Sunday 29 January 2012

¿Madrid?

Madrid. Those who have  been once in Madrid know what it represents. Who has not been there, doesn't. It makes sense.
It is not one of the world most famous destinations, yet. If you haven't been to London, Paris, New York or Barcelona ( for example ) you don't really know what life is all about, but if you have never visited Madrid, it seems not to be a big loss.
This may sound as if I am offended about the fact, but I truly have to admit I'm not. I can even say I'm proud of it.
Proud because "the madrileños" are conscious about their lifestyle, costumes and culture and they believe that keeping it real and simple is the best way to make people understand.  It sounds strange to say that presently not doing anything is more difficult than making a big effort, but in the field of tourism, as well as in other industries, things have become contradictory.
Madrid was a unknown village in the middle of Castilla until 1561, when Felipe II decided to move the administration from Toledo to Madrid. The town started growing and people from all around Spain moved to serve the crown and to contribute to the development of the new capital.
Still nowadays Madrid is very Spanish. I mean it in a possitive way, of course. Spanish because those people who left their home town,carried their cultures with them to the new destination mixing them all up to create a new one.
Now lets talk about serious stuff, food. As I consider gastronomy one of the most important parts of a culture, you can conclude that in Madrid it is possible to find food from all around Spain. Traditional catalan, andalusian and vasque recipes  are part of the local gastronomy. Men and women, who are the x generation that lives in Madrid, open traditional galician fish and sea food restaurants not shy of admiting that they are and feel  "madrileños". In addition to this,  Madrid is the most important market place and  the main distribution center for food stuff on the Peninsula Ibérica , what gives the restauranteurs the chance to shop the freshest fish, sea food, meat and vegetables for the preparation of their daily rotation menus.
The combination of both describes a panorama of quality and variety.
The inhabitants of this town have a vital necessity of eating out regularly and that is why restaurants and market places can keep their prices reasonable, still mantaining their GDP. Of course there are bars and restaurants that sell and charge for everything but quality ( design, fashion, location,...), but in my experience they are the fewest.
Let's grap a pen and a paper, photo camara and the wallet and start discovering.