Just checking in...

Had a really low-key weekend since many of my friends were out of town. Jess and I pretty much just hung out, baked some delicious crepes, and went to the gym. We did manage to go out one night with those of us still in town. And we also watched Harry Potter 2. Trying to prep ourselves for Friday, you know. Unfortunately, none of the theaters in Bilbao are playing it in English, so we'll have to bare it dubbed in Spanish. Not ideal, but still exciting.

This week I'm teaching the second-years and the bachillerato students (basically high school juniors/seniors- that plan on going to college). My classes today went really well. The second years are so precious. We played 20 questions with famous people, and then I had them do an activity where they got to draw. It seemed like they were having a good time and they were all really well-behaved. With the older kids, we talked about Thanksgiving... I described the holiday, and showed them a slideshow of typical dishes (It wasn't until today that I realized just how many Thanksgiving "staples" there are. We really do eat a lot on that holiday!). I also found some videos on how to brine a turkey, and how to make pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, I can't get any Food Network shows in Spain, which is a bummer because I would love to show them some of those videos- Giada, Bobby, and Ina are very important in my life...

Anyway, for how much my students talk about food, they don't have a lot of experience cooking it... I asked them if anybody cooks at home, and they all said no, for the most part. I'm curious if it's the same with older generations, but I fear for these kids futures a bit... It makes me really appreciate that Mom let us help in the kitchen. Or, let me rephrase that - in the spirit of the holiday - I am thankful for having learned how to cook throughout my childhood. That's a shout out to you, Mom. And Grammy. And Dad (I'm thinking about making dutch babies this weekend). Anyway, I asked my students what they do know how to cook and I got three answers: pasta, eggs, and tortilla española. I took this as a great opportunity to a) get them talking, b) teach some handy cooking verbs, and c) learn how to make a tortilla española. Perfect!

For those of you who are unfamiliar, a Spanish tortilla is like a thick potato omelet. So, absolutely nothing like a Mexican tortilla. They serve it in wedges at pretty much every bar/cafe. It´s kind-of bland and ugly, but it's probably the most recognized Spanish dish. Therefore, I would probably shoot myself if I didn´t learn how to make one of these before I left. So here´s how it´s done (according to my students):

• Peel and dice the potatoes.
• Fry them in a frying pan.
• Beat eggs in bowl (I think it takes about 6-8 eggs, but I forgot to ask).
• Add the potatoes to the eggs and mix them.
• Pour the mixture back into to pan and fry it.
• Flip it in the air like a pancake (if your talented enough). Or, as a safer alternative, use the age-old "flip the tortilla onto a plate and slide it back into the pan" trick.
• After it's cooked, remove from the pan and serve.

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. It ended up being a really fun lesson! We all had a good time and learned something new. And don't worry- I didn't let them leave without learning some basic table manners and saying something they're thankful for. I still have yet to attempt a tortilla on my own, but it did inspire me to order one at the little cafe by our piso this evening.

Tomorrow's my long day. Hopefully the next few classes will be as good a the ones today.

¡Agur!