Cauliflower is NOT traditional

I probably could have done better the second time around, but every time I move to Barcelona around New Year's I have New Year's Day dinner at this crappy restaurant between my old apartment and the beach. Six years ago it was all I could find, and then for some stupid reason I decided it was tradition so now that I've moved back, here I am. Actually, I'm not at all sure it's even the same crappy restaurant, but it is a crappy restaurant, and it's between my old apartment and the beach, and I'm pretty sure I'm on the right ("right") street, and I'm having wine and pork. Close enough.

The last time I moved to Barcelona and ate New Year's dinner at this or some other similarly crappy nearby restaurant I asked for a menu, not realizing that here in el estado español* menu means menu del día which means a three-course meal, so that's what I got. I don't make too many of those kinds of mistakes anymore, but I still feel like a huge disaster with the Spanish language most of the time. So, what better way to finally learn this damn language than by taking a job that requires me to speak publicly in it? It seemed like a good idea at the time, months ago, when it was months away from happening. Now it feels like one of my stupider ideas.

But fleeing New York in the winter can't be that stupid. I went for a run near the beach today, and in shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt I was too hot. It wasn't really warm enough to justify the old naked dudes on the beach, but more power to their old naked asses. At the other end of the weather-inappropriate spectrum were the old ladies in fur (furry if not actual fur) coats and huge scarves walking small dogs in Christmas sweaters. Here's hoping there's a place for me somewhere in between. (Not literally in between. Ew.)

*In the parts of the country officially known as Spain where I've spent the most time, the word 'Spain' is generally to be avoided. The kind of Catalans who get upset about a lot of things prefer you to refer to it as 'the Spanish state.' It seems like kind of a pissy distinction to me, but I aim to please. Well, sometimes.