cutting edge and confusion

Two things having little to do with deliciousness:
This morning I was reading the New York Times online, the style section, and there was a little article and sideshow about a certain fashion forward subway stop. The author was talking about the eye candy and promenading prowess of the underground fashionistas. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/04/fashion/04SUBWAY.html?ref=fashion
This got me thinking about my fellow commuters on the Madrid metro. Some examples you might like... This afternoon on the platform across from me, I noticed a young woman in black patent leather wedges, hot pink floral and black lace edged knee highs, a black mini skirt and a hot pink sweater. Written out, the outfit doesn't sound like much, I think it was the way the knee socks said "trashy school girl chic" that really made the whole thing pretty amazing. Transferring metro lines, a woman pushed past me and I was momentarily blinded by her neon green poncho. The poncho was sensibly paired with purple old-school Keds, neon green ankle socks, purple leggings and a green and red tartan skirt. The icing on the cake (as it were) was the hair. A reddish dyed mop of recently shaved curls with one lone dreadlock falling just below her shoulder. I love the dreadlock mullet, the people of Spain take this look to it's obvious apex and beyond! This is really just the tip of the iceberg...

If hot pink knee socks and eye curdling ponchos weren't enough, I had one of those cross cultural moments that lays open the assumptions and nuances of our divided world. Leaving my job at the aforementioned monogrammed china filled apartment, I started talking to the other woman working in the apartment this afternoon. I teach the little ones English and she does the ironing. In the elevator, we compared notes on our hours with the family and other jobs throughout the day. Once on the street she asked me if I was Spanish. I said "No, American" and then she literally stopped in the street and looked at me and said "But isn't there lots of work in the United States?!?" I wasn't quite sure where to go with that. So I just said "si." And then she told me about how she left 4 kids in Panama and is working for three different families to make money to send home. So there you have it.

So what's for dinner after a day like today? Tortilla, of course. This is really just a souped up, skillet-sized omlete. The beauty is in the flip. The technique is simple, invert the mostly cooked omlette onto a plate and slide the uncooked side back into the pan and cook a few more minutes. Delicioso!

**A little Spanish lesson to go along with the recipe. The tortilla was so delicious that my dining companion declared it "una tortilla como dios manda" or "a tortilla as god intended it to be." Insert anything made just as it should be into the space tortilla currently occupies, and you have a lovely little idiom to bust out as you see fit!

Tortilla Como Dios Manda

2-3 dinner sized servings
5 eggs
splash of milk
4 slices smoked salmon roughly chopped or a small piece broken up into bits
2 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 bunch spinach finely chopped or half bunch of swiss chard finely chopped
salt and pepper
lots of crunchy bread

Beat eggs, milk and salt and pepper to taste. In a medium non-stick skillet, heat a nice glug of olive oil and saute garlic until soft and fragrant. Add greens and cook until just wilted and bright green. Pour in egg mixture and cook over medium-low heat until eggs are set. You can move the mixture around a bit to get everybody cooking. Once eggs look pretty done (3-5 minutes), loosen the edges with a small knife. Put a plate on top of the pan and flip the omelet onto the plate. Slide the eggs back into the pan and cook a few more minutes until firm to the touch. Serve in wedges with plenty of yummy bread.

This is great for breakfast, lunch, or dinner (or all three...)