I’ve decided on a new resolution, not for New Year’s, but regarding my visits to Euskal Herria. The thing is, I visit, I spend a lot of time with my dad’s family which I of course greatly enjoy, I see some friends (though not nearly all of them), and I come home. I don’t end […]
Of course, during my visit to Euskal Herria in early April, one of the topics that came up was the crisis. Spain is in particularly bad shape, with unemployment over 20% in the general populace and much higher for young men. The Basque Country is in reasonably good shape, with unemployment hovering in the 8-9% […]
TWO YOUNG COOKS WIN IV SAMMIC SCHOLARSHIP TO COOK WITH BASQUE CHEFS Earlier, I posted about the previous BasqueStage contest for young cooks to work with world-renown chefs in the Basque Country. Well, the 4th edition of the contest has just been decided and two new young men will be joining Chef Berasategui. The following […]
I first met Gontzal Aranguren maybe 15 years ago as part of what became the Seattle Euskal Etxea — the Basque Club of Seattle. Gontzal was one of several transplants from the Basque Country living in Seattle and who became an important part of the fledging club. Gontzal is an interesting twist on the Basque-American […]
I just got back from Europe, a trip that took me to both Germany and Spain. While in Spain, I visited two research centers. Both centers were very impressive, primarily because of the vision they represent. When one considers how government funded science research, even in a country like the US, is subject to the […]
Anyone who has spent any time with anyone Basque knows how central the role food has in the culture. Just visit Donostia and wander la Parte Vieja, sampling pintxos to all hours of the night or partaking of any of the wonderful restaurants and you’ll see what I mean. Donostia is home to more Michelin […]
Press Release: November 14, 2011, (ALICANTE, SPAIN): Chef Martín Berasategui has announced the winners of the 2012 3rd Sammic Scholarship with BasqueStage at Lo Mejor de la Gastronomía in Alicante Spain. The winners are Ruth Selby and Elisha Ben-Haim, and they will join the kitchen of Restaurante Martín Berasategui, ranked in the San Pellegrino World’s […]
Continuing on the big news of ETA ending violence, here are two more perspectives that might be of interest. First, Mark Bieter, who, by the way, has a wonderful blog that you should be reading if you aren’t already, has an interview he did with Jaime Otamendi, who is “a long-time ETB journalist and host, […]
Many might already know, but in case not, the Basque town of Mondragon has gained some fame for the co-operative there. It has been used as a model because of its great success. If you haven’t heard about it, you can find some information at this Wikipedia article. A reader pointed me to this blog, […]
Yesterday, ETA officially announced the end of its campaign of violence. While viewed with skepticism by the main political parties of Spain, this is a historic day for the Basque Country. And one that was inevitable. While the PP and PSOE make typical remarks about how we’ve seen this before and how can we trust […]
