Today I had the biggest craving for

a strawberry white chocolate magnum ice cream bar. I wish I was in Retiro!

My new cafetera!

I bought an espresso-maker at World Harvest the other day! I love this type of coffee pot because it is so simple and doesn't require any paper filters. It doesn't make Artisan-quality espresso, but it tastes like Madrid.

It has three pieces, the water goes in the bottom, coffee in the funnel cup (pack it in for a stronger cup!) and it all comes together in the piece w/ the spout.




You put all the pieces together and set it on the stove top. It takes very little time, depending on how high you turn up the burner. If you keep the heat low, it will taste less bitter and be much less likely to burn.





























The water boils in the bottom half and is forced up through the coffee and then spills over the top, like a percolator.


































Now I don't have to go through the embarrassment of ordering "a double decaf espresso with a little cold soy milk. Don't heat up the milk. Actually, would it be okay if I just added it?" like a true coffee snob. I am an ex-barista who OD'd on caffeine too many times to still enjoy real coffee. It is impossible for me to order like a normal person.

Sitting in Sven's

My temporary roommates don't have internet, which is a nice change of pace. It has also driven me to go to coffee shops more. Now that I am caught up on the celebrity gossip, a blog update:

I went to World Harvest behind the Gerbes on Nifong for the first time a few days ago. I had big expectations. I wanted a refrigerator full of tortilla, fresh pasta and mozzarella cheese. I half expected there to be a whole aisle dedicated to canned meat or olive oil.

I had forgotten how far away I live from Spain.

However, I did find a candy bar I used to eat all the time in Madrid. And manchego cheese. I used to end up eating manchego cheese on everything just to avoid a bocadillo de jamón. Yum!

I also got pulpo and sprinkled in with paprika to make pulpo de gallego. Octopus. My sister refused to sit by me because it smelled so fishy. I didn't care. It wasn't awful...

The other big excitement was a new mokka! It is a Italian/Spanish-style coffee pot. You don't need any filters and it makes the best espresso!

I had a cup this morning and fell happily into the memories that smell and the taste bring back.

Only remaining disappointment: no European-style sausage.

More on the mokka soon.

Studying in Spain next semester?

I had to sign up for all of my own classes in Madrid with very little advisement or help. This website was incredibly helpful. It explains a little bit about how the Spanish Higher Ed. system works and explains some of the technical vocabulary.

One of the things that surprised me the most about the system at the Universidad de Complutense was that everything was done on paper. When I enrolled for a class, I had to give a 'ficha' or card of personal information with a photo to my professor. Then I had to fill out a form showing which classes I was enrolling in and take it to the ERASMUS (European study abroad) office. This made everything go slowly. I spent the first three weeks of each semester trying out classes before actually enrolling in them.

While I was at the Complutense, they were in the middle of trying out a new system based on the United Statesian way of doing things. The trial classes included things like mandatory attendance, homework and midterms. God forbid! Globalization changes everything.