Something's Fishy: Authentic Paella en Casa

If you know me (Meggan) well, you know I'm just not a fish person - never have been. When Ben and I were dating, I chose to ignore the fact that he really liked Culver's fish sandwich. And the time that Ben's parents served me a whole fish for dinner the second time I visited their house is one of my favorite "I felt like a total idiot" stories (picking bones out of my mouth the entire dinner was really embarrassing). What can I say, I just don't really like fish.

Spaniards, on the other hand, love fish. And they should. Spain has much better access to fresh seafood than Wisconsin. Walk into any grocery store here, and there's a vast array of whole fish and shellfish to choose from...and smell. I've never bought any; frankly, I would hardly know how to prepare most of it. Well, yesterday, I had my first lesson in traditional Spanish cooking: a mixed Paella with (you guessed it) LOTS of seafood. Paella is a rice dish made with a mixture of meat and vegetables, especially seafood. The good news: I actually really liked it.

Our friend David came over for lunch yesterday. He said he'd like to cook for us, and boy were we in for a surprise. He started opening all these little packets of fish. Get ready:

1. A fish head for making the paella broth. We placed this in a pot of water.

2. Raw shrimp (little ones called gambas. Ben shelled these, adding the shells to the fish head broth.





3. Cooked king prawn (larger shrimp) (langostinos) for snacking. I shelled them...heads, eyes, legs, and all!

4. Squid (calamar), snipped and added to the paella.


5. Baby Clams (chirlas), soaked in water and added to the paella.

6. Chicken. Having meat from the land and the sea is what makes this paella mixed (mixta).








A little garlic, onion, and olive oil, and we began by cooking the chicken, draining the fish broth, and adding the shellfish and rice! David is great at making paella. I was nervous to try it, but to be honest, it is the smell of seafood that has always been more of a problem for me than the taste. And yesterday, I didn't have any problems. I'm not saying I'm ready to go eat scorpions if I ever make it back to China, but I was pretty proud of myself for trying and enjoying an authentic and delicious paella. If you're here for a visit, we'll call David to help us make one for you.

Personal/emotional update

This is another post to go hand-in-hand with our monthly email update.

Thank you so much for your prayers for us to connect with people here. Days after sending out the email, I met two women with young children at a park nearby. We have also met an older couple from our apartment complex from Ecuador who keep track of their grandkids most of the time. We also got together with a couple our age from our church for the second time, and are building stronger relationships with our teammates.

As a student at UW-Madison, I often enjoyed the anonymity of a huge lecture. However, day after day, anonymity is lonely and wearing. As I walk with Andy every morning, I find myself wishing that I could just see someone that I know and knows me. I think this often leads to what I call “twin-spotting,” seeing someone here who really looks like someone from home.

Besides making the effort to really meet people at church, there is an internal effort that I find myself hesitant to make. Maybe it’s the “self-preservation” mode that I feel like I’ve been in for almost a year (preparing to come to Spain, actually moving, then getting settled), but I feel myself often hesitant or simply unable to really be myself here. While I know this is normal, it is still a barrier to forming relationships here. Thank you for your continuing prayers and support.

In the middle of August, we will head to Dublin for our first vacation! We are staying in a little apartment within walking distance of stores and public transportation. More to follow once we have some things planned.