First: Because they give warm greetings and enormous hugs when they see us (and they tell me how much they've missed me if I don't visit often enough).
Second: Because there's always some sweet, and usually healthy, treat waiting for me. Fresh dates. A slice of melon. A glass of Málaga wine.
This time, the treat was fruity but not in the most wholesome sense. Fruit-flavored gum drops! Ana's daughter Laura gave me a sample and I then told her to bag up a couple of handfuls for me to take home.
Then, as I left the market, Ana came running outside with a little gift bag of treats for me. Gum drops! I thanked her but told her I already bought a bag of them. She said (in Spanish), "Oh, those aren't the best ones." (Could have fooled me), "These are frutas del bosque!" "Frutas del bosque" translates to "fruits of the forest," but what it really means is "berries."
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| LAURA AND ANA, OCTOBER 2013. (EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL NOW.) |
The gum drops are unbelievably fresh and they're loaded with natural flavor. So, they taste (well... tasted) just like the real thing... OK, except for the 12 sacks of sugar and other stuff.
(Click any image to be overwhelmed with sweetness.)
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| BACK HOME: THE FRUTAS DEL BOSQUE PHOTO SHOOT (WHILE THERE WERE STILL SOME LEFT). |
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| DUDO THE BUSYBODY. ASSISTANT AND OFFICIAL SNIFFER. |
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| A CAT CARB CRASH ON THE SURPRISINGLY FRUTAS DEL BOSQUE–HUED DAYBED. (NO, HE DIDN'T REALLY EAT ANY.) |
Oh, those look(ed) delicious! I like how Dudo photobombed your picture - he is such a cutie. And how great to have such wonderful people greeting you like that at the fruit market. Sounds like it's getting back to "normal" after the holiday visitors are gone.
ReplyDeleteJo:
DeleteIt's always all about Dudo! Ana and her family are a joy. One more weekend of summer people and the season will be pretty much over. Then all the foreigners start returning (but not in the same numbers).
You always seem to meet the nicest of people
ReplyDeleteJohn:
DeleteWe've been very lucky. (We start off charming to lull them into a false sense of security.)
'.....sugar for my honey...' Couldn't resist! Now I have that in MY head! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI agree with John, your meet and probably bring out the best in people, Mitchell. A good quality indeed.
Oh, I love gum drops too and they look good.
Jim:
DeleteThe English call those candies "jellies." But I don't think any rock & roll songs were written about them.
Ohhhhhh, my oh my, those berry ones look so good! Love the Dudo photos :) And, ¡Hola! to Lara and Ana :) (Do they read your blog, do you think?)
ReplyDeleteJudy:
DeleteLaura sometimes reads my blog — especially when I tell her they're featured in it. She's about to head to England for 6 months of intensive English language study. My blog will be good practice, I think.
The gum drops (jellies) they sell are the best I've ever tasted... And the berries are... the berries!
Oh, p.s.! This morning's Rick Steve's episode was an old one about Sevilla! I imagine that I saw it years ago, but I watched it with newfound interest this time, remembering all of the beautiful and interesting things you wrote about back when you lived there (then, I also remembered again about the crazy flooding episode in the apartment!)
ReplyDeleteJudy:
DeleteI love it. We accidentally caught that Rick Steves episode just before we moved to Sevilla from California. Couldn't believe our luck.
Wow, cats can't eat sweets.
ReplyDeleteGosia:
DeleteDefinitely not. I would never let him eat those. But, all he does is sniff them and walk away anyway.
They even look delicious! (And anyone who doesn't love you and San Geraldo doesn't have a lick of sense, so there!)
ReplyDeleteJacqueline:
DeleteAna says San Geraldo gives the best hugs in the world (the Dowager Duchess has been saying that for years).
I need to figure out a way to surround myself with nice people like you do.
ReplyDeleteStephen:
DeleteMove to Spain!!!
I love gum drops - so jealous!
ReplyDeleteCheapchick:
DeleteOh, how I wish I had shared them with you ... instead of eating them ALL myself!
I don't eat sweets (usually) but when I do I like something well-made and exquisite (no rubbish). These sound lovely.
ReplyDeleteSpo:
DeleteI'm not an avid candy eater, preferring chocolate. But sometimes I just get in the mood.