bil

Boy, you must eat in some shite places! I'd never go back!

Last time, the meat course was a succulent tuna steak for me and a sweet pork cut for Jan.

What's all this about blood running into the meat? If you mean the dark patch that looks like clotted blood, I'm pretty sure that histologically speaking, it is tissue that is distinct from the bulk of the muscle, a bit like the difference between brown and white fish flesh. The browner meat is much higher in myoglobin, and is the muscle that is used for long distance swimming, The paler flesh is for sprinting.

steviedeluxe

Don't worry about it, but thanks! People not only have different tastes, they also have different prejudices (for want of a better word). There was a time when I'd only eat bland English food and it's taken me many years to appreciate food from other countries. Even now I'm not too taken with foods like liver, kidneys etc regardless of whether it's cooked in Spain or the UK. I'm one of those who like the Spanish dishes with a large vegetable content for example habas con jamon, fabada asturiana, lentejas, caldo gallego etc but I feel sorry for vegetarians as these dishes nearly always seem to add some form of pork along the way. Outside the big cities it must still be fairly bleak for veggies, although I'm guessing that some establishments cater for this market in tourist areas?

Rosemary

When I spent all of those months in hospital, on the infrequent times I was allowed food it was the classic peasant food and quite good it was too apart from being luke warm. The two main meals were as per menu del dia, that plus breakfast, afternoon snack and two yogurts to eat in the night meant you certainly did not go hungry. The cooks there are really good at their sauces and improved the meals no end.

Graham

HBG

It’s their country, they know what’s what, and I followed their ways at lunchtime today. I followed them to a large Chinese restaurant with an eat-as-much-as-want buffet, wok style.

The selection was superb, we decided on plan B, and the wife had fish while I had meat, both in tasty Cantonese sauce, cooked in front of you, allowing us to swap things around afterwards.

I made four trips to the counter and imagined that many Spanish eyes were watching me, so my wife had to make the last trip to the sweets corner, she doesn’t care who’s looking when it comes to filling up two plates with goodies.

The lot came to 22 Euros, an absolute bargain. That was nine hours ago, and I still don’t feel hungry.

bil

I do rather like those places. I like a steak, some razor shells, add some soy sauce to the liquid they leave, and soak some nori rice rolls in that.

jackytoo

I am not refering to any nationality re. restaurants except spanish. only the spanish do menu del dia. Many of the meals you refer to seems as if you have been googling again I admit I have seen pensioners tucking into those meals as if they haven't eaten for days

As for Italian, one where we have been going to for years is always full of spanish...evening that is. Well it was, been a bit dead last couple of years since they are all out of work! I don't have British tastes (although I do prefer restaurants in UK. France). I have lived the major part of my life out of the UK.

The tuna caught in spain is rubbish because they beat the shit out of them to kill instead of using proper equipment. The blood runs into the flesh. (some of my family are deep sea fishing experts) However you won't find much fresh tuna in Spain, the Med is practically dead for fishing, they have killed it off with illegal practices. Most fish is now imported into Spain

bil

Hey, I obviously lack your expertise, but logic tells me that blood runs out of flesh......

HBG

I’m sorry but I need to correct you. I live in Spain too and all the other nationalities here have a menu del dia, they have to, to compete. Without thinking too hard, I have a choice of Hungarian, German, Chinese, Turkish, Indian and Spanish, all within walking distance, all priced under 10 Euros.

It’s paradise on earth, until you consider the class divide which attracts the poorer to steal from the richer, as happens all over the world. So you end up with high walls, burglar alarms, Dobermans to patrol your grounds, pepper sprays in your handbag, CCTV to watch the ****ers stealing your possessions when you’re out, and the certain knowledge that it will happen again.

I sometimes think of living in the Outer Hebrides, without having to lock your doors, but it will be freezing cold with penguins strolling about in your garden, and the nearest menu del dia a hundred miles away.

jackytoo

Well I am not into the finer points of killing Tuna but when some of my family is with me at the fish counters they are always saying who would buy crap tuna like that.

A lot about it here, (the spanish just beat them to death and cut them wrong)



http://www.nzgamefishing.com/go2/looking_after_tuna/

Rosemary

Anyone visiting Cullera there is a chinese restaurant with a huge menu del dia for 5.95.
I do not know or am interested in the finer points of killing tuna but I do know what tastes good and as I do not eat curry my tastebuds are still intact.

Graham

steviedeluxe

The courses I quoted - paella, fabada, puchero, lentejas or even (squeamish look away now) oreja stew or callos - are all fairly standard dishes in many parts of Spain. If you really needed to google them, it just shows your limited knowledge of Spain, which makes your claim to state "this happens in all of Spain" laughable. One of the characteristics of Spain is that different regions have differing climates and foodstuffs. There are meals specific to places like Galicia, Valencia, Extremadura, the Basque country etc etc that have evolved due to local food available. It's true that a lot of dishes are now available in larger towns and cities, but it seems (if your comments are indeed representative) that it's not the case in the Marbella area.

bil

I would imagine there is certainly a difference between how that clip talks about treating tuna and the average fisherman doing it.

He describes a precision crafted work, and I doubt that a working fisherman having to earn a living in a melee of tuna, could afford to spend that much time on treating the meat.

Equally, Tuna are treated pretty carefully as abusing the meat would certainly get a lower price.

IMO your criticism is a bit like someone criticising a perfectly good meal, and comparing it to the product of a Michelin 3 star chef.

jackytoo

You can rubbish my connections with Spain as much as you want, you don't know so I will forgive you.....just that I can spot a googler with their lists

By all means do them, not gonna make me like spanish food anymore. There is a nice thai restaurant in marbella Garum isn't bad either.

BTW 70% of the population of marbella are spanish! Probably has the least number of Brit bars on the coast (s)

jackytoo

Yes you are right, was the first example of using the instrument I found. However, according to others the Tuna on display on the CDS is crap.

bil

I suppose it puzzles the rest of us who manage to find good food around here, how you can claim that you 'never' have found a half decent menu del dia. It just makes you sound out of place