Food, People

Mark Bieter visits Arzak and makes me want to too

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A few days ago, I wrote about the latest edition of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and how the Basque Country had 5 of those restaurants.

At number 8 sits Arzak. Mark Bieter, who I’ve frequently linked to because of his wonderful way with words, has had the pleasure of dining at Arzak. In an article he wrote in 2012, he describes his experience: It’s just a restaurant, I thought, nothing to be afraid of.  And yet standing across the street from it, I was a little afraid. 

I’m not a foodie, as Mark also claims, but his description of his time at Arzak makes me think that even I might appreciate the wonders of a place like that.

Euskadi, Food, Websites

Basque Country has 5 of the top 50 Restaurants in the World

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I’m a man of simple tastes, seemingly from a long line of Uberuagas with similar levels of refinement. My dad would rather make sure he get his dollar’s worth at an all-you-can-eat buffet. And when I took my aunts, who grew up in rural Bizkaia, to the Guggenheim in Bilbao, and I asked them what their favorite thing was in the museum, they said “The frames (on the paintings) were nice.”top-50-2014

That said, even I can recognize the singular place that food holds in the Basque Country. I easily gain 15 pounds whenever I visit, partially because my family won’t stop shoving full plates of food in front of me every 15 minutes, but also because the food is simply so wonderful.

But there is food, and then there is food, and the Basque County excels at food in a way that few other regions in the world can boast. David Cox alerted me to the fact that Restaurant Magazine just released their 2014 list of the top 50 restaurants in the world, and the Basque Country has 5 restaurants on the list, 3 in Gipuzkoa and 2 in Bizkaia (Real fans, at least you win this one).

I’ve never eaten at any of these places, and don’t know when I will, but it is simply amazing to me that a region of the world that has less than 0.03% of the world’s population can have 10% of the world’s top restaurants.

In case some of you are looking for a gastronomical oasis for your next adventure, the Basque restaurants on the list are:

If anyone has had the pleasure of dining at one of these restaurants, please share your experience!

Euskadi, Sports

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 3: Athletic Bilbao in the Champions League

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Being a somewhat older American, my appreciation for soccer (or futbol, though to be fair, soccer may have been the original term for the sport, even in England) is limited. When I lived in Donostia, I of course saw the Real Sociedad banners in all corners of the city and knew that there was an intense and “bitter” rivalry between the Blues and the Reds down the road. My dad’s family, being Bizkainos, of course are Athletic Bilbao fans. Big ones.

(To be honest, I don’t know if the rivalry was all that bitter. I got the impression that Real fans would root for Athletic Bilbao if they were playing a non-Basque team and vice versa. Your own team first, but the Basque teams next. But maybe this is the kalimotxo talking…)

In any case, I never really got into soccer. While of Basque ancestry, I’m still an American with a much greater interest in American football, basketball (at least, before the Sonics left Seattle) and even baseball.

Yep, I like baseball better than soccer. However, whenever one of the Basque teams is doing very well, I do take notice. And, Athletic Bilbao just advanced to the Champions League. This is a big deal. It’s the first time they’ve done it since 1999.

Now, those of you who don’t know about Athletic Bilbao (and are probably reading this because you had too much kalimotxo and blindly stumbled onto this blog), they are a unique phenomenon in the sports world. As opposed to almost all other teams in every professional league in the world, be it NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB in the United States, or equivalent leagues in other countries, Athletic Bilbao only takes players from or with a connection to the Basque Country. They don’t hire the best players from anywhere in the world, only Basques or players trained in the Basque Country. That a major professional sports team can have such a policy and be successful is simply amazing.

And Athletic Bilbao has indeed been successful. They are second only to Barcelona in the number of Copa del Rey cups they have won and are fourth in the number of times they have finished in first place in the La Liga. However, the glory days of Athletic Bilbao were quite some time ago. The last Copa won was in 1984, the same year they last finished first in La Liga.

I have to admit, I don’t understand the European football championship system. It seems there is La Liga in Spain (and equivalent leagues in other countries) and then there is the Copa del Rey, which is the tournament that takes the best teams from La Liga to declare a championship. But then there are the Europa and Champions Leagues.  Last year, Athletic Bilbao made it to the Europa League, which seemed a big deal to me, but friends of mine who are big into British and Swedish football told me that wasn’t all that big of a deal. The real teams were in the Champions League.

Which brings us to 2014. After defeating Rayo Vallecano 3-0 today, Athletic Bilbao now has a berth in the Champions League. The biggest tournament in Europe. It’s time to hear the Lions roar!

Euskara, Film, Sports

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 2: Surfing

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Homeland is a short video produced by the Etxepare Basque Institute and Surffilmfestibal that gives a glimpse into the world of Basque surfing and surfers. Narrated in Euskara with English subtitles, it begins by introducing the Basque people and Basque culture from the perspective of the ancient traditions that many aspects of Basque culture are rooted in. The message is one of simplicity and returning to old traditions, moving beyond a culture of consumerism. Surfing is portrayed as one of the simple pleasures that connect people to nature.

