HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Lyndsey & her family joined us for some tapas the night before Thanksgiving. As part of my first field study I have been following recipes out of a Spanish cookbook. Translating ingredients and the directions of preparation to make sure each dish comes out looking and tasting the way they're supposed to! Lynds and her family tasted and critiqued these two fun recipes. Melon balls marinated in a sublime white wine, lemon, and mint sauce, with a hint of proscuitto for additional flavor. This was the first of the tapas they tried. Secondly, I brought out dainty finger sandwiches. These sandwiches were filled with a rich cream cheese, tomato, chive, and lemon spread, arranged on a thin slice of avocado. Both turned out quite good && everyone ended up going back for more!
 
INGREDIENTS
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-2 large eggplants
-salt
-freshly ground pepper
-1 bunch of parsley \ basil
-2 cloves of garlic
-100ml of olive oil
-100g of grated parmesan
-3-6 tbs of bread crumbs
-fresh mozzarella
-2 peeled tomatoes

“The crunchy texture of the eggplant compliments the soft, flavor filled breadcrumbs, combined with seasonings to create a very palatable dish.”
-Will Bruce
PREPARATION
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Prepare and wash the eggplants and cut them lengthwise into thin slices. Sprinkle with salt and let stand about 30 minutes to remove the bitter water of vegetation. Then wash and dry them.

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Wash and dry the parsley and basil, and the finely chopped. Peel the garlic cloves, thinly and brown the bread crumbs briefly in oil. Add cheese and white bread necessary until dough is manageable. Season it.

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Extend eggplant slices next to each other and distribute the mixture above. mozzarella cut into 1cm thick strips and place a strip on each slice of eggplant.

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Remove the seeds from the tomatoes and cut them in dice distributed over the eggplant. Roll the eggplant rolls fasten with a toothpick and brown them in the remaining oil over medium heat.

 
 
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Our professor, Tony Miller, has finally arrived, along with some of his family! We met them at a tapas restaurant, called Taller de Tapas. It was the first time any of us had actually tried a few tapas since being here in Barcelona. I ordered a Rocket Salad with goat cheese, Spanish jelly, with a balsamic dressing, along with some sautéed wild seasonal mushrooms. Delicious! By the time all our tapas arrived we had a full table of different appetizers. Among them included: fried artichoke shavings, grilled squid, patatas bravos, hamburguesas, fried calamari, fried prawns, Catalan stew, and traditional Catalan croquettes. The waiter was nice enough to suggest his favorite red wine for Lyndsey and I. He offered to pay for it if we didn't end up liking it, lucky for him we did. It was wonderful catching up with Tony, and talking with his family. Tomorrow afternoon will be the start of our individual meetings with him.

 

where    to    play

Play in an area with hard packed earth and approximately an inch or two of gravel covering its surface.

choose    teams

Divide into two teams. Single player vs single player. Two vs two, three vs three, etc.

select    boules

Both teams select their boules. Each team's boules should have a distinct pattern on them so that each team can easily identify their boules when playing and counting up points. When playing Singles or Doubles, each player uses three boules and for Triples each player uses two.

decide    who    goes   first

Toss a coin to see which team plays first.

toss    the    jack

The team that wins the coin toss chooses the starting location and selects one of their players to throw the jack. The jack is a small wooden ball. 

 The starting location is indicated by a circle that is 14 to 20 inches in diameter and at least three feet from any obstacle. The circle can be drawn with chalk or etched in the dirt with a stick. Once the circle is drawn, the player then stands with both feet inside the circle and throws the jack. The jack can be thrown in any direction but must land within 20 to 30 feet of the starting circle and three feet from any obstacle.

throw    the    boules

All boules must be thrown from within the starting circle and with both feet on the ground. The player attempts to throw the boule so that it lands as close to the jack as possible it is okay to hit the jack. The player must remain inside the circle until the boule has landed. A player from the opposing team then steps into the circle and attempts to land his boule closer to the jack even if it means knocking his opponents out of the way. The boule closest to the jack leads or is said to be "holding the point." The other team must continue throwing boules until they take the lead or run out of boules. There is no order that team members must follow when throwing their boules however, they must only throw their own boules, and they must go one at a time from within the starting circle. If they take the lead, the other team then tries to recover by landing a lead boule.

winning    the    round

The team that has the boule closest to the jack wins the round. The team will also receive a point for each boule that is closer to the jack than their opponents closest boule. Only one team scores points during a round.

starting     a   new   round

Once the points are counted, the next round begins with the winning team. They draw a new starting circle around the final position of the jack in the previous round. The winning team then selects a player to toss out the jack from the new starting circle and then throw out the first boule.

winning    the    game

The first team to earn a total of 13 points wins the game. There is not a required number of rounds that must be played.
 
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East section of Parc de Joan Miro, facing the library
 
Decided to reroute my normal run to the beach to one of my sites instead. This Sunday morning I was pleasantly surprised to find these old men setting their large sail boats in the water ! What a wonderful day for a boat ride. I returned to the park to take pictures of these miniature boats. One man on the right even looked like he might be fishing. The park today was full of kids of all ages, shapes, and sizes in all the different playground areas. What an active place to be on a Sunday morning.
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Nice day for a sail
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Kids of all ages enjoying Parc de Joan Miro
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One playground area particularly crowded
 
Graffiti art as a form of expression draws people into this public space. This sort of art gallery encourages community members to interact with this urban landscape. These fantastical creations were painted over the last two days by local graffiti artists. I was lucky enough to capture their works in progress. 
Although the modern idea of visual art has evolved since the time of the late Renaissance, many of those ideas ring true today. Just as before, art was meant to decorate the public square or even to commemorate some meaningful event. The placement of these concrete slabs has allowed for artists to express themselves and transform the park's public function. Each layer of paint adds to the park's evolution, encouraging an open-ended interpretation by all viewers.  
 
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Many chants take place during the futbol games at Camp Nou. The el Himne Del Barça (the chant of Barcelona) is sung throughout the game. This catchy tune provides the opportunity for anyone to engage the crowd !

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Blaugrana al vent
un crit valent
tenim un nom el sap tothom:
Barça, Barça, Baaarça!

Blue and claret blowing in the wind
One valiant cry
We’ve got a name that everyone knows: 
Barça, Barça, Baaarça!


 
It's the dialogue of the pieces, not the pieces themselves that creates aesthetic, function success. It is important that each public space is accessible, people engage themselves in a variety of activities there, the space is comfortable and safe, and that it is a sociable place. 

    Olivia     Bennett

    Hi! I'm studying the reclamation of Barcelona's derelict industrial sites as public open spaces. 

    Study    question

    Barcelona addresses post-industrial sites within its urban landscapes. How have they transformed or redefined these sites as new spaces & to what effect ?

    Sites

    + Jardins de Tres Xemeneies
    + Parc de Joan Miro
    + Parc del Clot
    + Parc de la Central Poblenou
    + Parc de l'Espanya Industrial