A Madrilenian stew is to Madrid what a Valencian paella is to Valencia, a national dish that defines an entire region of Spain. Of course, like the paella, the “cocido madrileño” has become ubiquitous, particularly during the winter months. When I was growing up it wasn’t so popular or fancy. My mother made it often, […]
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Woody Allen’s Spain
It seems that Woody Allen is to Spain what Almodóvar is in the States. Spaniards love the American director’s work while they are so critical of their own filmmaker. Suffice it to say that Parallel Mothers (2021) was not chosen to represent Spain at this year’s Oscars, even when it’s nominated for best director and […]
Almodóvar, Again
I anticipated seeing Almodóvar’s last film, Parallel Mothers (2021), for almost three years since his last film, The Human Voice (2020) with Tilda Swinton notwithstanding. Needless to say, I was at the Ritz Five on the first afternoon of its Philadelphia “premier.” Once you get over the awkward title (wouldn’t “All About my Daughter” had […]
The First Snowfall
The first short story I published was “La primera nevada” (The First Snowfall) in my book Una noche en casa (A Night at Home, 1995). It was about the first time my brother and I had ever seen real snow after my family moved to Madrid from Valencia. For a few months, we lived in […]
Parallel Parking
I learned to drive when I was eight months pregnant in Cherry Point, North Carolina. My husband was waiting for our first baby to be born to join his squadron in Okinawa on route to Vietnam. We owned an old, lime-green Rambler then, with the gearshift on the steering wheel and I could barely reach […]
Double Dipping During the Holidays
I get to double dip big time during the holiday season. No, not the way you think; culturally speaking. I love the American tradition of Christmas, but I still celebrate the Three Wise Men’s arrival on January 6th. And when Peter was alive, we also lit the candles at Hanukah. The fact is that I […]