Regardless of the message, the video itself is beautiful, with simply amazing views of the Basque countryside. And, while my Euskara is very poor, it was still very nice to be able to listen to the narration while reading the English subtitles to at least try to follow along.

Homeland from www.KORDUROY.tv on Vimeo.

Sports, Websites

Buber’s Basque Page, Sports Edition, Part 1: Stone Lifting

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jaialdi_89b.jpgIn 1987, attending my first (and everyone’s first) Jaialdi, I got my first taste of rural Basque sport. There were the aizkolaris and the sukatira, but probably the most impressive were the harrijasotzaileak, or the stone lifters. Men like Inaki Perurena were enormous celebrities in the Basque Country (after he retired, Inaki was a TV star as well, much like the American football player Michael Strahan is today in the US). These men lifted immense stones, sometimes going for the greatest weight or other times lifting smaller stones but as many times as they could. 

Not that you can tell by looking at me, but it would seem that I come from a family of strong Basque men. My dad’s dad and my dad’s uncle were both known in the heart of Bizkaia for their feats of strength. My dad’s uncle, in particular, Juan Uberuaga Urionaguena, a sheepherder who returned to Euskadi, was a well known athlete. When I was living there, in 1991-92, they put on an exhibition in his honor of various Basque sports. Unfortunately, I was not aware enough to document it… One of the most vivid memories I have of that day were the animal tests, in which donkeys and oxen are made to pull large stones as far as they could. Of course, to an American sensibility, it seemed a bit cruel. Spectators would bet on each event. I’ve heard that there are now doping problems with the animals. Any time money enters sport…

In any case, all of this brings me to a very nice article in the New York Times that introduces the world of Basque rural sports and, in particular, stone lifting. Journalist Dave Seminara visited Leitza and Inaki Perurena, and Inaki’s monument to the sport, his Peru Harri, a farm-museum dedicated to his exploits and the sport of stone lifting more generally. The museum sounds quite exotic, with statues of stone lifters and other aspects of Basque culture outside while inside there are videos and mementos from the sport itself. Leitza sounds like a beautiful village, nestled in the mountains of Nafarroa, worth a visit in its own right. For some photos of the museum and the statues, you can visit this site.

I do have to say that stone lifting isn’t my favorite Basque rural sport. Several years later, somewhere in Euskadi, I saw an event in which the athlete pulls a weight up via a rope on a pulley and then lets it fall. As it falls, he grabs the rope, launching himself into the air. The goal is to lift the weight, typically a bundle of hay, as many times as possible. It is very dramatic as the athlete uses the momentum of the falling weight to pull himself up and then gravity to get him a jump-start on the next pull.

 

Books, Euskadi, History, People

Priest of Pirates by Guillermo Zubiaga

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Azalak2The third and final installment of Guillermo Zubiaga’s epic about Basque whaling, Joanes or the Basque Whaler: Priest of Pirates, follows the final exploits of Guillermo’s hero, Joanes. This graphic novel, based on historical documents of Basque derring-do on the high seas, culminates the grand adventures of Joanes and his crew as they encounter deadly pirates, an even deadlier monster whale, and mythical creatures from Basque myth.

I won’t spoil the story, but suffice it to say it takes Joanes and his crew to the depths of the ocean, to the coasts of New Foundland, and through glacial fields. Along the way, Joanes and the crew encounter a monster killer whale, a lamiak, various Native American tribes, and British and Danish pirates. It is a roller coaster ride that is fast paced and covers a lot of ground and time. Compared to the previous volumes, it felt both grander in scope and thus a bit less action oriented (though there is plenty of action).

As with the previous volumes, there are so many references to history and myth that I really found myself wishing to know more. Guillermo opens the volume with a little bit of background, particularly regarding the skull chalice that graces the cover. I understand that Guillermo is working on collecting the three volumes into one graphic novel (which provides him with an opportunity to correct some mistakes that crept in). I sincerely hope that it is annotated to provide that historical and mythological context the story and art are based upon.

The story is a rowdy jaunt through Basque history that is delightful, both for the art and for the cultural references. I highly recommend it and look forward to the collected volume!

Zorionak Guillermo!

