La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
YESTERDAY WAS “ISABEL DAY,” AS I call it when speaking to the cats. They seem to understand. “Isabel Day” means don’t look at me for your treats this morning (and stop whining, Moose); you have to wait for Isabel. Another good thing about Isabel Day is it gets us both up and showered and out of the house in the morning.
Coffee was pleasant. It’s amazing how much we have to talk about after more than 40 years together. I was dwelling in the past a bit, but San Geraldo had lots to share about things he’s recently read. He suggested we try the taco place for lunch, owned by a former Californian. We tried three times in the past, but he was never open.
His posted hours on Facebook are noon to 4. His posted hours on Google are noon–4 and reopening at 8 p.m. I phoned at 12:30. No answer. I phoned at 12:37; he answered. I told him I just wanted to confirm he was open and that his hours were noon to 4. He said, “Yeah. I’m running a little late. I’ll be there at 1.”
The weather was beautiful. We sat outside in the sun. I had a shrimp quesadilla and two shrimp tacos. I was in the mood for seafood. They were served unadorned — no rice, no beans, no lettuce, no salsa, no guacamole — but they were good. San Geraldo had nachos and pork tacos. The nachos were good but more like a free side order (that wasn’t free). The guacamole was fresh and delicious and the minimalist dollops of two cheeses were tasty. SG said the pork was mediocre. The owner was very pleasant. At €32 plus tip, the minimalist meal was more expensive than we’d expect. We tried.
I managed to get myself out of the house this morning on another glorious day and had a good workout at the gym. I’m soon to head out, I think, for a long wander around town.
Oh, the title: Magdalena is the name of the head of the design and production group at Quinta Impressión, the printer San Geraldo found for his book. She knows her stuff and is a joy to work with. She emailed this morning to schedule a video chat at 1:00. SG and I were both convinced something had gone wrong.
But once we connected she said, “Look!” and held up the finished book. She and the entire staff are delighted with the results. We could barely contain our excitement. The books are being wrapped and packed today and will be delivered to us Wednesday!
But, again, back to the title. A magdalena is a Spanish muffin or cupcake. They can taste a bit like French madeleines, but they’re made with extra virgin olive oil and not butter. Once, after I received a long email from Magdalena, I used Google Translator to make sure I had understood it all.
She had signed off with “Saludos, Magdalena.” Google translated that to “Regards, Cupcake.” I learned that, unlike the English word “cupcake,” “magdalena” is not used as an endearment in Spain. I explained that all to Magdalena today and when I emailed back to her with some info a bit later, my email began, “Hi, Cupcake.” I’m glad she gets me.
.
AYER FUE EL “DÍA DE Isabel”, como lo llamo cuando hablo con los gatos. Parecen entender. “Isabel Day” significa que no me mires por tus aperetivos esta mañana (y deja de lloriquear, Moose); tienes que esperar a Isabel. Otra cosa buena de Isabel Day es que nos levanta, nos ducha y sal de casa por la mañana.
El café era agradable. Es increíble lo mucho que tenemos de qué hablar después de más de 40 años juntos. Estaba pensando un poco en el pasado, pero San Geraldo tenía mucho que compartir sobre cosas que había leído recientemente. Sugirió que probáramos el lugar de tacos para almorzar, propiedad de un ex californiano. Lo intentamos tres veces en el pasado, pero nunca estuvo abierto.
Sus horarios en Facebook son de mediodía a 16:00. Sus horarios en Google son de mediodía a las 16:00 y reabre a las 20:00. Llamé a las 12:30. Sin respuesta. Llamé a las 12:37; él respondió. Le dije que solo quería confirmar que estaba abierto y que su horario era de 12:00 a 16:00. Él dijo: “Sí. Me estoy retrasando un poco. Estaré allí a las 13:00.”
El clima estaba hermoso. Nos sentamos afuera al sol. Tuve una quesadilla de camarones y dos tacos de camarones. Yo estaba de humor para los mariscos. Se sirvieron sin adornos, sin arroz, sin frijoles, sin lechuga, sin salsa, sin guacamole, pero estaban buenos. San Geraldo tenía nachos y tacos de cerdo. Los nachos estaban buenos, pero más como una guarnición gratuita (que no era gratis). El guacamole era fresco y delicioso y las porciones minimalistas de dos quesos eran deliciosas. SG dijo que el cerdo era mediocre. El dueño fue muy agradable. A 32 € más propina, la comida minimalista fue más cara de lo que esperábamos. Nosotros tratamos.
Me las arreglé para salir de la casa esta mañana en otro día glorioso y tuve un buen entrenamiento en el gimnasio. Pronto saldré, creo, a dar un largo paseo por la ciudad.
