Category Archives: culture

recyle bin graffiti competition

27 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in art, culture, sevilla

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Yesterday afternoon I came across a group of graffiti artists participating in a competition, painting glass recycle bins (concurso contenedor vidrio). This has been going on for the last few years. Or at least, I’ve noticed the painted bins around town before but have never seen the annual contest in progress until now.

I was pleased to see a lot more stylishness to the painting this year, rather than the usual graffiti mishmash of wonky letters and weird images. Most artists had a picture of what they were painting on top of their bin, some showing how they worked out the dimensions, and it was quite impressive to see how they turned a flat painting into a three-dimensional one.

A couple of my favourites were the flamenco dancer and the “Eye of Cthulhu” one below, which of course reminded me of my friend raincoaster, so I made a special collage of it just for her.

[click on images to enlarge]

~ also posted on the azahar Sevilla blog ~

which comes first… the mortar or the pestle?

21 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in cooking, culture, language

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This morning my friend WeeRascal asked on Twitter… Mortar and Pestle or Pestle and Mortar? and my answer was mortar and pestle as that was how I was brought up hearing it said. But my English friend Annie Bennett says she has always called it a pestle and mortar, while admitting that “we Brits have some strange habits as you know…”

I remember recently wincing when on a cooking programme – I think it was Jamie Oliver though it may have been Rick Stein – it was referred to as a pestle and mortar. It just sounded so… well, backwards!

Thinking about it logically, you first put your food item into the mortar before using the pestle; alphabetically the mortar wins out too.

What do you say?

tunas galore!

13 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in culture, music, sevilla, spain, video

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I’ve mentioned the Tunas here before, but can’t find where now. They are usually university students and each different faculty (medicine, law, engineering etc) has its own group of wandering minstrals who dress up and play traditional songs, usually to make a bit of beer money and pick up girls. Though I remember once in Salamanca seeing a group of Tunas below a balcony serenading an 80-year-old woman, which remains in my mind as one of the most endearing things I have ever seen.

For the past week or so I’ve been seeing all sorts of Tunas wandering around, and many a bit long in the tooth to be university students. So I finally stopped and asked what was going on and it turns out there is an international Tuna competition going on here. Tonight I saw a group from Mexico! But this group in the video are from nearby Granada.

I do love the Tunas…

norberto

01 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in art, culture, holidays, sevilla

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It was more than five years ago that I first happened upon Norberto León’s tiny studio while out for tapas with Nog and my dear friend Craig. It was a truly magical experience to come across Norberto and his helpers working away on that hot July night in 2006 and – me being nosy – popped my head inside to ask what was going on.

Since that night I’ve become pals with Norberto and we may still become biz associates one day (if I ever get my darned online store up and running!). I love his work and have had my eye on a rather large Sevilla serigraph skyline of his that I’d love to have in my living room. Well, maybe one day.

But today was a public holiday (Todos los Santos or The Day of the Dead) and by 11am I was getting a bit stir-crazy. Gym was closed, shops weren’t open, and what the hell was I going to do all day other than sit in front of the computer? So I decided to go out for a walk and do some work-related stuff, taking photos of a bar that I hope will become my latest social media client, and also a few photos of an actual client. It was a gorgeous morning – the first of November, 25º and me still wearing sandals.

And that’s when I saw Norberto sitting outside the cathedral, working away on his craft, with several items around him for sale. So we had a chat, I took this photo, got a kiss and then he told me about this video a friend of his had made about his work. I don’t think you need to understand Spanish to “get it”.

Website: norler.com
Estudio: c/ Alfarería 26
Triana, Sevilla
Tel. 676 024 081

andalucía sabor

20 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in culture, food & drink, sevilla

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So this is what I’ll be doing over the next three days – attending the Andalucía Sabor Fine Food Exhibition – which kicks off this morning with a jamón slicing competition. Though in fact it began yesterday evening with an interesting and entertaining round-table discussion with three of Spain’s top chefs (Juan Mari Arzak, Carme Ruscalleda and Dani Garcia) about the Mediterranean diet and why eating locally and in season is so important.

Last year I had wangled an invitation to the Best New Chef competition so I guess I was still “on file” because of that, and so I was happy to receive an email a few weeks ago inviting me to attend this year’s Andalucía Sabor as Press or, more accurately, one of the bloggers that will be not only be allowed entrance (normal admission price is 75 euros) but also will have a blogger’s area with access to tables and plugs for laptops, etc. This would be an ideal moment to use the iPad I still don’t have. So I will just be armed with my iPhone as both laptops are too heavy to lug around all day, especially as I’m still having to wear the “faja” to hold my operation incision together.

And as if attending a three-day conference wasn’t enough I also have Sevilla Tapas Tours tonight and Thursday night, plus a presentation meeting with a prospective social media client tomorrow evening (another instance where an iPad would come in handy). Meanwhile I still have my daily work with my other clients to keep up with…

Speaking of which, best get that done while I down another cup of coffee, then I’ll have to hit the shower and get out of here. The conference centre is way the hell out near the airport, about half an hour on the bus, but at least there is a direct route there with the stop just five minutes from my house. Okay – gotta run!