About two weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to Churriana, a small village in Malaga, to learn how to cook paella. I have been wanting to learn how to cook traditional Spanish dishes for awhile now and this was my chance. I was invited by one of my adopted families here in Malaga. Both the husband and wife grew up in Churriana and the now reside in Torremolinos where their two children attend my school.
I have spent a lot of time with their family over the last year and each time I am with them I feel like I get a strong sense of family and togetherness. These get togethers may be through huge events where the entire village comes together or it may be something as small as a weekly meal. In this particular family they reserve one day out of the weekend where they go to their childhood homes and spend time with the extended family. Each weekend someone takes a turn in cooking the large amount of delicious paella. With a different chef comes a different take on how paella should be made with the end result always involving the family sitting together and sharing a meal.
What is most striking to me is how common this practice is here in Spain. Majority, if not all, of the people I have gotten to know here have always mentioned how they have meals with their families on a certain day of the week or they go on walks with their parents. These simple acts constanatly allow the family to come together without ever needing a reason besides the fact they are family. This is all so refreshing in comparison to the rushed pace in America where so many families rarely sit down and have a meal together. It's not unheard of to have a family where the children are with their friends or in the room while the parents have dinner together, or on some occassions, separately due to work or other commitments. Here in Andalucía, the family is priority.
The paella lesson itself was extremely informative and a little overwhelming. I had my notebook and I wrote down as many ingredients and steps that I could observe. Rosa, the culinary wizard for the day's paella explained to me the reasoning behind the tweaks and personal preferences when creating her version of paella. She told me about how she preferred beer over white wine and natural flavors over salt. While she was telling me this her mother came into the sardine-can kitchen and forced Rosa to add in more salt and other flavors. This was a perfect example of how Spanish families interact with each other through yelling and the constant berating of their personal opinions. One of these days I will try my hand at making this traditional dish and we shall see how it turns out.
The meal ended with delicious ice cream served over pranks played on the little ones. After the tables were cleaned and the dishes were done Eva, my third grader, performed a song on her violin for the first time. Although it was 30-second song, it was a moment where every family member was extremely attentive and they hung on to every note. The performance was followed by a song performed on the guitar by another family member. All in all an amazing experience and a great example of the family dynamic.