Euskadi, Food, History, Travel

Some food and wine to get you through

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I ran across a few articles dealing with food and wine in the Basque Country that I thought were particularly interesting.

pintxo-passportFirst, in this article at Financial Times, Paul Richardson describes his adventures in San Sebastián’s Old Town, the Parte Vieja. The interesting spin here is a so-called pintxos passport. A company, San Sebastián Food, run by Englishman Jon Warren, provides, for the cost of €75, a “passport” pointing to a selection of pintxo bars in the Parte Vieja and wooden tokens that can be used to pay for the pintxos. The passport not only points you to the bars, but gives a write up both of the bar and the pintxos they recommend you order. You get your pintxo, hand over your token, and move on your merry way. It seems that drink is included in this. This might not be the most adventurous way of experiencing the Parte Vieja and the pintxo scene in Donostia, but it might give the solitary tourist enough motivation to explore what might otherwise prove a daunting facet of the Basque culture.

ancient-vineyard-617x416Next, archeologists in the Basque Country have excavated what appears to be a 10th century vineyard in the now-deserted village of Zaballa (incidentally, the surname of my grandmother, though it is a pretty common Basque surname). These two articles describe the discovery. The research was published in the journal Quaternary International. The study author, Juan Antonio Quirós-Castillo, describes the importance of this, and a related finding, in terms of the socio-economic history of the region. In particular, he says that understanding how the peasants of the region responded to regional economic changes provides a better understanding of the history of the region. It further sheds light into the economic conditions of the time, which have tended to be viewed as rather simple. These findings suggest that significant economic development, by way of vineyards and cereal fields, were occurring during this time. Because of their historical importance, the researchers are pushing for this and the sister-site to be named World Heritage Sites.

Euskadi, Euskara, Websites

The Buber Prizes

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The Buber Prizes are an annual event in which the best Basque websites and internet applications are recognized. For me, these logoawards are particularly meaningful, as the awards are named after these pages, partially as a recognition of the role of Buber’s Basque Page in the history of Basques on the internet and partially because “buber” doesn’t mean anything offensive in Euskara or Castellano…

One of the things that most impresses me about the Basque Country is the way they embrace everything modern, such as the internet, to help promote such ancient things like their language and culture. It is this confluence of the ancient and modern that makes the Basque Country such a dynamic and intriguing place.

Awards are given in a number of categories. For example, for mobile application, the winner this year is Spotbros, an application for “cloud messaging”, which promises to revolutionize how you share things with your friends. Euskalkultura.com, a news site focused on Basque heritage world-wide and lead by an old friend of mine, Joseba Etxarri, won for the best website in Euskara. There are also prizes for best corporate site, best personal site, and best free software.

A few of the runners-up are also of particular interest. MundakaBC is dedicated to the Basque city of Mundaka, world-famous for its surf. For those of you who are keen about wine, Dastagarri is an app for you. It allows you to keep track of your wine and of notes about wine you’ve tasted, all stored on the cloud for access from anywhere.

The Buber Prizes not only recognize a few outstanding sites, but also the overall effort of the Basque internauts. I’m particularly proud that my “name” is associated with these prizes, as the efforts of the people behind these sites and apps is truly outstanding.

Euskadi, Politics

ETA in the news

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1389544727_324071_1389544906_noticia_grandeThere has been a lot of activity around ETA and related groups in the Basque Country the last few weeks. First, the European Court of Human Rights ordered Spain to release several prisoners (up to 60) who had been jailed for terrorist attacks. This of course caused significant backlash from the families of the victims of those attacks.

Not long after, a Spanish judge banned a planned demonstration in support of jailed members of ETA. An alternative demonstration went forward anyways, supported by both the main nationalist party the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Sortu, the leading leftist party, a rare sign of unity between the parties. The demonstration drew over 100,000 people to the streets of Bilbao. One of the main issues is the relocation of Basque prisoners back to the Basque Country, so that their families are better able to visit them. The demonstration was, naturally, condemned by the Spanish government.

At roughly the same time, the Spanish government launched raids in the Basque Country, arresting and jailing 8 people with suspected ties to ETA.

This is all against a backdrop in which a collective representing Basque prisoners announced that they were dropping certain demands in their negotiations with Madrid, in particular related to a general amnesty.

Books, Diaspora, History

Sons of the Dawn: A Basque Odyssey by Hank Nuwer

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sonsofthedawnwebMy dad has mentioned stories about how sheep herders were treated in cow country. My dad was posted in the hills surrounding Malheur County in Oregon and Owyhee County in Idaho, particularly around Silver City, and while he hasn’t gone into any great detail, there certainly were tensions between cattle folk and sheep folk. And it seems the Basques were somehow in the middle of it.

Hank Nuwer takes these types of historical incidents and builds his novel, Sons of the Dawn, around them. Inspired by newspaper accounts of Basque herders being attacked by cowboys or buckaroos, Nuwer’s novel focuses on that time in the late 1800s when hostilities between the two were particularly tense. Nuwer has an unique perspective on the situation as he is a national expert on hazing and bullying, and his story is reflected through that lens.

Sons of the Dawn is inspired both by newspaper accounts and by Nuwer’s own experiences working with Basque herders, as well as his visit to the Gernika Peace Museum. I haven’t read it yet, but it is high on my reading list. Anyone who has read it, let me know what you thought!

For a few interviews with Hank Nuwer about his novel and the road that lead him to writing it (including an interlude with famous Basque-American author Robert Laxalt), see this article at Nuvo.net and this one at IndyStar.com. The book can be purchased at Amazon.com.