eye. They

things go to plan, should be key to the evening’s

in bliss and contentment. The only time they

know their offspring love them but can’t be

success. The downside is that most sushi res-

don’t is when they’re bickering, failing to con-

bothered to put in the effort. For Valentine’s

taurants are only marginally more romantic

trol their kids or traipsing round Ikea looking

Day, if you don’t put in the effort, it’s a sure

than McDonalds. On the other hand, you’re less

for soft furnishings. It’s at these times that they

sign you don’t love someone. Obviously.

likely to find yourself dining next to a couple

make singleness look not just desirable but es-

Where couples new and old still fall into the

sential. Unfortunately, like nesting birds, these

trap is The Big Night Out. ‘I care so much I’m

who are dining on each other. -- Roger de Flower

HOROSCOPE

by Nuria Picola

Aries This month you could experience things hard to explain with logic. Observe your dreams and your intuition, but don’t judge. Don’t talk too much, which you are inclined to do.

Taurus Try to relax a little more, work has taken a lot out of you. Keep an eye on your teeth and your bones. If you make an economic investment, it could bring a pleasant surprise.

Gemini It’s a period of professional expansion, and you may have social success with powerful friends. It’s a good time to look for work and it’s also a time when studies produce good results.

Cancer

Leo There may be some changes on the job, and you’ll have to adapt. If you haven’t yet met that special person, it could happen this month as there is the potential for some special encounters.

Virgo It’s a good month to develop your sympathy and your capacity to make a good impression and be friendly. Good things come to you through the goodwill of others.

Libra

Pay attention to your health, particularly your kidneys, and your energy levels will rise. If you’re looking for work, you may find a great opportunity. You have strong communication skills.

Scorpio It may not be your best

Sagittarius You need to find a

Capricorn It may be a good time to reduce expenses and pay off debts, including to refinance them. Your health is good and your mind is agile; if you’re studying, it’ll be easy to learn.

Aquarius You’re at the peak of

Pisces It’s an important month

your year, this should be a moment of expansion and strength. Communication skills can carry you to a different level and enrich your intellectual life.

on an economic level but you may be disoriented and not know which direction to take. A good time to analyse the possibilities at hand.

point of emotional harmony, so pay attention to those people who love you. If you feel well, you’ll do well. Professionally, it’s a passive period.

www.nuriapicola.com It’s a good month to take a decision regarding your working life, and you may wind up making more money. Adapt to situations, but don’t give up making decisions.

moment. Rest all you can and don’t be frightened, it’s an energy problem, not a dietary one. It’s an excellent time to take a trip with your love interest.

scoop

By Ben Rowdon

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Finest Real Estate Maresme & Sitges

Cabrils/Urb. Montcabrer: Views, swimming pool. Ind. Apt. Elevator. Privacy. 4 suites, 6 baths. Liv. surf. 690 sqm. Plot 1.600 sqm. ID-No.: W-008TRU. Price: On Request.

El Masnou: Excellente maisonette. 3 terraces. Panoramic views. High level finishes. Fully reno-vated. 2 beds (1 suite). Liv. surf. 106 sqm. ID-No.: W-0086JX. Price: € 370,000.

Alella: Single-family house (2007). Elevator. Minimalist. Double glazing. Swimming pool. 5 beds, 4 baths. Liv. surf. 256 sqm. Plot 780 sqm. ID-No.: W-0081LV. Price: € 950,000.

Sant Andreu de Llavaneres: Unique property. All appl. incl. Tennis court, gym, pool, alarm, 5 beds, 5 baths. Liv. surf. 743 sqm. Plot 2.545 sqm. ID-No.: W-008UFC. Price: €/month 9,000.

Alella: Near the centre and int. school. Pool. Intimacy. Garage 2 cars. Pol. room. 4 beds, 3 baths. Liv. surf. 380 sqm. Plot 850 sqm. ID-No.: W-008UFM. Price: €/month 3,000.

Teià: New construction in centre. Garage +6 cars. Pol. room + serv. area. Alarm. Pool. 6 beds, 7 baths. Liv. surf. 499 sqm. Plot 1,215 sqm. ID-No.: W-008UEW. Price: €/month 2,200.

Sitges: 180 sqm terrace, sea views. Chimney, parquet, centr. heating, garage, alarm, comm. area, pool. 3 beds, 2 baths. Liv. surf. 180 sqm. ID-No.: W-0080BI. Price: € 950,000.

Sitges: Modern detached house, near golf course. Home aut. syst., radial heat., a/c, alarm, views, chimney. 6 beds, 6 baths, pool 5x10. ID-No.: W-0080A2. Price: € 3,500,000.

Sitges: Beachfront flat to update. Terrace, comm. swimmimg pool, parking, central heating, storage room, 4 beds, 2 baths. Liv. surf. 100 sqm. ID-No.: W-008073. Price: € 1,100,000.

Tienda Maresme · Tel.: 93 540 22 22 · Maresme@engelvoelkers.com · www.engelvoelkers.es Tienda Sitges · Tel.: 93 540 22 22 · Sitges@engelvoelkers.com · www.engelvoelkers.es

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IH BCN Metropolitan Advert A4 2010.pdf

13/1/10

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WHERE LANGUAGES COME ALIVE

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Ein Affe im Park? Da musst du wohl geträumt haben.

T R N I N R G A E E & L T H E C A AGE U LANG ..... .

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NG I N I RA

我想请你和我一起去看场电影。

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How is your CELTA course going at IH BCN?

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I taught myself.

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Ready? Smile.

Ves aquel chico haciendo juegos malabares?

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¡Cógela! C

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No te preocupes, es mi mascota.

Mira lo que hago?

Et si on allait patiner ensemble un de ces jours?

CMY

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Look what I’m doing.

That’s because I eat lots of carrots.

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TEACHER TRAINING COURSES

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WIDE RANGE OF TEACHER TRAINING AND SPANISH COURSES ALSO AVAILABLE ON-LINE

ALSO: ENGLISH, FRENCH, GERMAN, CHINESE COURSES, STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMMES & TRANSLATION SERVICES

93 268 45 11 info@bcn.ihes.com www.ihes.com main pages - Feb10.indd 7

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