January | 2012 | Vistas De Vida

So, as I waited for the guitar concert to start at Instituto Luis Vives last night, I observed something that got me thinking. A woman got up from her seat to greet several friends who had just seated themselves in the row in front of me. The friends, 2 men and a woman, got up from their seats and there was much cheek kissing and hugging. For the length of the conversation that ensued, the two women held on to each other’s hands. It occurred to me this was a very common interaction here in Valencia. This led to the question, “How does all this touching reflect the basic nature of the culture, or does the basic nature of the culture result in all this touching. This then led to a conversation later in the evening with Marty. My point of view was that the kind of contact I had observed was very positive and nurturing. It made people feel good, at least here in Valencia. I do not think that is the case everywhere or for everyone. This morning Marty researched the topic. There is not a great deal of scientific research on the subject, but what there is was very interesting. The article he found points out the Human need for physical contact and that environments where this is more the norm are more peaceful societies and those where physical contact is less prevalent, frowned upon or less acceptable, tend to be more aggressive. Here is the link, and while the article is titled Touch and Sexuality, Sexuality is not the main point of the article at all.

http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/PS2010/html/Touch and Human Sexuality.htm

Earlier during our stay in Valencia, Marty and I had talked of how “connected” we feel here. Our observation was as we were no longer arriving in our destinations by car, but walking, we were much closer to our environment and the people in it. People greet us in the street as we pass, stores often have their doors open and proprietors wave or say hello. The abundance of besitos and abrazos ( kisses and hugs) from old friends, but also from people we meet for the first time has definitely contributed to my sense of connectedness as well. I must admit, I really love it.

Patio of Instituto Luis Vives

Marty and I find ourselves most fortunate as we have met some wonderful people in Valencia who share their homes and family with us. Saturday was just such a day. Pepe had invited us to spend the afternoon in the home of his mother in Pedreguer. Pedreguer is a small town about an hour south of Valencia. We had a very pleasant drive through the countryside as we made our way with Sara at the wheel. When we arrived, Paquita, Pepe’s mom, was busy putting the final touches on the puchero. (More about that later). Pepe’s sister, brother, son Jaime, and nieces soon arrived. The teenage cousins teasing each other brought back memories of many occasions shared in my own mom’s home as my 3 brothers, cousins and I were growing up. We sat around visiting for a while sharing a glass of champagne in honor of Pepe’s birthday. Conversation around the table was loud and animated, and to make matters even more confusing, in both castellano and valenciano. We ate far too much puchero but it was impossible to resist. We finished our meal with ice cream birthday cake with candle, turrón and chocolates. And in the style of Thanksgiving Day, we retired to the sofas with many of us taking a little nap.

The Kaplans with Pepe's family

Sara with the family

So what is puchero. It is a dish very traditional to Valencia and particularly popular in the winter as it is very hearty. Paquita’s puchero is absolutely fabulous and you can taste the care and pride that goes into the preparation. It is a slow simmered dish that contained the following: ham, veal, lamb, chicken, large chunks of bacon, very large meatballs studded with pine nuts and wrapped in cabbage leaves, chickpeas, pencas (thistle looking like large celery but not of the celery family), cabbage, potato and boniato (a type of light sweet potato). When all is cooked, the broth is then separated and rice is added to make the first course. Paquita added lemon zest to each bowl to give it just a little something extra. Lemons were also placed on the table for those who wanted more. Once we had devoured the soup, the meat and vegetables were placed on the table. I was so busy eating I forgot to take a picture until Marty reminded me. But by then we had pretty much taken care of the meat platter. The boniato was saved for last to be eaten with red wine. It was wonderful.