The Pilgrim Meal
I long to meet you hearty Spanish cuisine!
I keep a long list of musts In my Notes app
After culling many cookbooks
And Googling exotic dishes from Spain
I am excited, salivating,
My stomach growling, eager to acid-wash
Saffron-colored Paellas filled with the sea;
Char-grilled Padróns, peppery and green;
Bright red Gazpachos spicy yet cold;
And, six veggie Pistos topped with fried eggs
Alas, I am no tourist here relying on Yelp
I am a pilgrim grateful for any food at days' end
Most nights my thanks falls on
The hallowed Pilgrim Menu
That gut-filling, wine-bolstered 6-Euro plate
Tired walkers low on energy and cash
Pretend is a meal fit for a king!
Lentils (marked vegetarian despite the chorizo)
Baked chicken or fish, hard to tell which
Bland iceberg salad topped with canned tuna
Pasta bolognese which is not even Spanish
And yet I have a feeling
When I am back to dreaming
And cookbooks and fishing online for recipes
I will miss the Iberico ham
I keep saying I’ll never eat again
And second breakfast egg tortillas and orange juice
And sweet yellow corn cake with milky espresso
I’ll wake up realizing that fine Spanish cuisine
Is basted in the company you keep
~ Cheryl Murfin, on the Camino de Santiago
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