Spanish Secrets: A Cultural Exchange
Lucky you are to have a neighbour who comes a-calling with a gift of home-made chorizo. Craig Briggs brings us another rich slice of life from a remote Spanish village.
Mid week, mid afternoon and the dog’s barking, the gate opens and up to the house walks our nearest neighbour, Mellie.
It’s quite normal for Mellie to call at this time. She’s taken to asking my wife Melanie to take a stroll with her. They’re good at that, the Spanish. Strolling that is.
Again not unusually she arrives bearing gifts, but on this occasion there’s a price to pay. The gift is home-made chorizo, a naturally cured and smoked pork sausage which is absolutely delicious. And not just one sausage but six. What a treat!
In her other hand she carries what looks like a young child’s fold -up wooden chair which had certainly seen better days. In fact it was in several pieces.
She then goes on to explain that her infirm husband uses the stool to rest one of his feet on whilst he watches television, and it had broken. “Might it be possible to repair” she asks.
She passes me the chair and upon closer inspection it is obvious that this request has been made to others, and by the looks of things on several previous occasions.
“Of course I can repair it,” I replied and whilst the pair of them strolled, I repaired, or rather dismantled and rebuilt it.
By the time they’d returned the chair was as good as new. Probably better than new.
Mellie was delighted with the chair and we were delighted with the chorizo.
Now that’s what I call a cultural exchange.
