Small town, simple pleasures

Welcome to Lanjarón, our quaint spa town in the beautiful Alpujarras......

In spite of the increasing obstacles to commercial and social life, the ancient instinct of the hunter-gatherer continues to assert itself.  Stationed behind a completely useless bright yellow barrier earlier this week, I watched local people picking their way through the post-apocalyptic scene unfolding in  Lanjaron's 'high street' - Calle Real.

Abuelas and abuelos on wobbly pins and sturdy canes; young mums with teetering pushchairs, pulling toddlers out of the path of reversing diggers; delivery trucks ploughing like Columbus' galleons through choppy seas of builders´rubble.  There's never a dull moment, and the whole show is something of a  tourist attraction in its own right.

New pipes and cables are being laid, hence the excavations.  But we'd just got used to threading the little mountains of assorted builder dusts (I am defiantly ignorant about building materials) when a new twist was introduced: last week they took away the pavement.  Now we're all weaving around the builders, their rubber-footed robots, and each other in an increasingly elaborate Lanjarón shuffle.  It's basically a rapid sidestep ending in a short leap towards the nearest shop doorway.

But don't let all this talk of roadworks kerb your enthusiasm for a Saturday morning of simple pleasures in our pueblo.  Recently, Fred and I have started a new weekend custom. We choose an interesting recipe, something a little more complicated than we would do during the week.  We walk up to the 'new' covered market (head up the street opposite the church, past Carmen's fruteria and Antonio's pollo asador, and take the next left.  Head up the stairs to the market).

At the butcher's, we might choose some plump solomillo de cerdo (pork tenderloin) to sauté with an oloroso sherry sauce, (here's a similar recipe on YouTube) or chuletas de cerdo (pork chops) also sauteed, this time with a Catalan prune and cinnamon sauce.  You can see this recipe in The Foods and Wines of Spain by Penelope Casas. 

If we're feeling in need of an Omega-3 boost, we visit the fish stall (run by the Callejon family who also run the very good Los Mariscos seafood restaurant near the Hotel Miramar).  Hake, flounder, shark, prawns, mussels - everything appears to have been polished, and it's all so fresh that there is no fishy fragrance force field as you approach, only the faintest hint of the sea. 

Actually, the old 'Central' market further up the road towards Barrio Hondillo also has a great fish stall presided over by Enrique. (He used to be behind the bar at Los Faroles restaurant).  A couple of weeks ago, we went in search of flounder for Lenguado al Limon, a dish with lemon, ginger and mustard sauce (also in the Casas book).  Enrique didn't have flounder, but suggested pargo, or red snapper. 3 big pieces of fish for €6, and it worked brilliantly with the recipe. 

After all the excitement of shopping, time to stop at Cafe Melilla.  (Come down the steps from the market, it's a small doorway on your right as you head towards Coviran supermarket).  It's been the neighbourhood churreria for more than 20 years, cheerful, loud, authentically local.  Get there before 11.30 when there is a stampede of shoppers from the market. You can order fresh orange juice, get wired on the strongest coffee in town, and soothe your nerves with a media racion of deep fried churros.

Then you can stroll home by way of Carmen's jewel-box greengrocery, pick up some knobbly sweet potatoes, emerald kale, delicate bright orange carrots to go with your protein. 

That's it.  You stroll home, greeting friends on the way. You've spent about €15 on buying dinner and having a great morning, and as you pick your way through the madness of Lanjaron's main street, suddenly it doesn't seem so bad.  The age-old instinct has kicked in, with Nature making sure you forget the pain. 

    

Comments

[MIke Coulter]

Arpi:,

"jewel-box greengrocery"

Brilliant.

A very evocative piece.

I was there with you all the way.

M

ps. I had a butchers at Google Maps but the resolution for Lanjeron has a ways to go yery, still a bit blurry when I zoom in.

However down the road a ways, around La Mojonera, looks like big white fields when I zoom in I think they are acres poly-tunnels and fields for fruit and veg?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=lanjaron&sll=54.162434,-3.647461&sspn=11.142121,31.816406&ie=UTF8&ll=36.75539,-2.683411&spn=0.118967,0.248566&t=h&z=13

[Dave]

You make "doing the weekly shop" sound like an enjoyable excursion. You've tempted me into taking a trip to Lanjaron myself and looking at it again - but in a new light this time.