It's not just the perfect weather and laid-back lifestyle that make Barcelona so seductive. The city's food markets are captivating, too. Michael Kelly pays a visit
Some people are just born lucky. Take the denizens of Barcelona for example. Not only are they blessed with the kind of weather that we can only dream of, they also get to siesta for three hours in the afternoon while the rest of us work through that post-lunch energy slump. With the wonderful tradition of tapas, they enjoy officially the coolest, most sociable eating habit on the planet. And just when you think you have all the evidence you need that God loves the Catalans more then the rest of us, you come across (quite by accident) the glorious Mercat Sant Josep (known locally as La Boqueria).
If you ever needed a reason to get out and support your local farmers' market, then La Boqueria is that reason. La Boqueria is what your average Irish farmers' market can be when it grows up. If enough people who love good food vote with their feet (and their wallets) then every city and town in Ireland could have their own Boqueria.
At the moment, the typical farmers' market in Ireland is a mixed bag. At one end of the scale you have thriving markets that are genuine competition for the supermarkets (Cork's English Market being the best example). On the other you have a couple of stalls offering about as much variety as your local parish cake sale.
The blame for that rests with all of us - market traders aren't stupid. They will happily bake some cakes, make some jams and serve some fruit juices, but they won't risk financial ruin on the trickier stuff like meats, fish, and vegetables if they can't be sure there's a market. And frankly there are still too many people here who think that Lidl is the greatest revolution in Irish retail history ("they sell DVD players for €50!").
In the heart of Barcelona, on the city's Ramblas (Rambla de Sant Josep to be exact), La Boqueria is a food lover's paradise. The market was inaugurated at its current site in 1827, and most of the vendors on the site have been there for three or four generations. Set slightly back off the street (you'll notice the high wrought-iron gates at the entrance), the cavernous hall stretches back for what seems like miles. It's an absolute riot of colour, sounds and smells.
You know you are in serious food heaven when there is an entire stall dedicated to olives, or to basil plants. I saw red peppers which must have been a foot long. Strawberries the size of small apples. Homemade sweets and candies. Row upon row of every type of fish imaginable. Most of them I couldn't even identify and all of them so fresh they were practically still wriggling.
It does make you wonder why your local supermarket can rustle up only a couple of old salmon fillets and some frozen prawns - what with us being an island nation and all. There are cuts of meat that would give a vegetarian a seizure. Cured pig's legs hang from the ceilings. Heads, ears, tongues - all the things I presumed the EU had forced us to stop eating. Some of it is almost ghoulish.
When all that gaping becomes too much, we sit up at one of the many tapas bars in the market. If you look at them critically, these eateries are about as elaborate as a chip van outside a GAA ground. Diners sit up on high stools at the counter and would-be diners stand two or three deep behind the lucky ones, waiting for a space at the counter.
The food is almost thrown at you. But what food! We had pieces of steak, drizzled with pesto and served with fried potatoes. A selection of grilled vegetables, asparagus with rock salt and roasted peppers . . . mmm. All washed down with a cerveza or two.
And you quickly realise it's not really the food that makes it memorable (it's simple enough fare really) - it's the banter from the chefs; the noise and bustle; the wonderful smells; friendly chat from the locals on your left and right (on their lunch break and soon to go home for siesta - what lives they have).
Everyone is happy because they are just pleased to have a seat. It's no-frills food; eat up and give your seat to the person standing patiently behind you. And that's the essence of La Boqueria - it's about much more than just buying food. It's a celebration of food.
Mercat Sant Josep is open Monday to Saturday from 8am to 8pm, www.boqueria.infoAer Lingus (www.aerlingus.com) has regular flights to Barcelona from Dublin and Cork. Iberia (www.iberia.com) has regular flights from Dublin to Barcelona. Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) flies to (relatively) nearby Girona and Reus