Tag: covid 19

Bread Baskets of Death

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For the most part the tapas bars and restaurants I have been to over the past couple of months have been doing their best with taking precautions and keeping their establishments as safe as possible for both staff and clients. But you know, nobody’s perfect and also, as time passes, people tend to slack off a bit. Even as a second wave looms (reported cases and deaths keep mounting) some people are still in denial. Not me though! I am not only at a higher risk of catching this fucker due to previous cancer and chemo, but with my age, etc, I am also not likely to survive it. So yeah, you could say I have a vested interest in how the public is behaving in terms of the pandemic.

The other day I posted this photo of stacked up bread baskets on my Instagram. Some of you may remember that this disgusting practice has always been, well, disgusting to me. I mean, the baskets (filled with bread and often also napkins and cutlery) are put on tables, placed on chairs, passed from person to person, then taken away, stacked up, NEVER CLEANED, and then reused. In some cases, even the uneaten bread is “recycled” (yes, I have seen this happen with my own eyes). And while it was always an unsanitary and disgusting practice before COVID, now it’s actually criminal.

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Rosario Revisited

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I first met Rosario in the spring of 2018 when I stopped in at Bodega San José, which she has been running, first with her husband and then her children, for over 60 years. I’d been there before, but as I wanted to add it to Sevilla Tapas I did my usual photos and chat thing. And well, what a woman! I immediately got a girl crush on her and since then would stop in to say hola and listen to her stories while she held my hands in hers.

So of course I was concerned about her and the fate of the bar in the wake of Covid, and finally managed to visit there this past weekend. I wasn’t even sure if they had reopened but wanted to stop by on the off chance and ask about Rosario. And not only was the bar open but there was Rosario!

Turns out she’s been working there every day since lockdown was lifted at the end of June, making her amazing boquerones al vinagre and THAT tortilla de patatas. What a woman. She told me she turned 90 on July 14th. I said “What?? You’re 90??” And she said “Well l was born in 1930, you do the math!” ? And well that totally made my day, my week… just knowing that she’s okay. Icing on the cake was later when my friend remarked on how Rosario’s face totally lit up when she saw me. I mean, I saw it too but it was nice to know I hadn’t just imagined it. <3

La Azotea at Home

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lunch (3)

La Azotea was the first restaurant in Sevilla (that I know of) to start offering pick up and delivery services. They were on it just like that, up and running just four days after Lockdown. Impressive. Co-owners Jeanine and Juan, along with their amazing team, have been keeping Sevilla fed and happy all this time, and now it was my turn thanks to my London friends Dan & Deb.

We’ve been staying in touch, and looking forward to meeting up again some day at Las Teresas. THEN, I got a surprise voice message from Jeanine the other day saying that those two lovelies had purchased a voucher for me to get some home delivery. So nice of them! As you know, I am still mostly keeping myself in Phase 1 of the de-escalation process, while the rest of the country has moved on to Phase 3. Which means I still haven’t dared to go out to a bar or restaurant, even for a Cold Beer O’clock. And as much as cooking lunch has been one of the things saving me from going completely bonkers from boredom at home, this was a total treat. Really my dream La Azotea meal.

lunch (1)

I got one of the saquitas (crispy pastry filled with prawns, cheese and leeks), my favourite battered prawn salad with kimchi sauce, THOSE rabbit ribs and a bottle of Chan de Rosas albariño. Heaven.

lunch (2)
Jeanine with my delivery
it was SO hard not to give her a big hug

azotea team
Team Azotea

Now La Azotea is open for restaurant service (at their Conde de Barajas location) and they have everything perfectly set up for proper social distancing, and are also continuing with take-away and delivery service. Whatever it takes, these guys are there for you. xx

A Stroll Through Sevilla

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The thing about my rooftop walks is, now that it’s heating up, I have to either go up early morning or else after 8 pm because any shade up there totally disappears around noon. And since I’ve got used to lazy mornings, well, it’s evenings or nothing. But because I had to take out rubbish in the afternoon I ended up taking the (extra) long way (6000 steps) to the supermarket because I was dying to see my Sevilla again. I decided to go as far as Plaza Virgen de los Reyes (my favourite square) and was surprised to find out it was basically a construction site. Turns out they are using this “down time” to finally pedestrianise Mateas Gago, the street that comes off the square and where I lived the first 18 years. Bad news for the bars that are already going to struggle without any tourists, but I suppose there was never going to be a good time to do this.

It was lovely to be out walking around again, and I managed to stay at least 2 metres away from people, but it was shocking to see how many still aren’t wearing masks. I had mine on and nearly suffocated – it was 33º by the time I went out – but I mean, c’mon guys. If/when the second wave hits it will be largely due to these Covidiots. Though as my friend Ricardo tells me, there really aren’t any “Covidiots”, they are just the same idiots as always.

Gotta say it was tempting to sit down somewhere and enjoy a cold beer, but I’m not there yet. Perhaps in a couple of weeks, depending on how things go. Meanwhile, enjoy this stroll through Sevilla. It really my heart good.

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Lockdown Food Home Delivery

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El Mercado de Sevilla

Today I went out for my weekly supermarket run (and rubbish dump). My last time out was on Wednesday, when I noticed changes since the previous visit to El Corte Inglés supermarket at the beginning of the lockdown. Staff were all wearing gloves and masks and we were handed plastic gloves on our way in. Today security had been stepped up, with gloves and sanitiser left out for our use on a table on the way in, and cashiers were being protected behind hanging plexiglass shields.

All this time I’ve been feeling bad about not supporting local independents more but the sad truth is that the small guys aren’t able to offer the same protection for both staff and customers that the bigger supermarkets can. Being in a high risk demographic – over 60 with autoimmune issues going on due to previous stage 4 cancer & chemo – I just don’t want to take the extra risk.

Meanwhile, last week my friends Jeanine & Juan who run the amazing La Azotea, started offering daily menus for home delivery, along with selected items from their regular menu, and also wines. This is a great option for people who haven’t had time to shop, don’t like cooking, or simply miss their favourite La Azotea dishes. You can follow them on their Instagram stories to see the daily specials.

And today I found out about a new initiative started by four friends, including my pal Javier, chef and owner of Taberna Lalola, called El Mercado de Sevilla, offering an online platform for local independent food shops and suppliers to provide home delivery. It’s free of charge for suppliers to join and there is no delivery charge. It’s still early days, but the website is up and running as of today.

La Azotea Sevilla