Maskarading vegetables

In these days of total Covid guideline confusion, you’ll be forgiven if you don’t know your face mask from your elbow. During my Spanish break which sadly came to an end last weekend, I often found myself gasping for air behind a cloth face mask in the searing heat for the short walk between the hire car and the beach. 

The Spaniards looked like they’ve got used to wearing their often very ornate masks around the streets, in shops and often while walking along the water’s edge on the beach. 

But as soon as they sit down, off comes the mask and up the arm it gets so it is never forgotten on a café table or beach lounger. 

I, on the other hand could have been fined several times as I kept forgetting mine wrapped round the gear lever or on the chair next to me. My sign language has improved. If I walk into the shop unmasked, the panic on the assistant’s face and the hand waving in front of it, soon sends me scurrying back to the car for a mask.

Inside restaurants, as soon as one gets up, even to head for the loo, the mask has to be worn every time.
During this visit, I sadly found that many restaurants I once visited had closed down due to the lack of tourists. A walk along Torrevieja promenade on a beautiful evening proved just that. There were very few foreign tourists about. Empty café terraces told a very sad story. The usual queues at popular ice cream parlours were non-existent. I tried to do my bit by eating out to help out a few times. 

I have always found middle-of-the-road Spanish restaurants rarely outstanding despite the amazing array of produce in indoor markets. The amount of fruit and vegetables, fish and meat on display would hint to a varied offering in restaurants. Yet, most menus look the same from one place to another and rarely feature fresh vegetables. The ubiquitous grey mix of sliced courgettes, pepper and potatoes or simply chips usually accompany most dishes. One of the things that boils my blood is tinned white asparagus. While you see mountains of this beautiful green on markets stalls, you often get served the slimy white variety straight out of the tin!
But to be fair to Spain, I have found this practice in most Mediterranean countries. Unlike in Britain where dishes come with a side of vegetables, in the Med on the other hand, the vegetable is usually the main ingredient of the dish which is invariably named after the vegetable itself. 

As a hungry youngster, when I asked my mother, what was for lunch. She simply replied: “Green beans,” for example.  I immediately knew that we would be having green beans in tomato sauce with a piece of lamb or chicken just to enhance the taste.