E1 PORK BURGER @ MERCATS

There was commotion over the weekend at the square in front of Barcelona's trade mark Gothic cathedral, where the spirit of Gaudi looms, probably next to Picasso from his youth.

Mercat de Mercats was billed as 'The Grand Festival of Food Products' in the city and indeed it was. Totally mobbed it took a good 2 hours to check every stall, each with a unique theme and mostly representing Cataluna. The sub culture here is almost identical to ours, where every other activity has something to do with food, and eating. It was educational to not only learn, but to sample an array of truly Spanish specialties.

Epilogue : it was almost closing time and vendors were pushing sales. At one stall everything, I mean everything, was to go for E1, as shown. I had a burger made from pork, onion marmalade and spices. It was meticulously warmed and served with an even warmer smile by a beautiful young woman. We paid E195 per head for dinner at the 3-star Arzak in San Sebastian, and the E1 burger was certainly one way to offset the damage. Yes, it is an apple and orange comparison but then again, I came away happy from both encounters. Eat, and be merry cannot be more true, proven once again here at Mercat. Why not?