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Kay Balun in the lobby bar at The Palace Hotel, Madrid
Kay at España Cañí tapas bar, Plaza del Ángel, 14, in the Literary
Quarter (Barrio de Letras), España cañí (meaning "Gypsy Spain" in
Spanish) is a one of the most often heard and stirring of pasodobles you
might hear at a bullfight. It is an instrumental piece written around
1923 by by Pascual Marquina Narro (1873-1948). The song was first
recorded in 1926. The images on the tiles are taken from paintings by
the great Córdoban artist, Julio Romero de Torres.
At
Villa Rosa, now a flamenco show venue, but once a house of excellent
repute. Madrid is famous for its tabernas, bars and restaurantes with
hand-painted tiles. Villa Rosa has famous depictions of Sevilla,
Granada, Málaga, Córdoba, Granada and Madrid on its exterior walls and
more superb tile scenes in the interior.
At the Oso y
Madroño monument in la Puerta del Sol. A bear eating the fruit of a
strawberry tree, arbutus unedo, is the symbol-mascot of Madrid.
At Kilometer Zero, the symbolic center of Spain in La Puerta del Sol. This kilometer marker is the point from which the national roads (N-1 to N-6) radiating from Madrid are measured.
When you see K-323, etc. on one of the national roads, it is the
distance in kilometers from this point.
The plaque is situated
in front of what used to be the Post Office, the Real Casa de Correos,
whose clock, according to urban legend, was the official time clock of
Spain. This building now houses the offices of the President of la
Comunidad de Madrid (Madrid is also a province). In any case, la
Puerta del Sol is the Times Square of Spain and this clock tolls the
hour at midnight to the throngs packing the plaza (and to the rest of
the country) on New Year´s Eve.
The plaque was originally
installed here in 1950 and, during some renovation work in 2002, it was
re-installed 180 degrees, basically turned around so the map of Spain
was upside down geographichally. During more work on la Puerta del Sol
in 2009, the plaque was replaced again, this time installed in its
original intended position.
Kay comes from St. Louis and Steak n Shake, founded in my home state in
Normal, Illinois, used to be big in the Midwest (there is now one in New
York), so she wanted a picture in front of the Steak & Shake, the
only one I have seen in Spain, in the Plaza de Cañalejas, near la Puerta
del Sol.
* * * * *
Shall deeds of Caesar or Napoleon ring
More true than Don Quixote's vapouring?
Hath winged Pegasus more nobly trod
Than Rocinante stumbling up to God?
Poem
by Archer M. Huntington inscribed under the Don Quixote on his horse
Rocinante bas-relief sculpture by his wife, Anna Vaughn Hyatt
Huntington, in the courtyard of the Hispanic Society of America’s
incredible museum at 613 W. 155th
Street, New York
City.
____________________________________________________________________________________
In 2019, again ranked in the Top 50 Gastronomy Blogs and Websites for Gastronomists & Gastronomes in 2019 by Feedspot. (Last Updated Oct 23, 2019)
"The Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture blogs and Food Science blogs in our index using search and social metrics. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information."
36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
Gerry Dawes
"The Best Gastronomy blogs selected from thousands of Food blogs, Culture blogs and Food Science blogs in our index using search and social metrics. We’ve carefully selected these websites because they are actively working to educate, inspire, and empower their readers with frequent updates and high-quality information."
36. Gerry Dawes's Spain: An Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel
Gerry Dawes
"My good friend Gerry Dawes, the unbridled Spanish food and wine enthusiast cum expert whose writing, photography, and countless
crisscrossings of the peninsula have done the most to introduce Americans—and especially American food professionals—to my country's
culinary life." -- Chef-restaurateur-humanitarian José Andrés, Nobel Peace Prize Nominee and Oscar Presenter 2019
Gerry Dawes was the Producer and Program Host of Gerry Dawes & Friends, a weekly radio progam on Pawling Public Radio in Pawling, NY.
Dawes was awarded Spain's prestigious Premio Nacional de Gastronomía (National Gastronomy Award) in 2003. He writes and speaks frequently on Spanish wine and gastronomy and leads gastronomy, wine and cultural tours to Spain. He was a finalist for the 2001 James Beard Foundation's Journalism Award for Best Magazine Writing on Wine, won The Cava Institute's First Prize for Journalism for his article on cava in 2004, was awarded the CineGourLand “Cinéfilos y Gourmets” (Cinephiles & Gourmets) prize in 2009 in Getxo (Vizcaya) and received the 2009 Association of Food Journalists Second Prize for Best Food Feature
in a Magazine for his Food Arts article, a piece about Catalan star chef, Ferran Adrià.
In December, 2009, Dawes was awarded the Food Arts Silver Spoon Award in a profile written by José Andrés.
". . . That we were the first to introduce American readers to Ferran Adrià in 1997 and have ever since continued to bring you a blow-by-blow narrative of Spain's riveting ferment is chiefly due to our Spanish correspondent, Gerry "Mr. Spain" Dawes, the messianic wine and food journalist raised in Southern Illinois and possessor of a self-accumulated doctorate in the Spanish table. Gerry once again brings us up to the very minute. . ." - - Michael & Ariane Batterberry, Editor-in-Chief/Publisher and Founding Editor/Publisher, Food Arts, October 2009.
Experience
Spain With Gerry Dawes: Customized Culinary, Wine & Cultural Trips to Spain & Travel Consulting on Spain
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
Gerry Dawes can be reached at gerrydawes@aol.com; Alternate e-mail (use only if your e-mail to AOL is rejected): gerrydawes@gmail.com
* * * * *
If you enjoy these blog posts, please consider a contribution to help me continue the work of gathering all this information and photographs for Gerry Dawes's Insider's Guide to Spanish Food, Wine, Culture and Travel. Contributions of $5 and up will be greatly appreciated. Contributions of $100 or more will be acknowledged on the blog.
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