Ah, el título: Magdalena es el nombre de la jefa del grupo de diseño y producción de Quinta Impresión, que encontró la imprenta San Geraldo para su libro. Ella sabe lo que hace y es un placer trabajar con ella. Ella envió un correo electrónico esta mañana para programar un chat de video a la 1:00. SG y yo estábamos convencidos de que algo había salido mal.
Pero una vez que nos conectamos, ella dijo: “¡Mira!” y levantó el libro terminado. Ella y todo el personal están encantados con los resultados. Apenas podíamos contener nuestra emoción. ¡Los libros están siendo envueltos y empacados hoy y nos serán entregados el miércoles!
Pero, de nuevo, volvamos al título. En inglés, una magdalena us un cupcake. Una vez, después de recibir un largo correo electrónico de Magdalena, usé Google Traductor para asegurarme de que lo había entendido todo.
Se había despedido con “Saludos, Magdalena”. Google tradujo eso a “Regards, Cupcake”. En inglés, la palabra “cupcake” también se usa como “cariño” o “bebé”. No creo que ese sea el caso en español. Le expliqué todo eso a Magdalena hoy y cuando le envié un correo electrónico con información un poco más tarde, mi correo electrónico comenzó, “Hola, Cupcake”. Me alegro de que ella me entienda.
• Debería que leer “Thinking” [Pensamiento] y no Thin King [rey delgado]. Vison [sic] Futura Ropa original. El “i” parecía un cigarro. Sólo un gran lío.
• Moda de Fuengirola en el exterior de nuestro mercado público.
• Un macizo de flores nuevo cerca de una pérgola nueva. La Ciudad también ha renunciado a los hibiscos. Tenga en cuenta, los nuevos recipientes de basura/reciclaje en el fondo.
• Un chiringuito en proceso de reforma conservando el mosaico.
• Magdalena con el libro.
Congrats on the book! That’s amazing! I’m not going to mention your food choices because, yuck! I have a friend whose last name is Magdaleno. She’s Mexican but says her name is Italian. I wonder if it means the same thing. I would love to call her Cupcake or even Muffin. She always looks like she’s sucking on a lemon. The only person I know whose smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Anyway, I’m really happy for the both of you, joint effort and all.
Deedles:
I think Magdaleno is only an Italian name and nothing else. A person whose smile doesn’t reach her eyes (I’ve met a number of those), Cupcake would be the perfect nickname.
I love Cupcake’s beautiful cowl-neck sweater. Congrats on the book she’s holding too! And wow, that was one expensive lunch!
Debra:
Fuengirola has a lot of great restaurant options that are exceptional as well as cheap, so it’s always a surprise when we hit one that looks obviously cheap and is not — although in the greater scheme of things we could have blown a lot more for lunch. We’ve had a few video calls with Magdalena and she always looks very stylish (and comfortable). I hope we can socialize sometime. I have really enjoyed working with her (it’s a 5-hour drive).
I love the title of the book and the book cover is quite beautiful. Did you have a hand in that design, Mitchell?
Wilma:
Thanks. The design is very basic, but it’s all mine. The stag head is taken from SG’s family coat of arms.
Muchas gracias por vuestras palabras en el blog. Con personas como vosotros da gusto ir a trabajar y merece la pena el esfuerzo, no solo sois clientes, ya formáis parte de la familia de Quinta Impresión. Muchos besos y un gran abrazo. “Cupcake”
Cupcake:
Muchas gracias por visitar y comentar. Noté que olvidé incluir los dos párrafos más importantes (sobre ti) en la versión en español. Han sido agregados. ¡Espero que nos veamos pronto!
The shrimp looks good, but I agree it needs salsa and sour cream. Being in the DC area, restaurant prices anyplace don’t surprise me, I know where you can get the best $30 cheeseburger in town, fries are extra. Great looking book. How many did you have printed?
David:
That would have been a cheap lunch in New York, too. But, here, especially at that type of place, the price was a surprise. Maybe we should meet at Serendipity 3 on 60th street. I’ve heard they have the best $295 burger to be found in the city.
Those tacos do look yummy and amazing!!!! And I can’t believe all the hard work and hours are done, and the book is printed!!!!
Congrats on the job being done!
Mistress G Borghese:
My tacos were very good, although not the best I’ve had, by far. It’s time for a return trip to Sevilla for the best Mexican food we’ve had here. Thanks regarding the book. Very exciting. SG is now pulling his hair out trying to find the best individual shipping option. Much more expensive than the book itself (which was not cheap).
Congratulations on the book! What an achievement!
Jim:
Very exciting and made even more exciting by Magdalena and company’s reaction to it.
Congratulations to you and SG on your book — that’s an accomplishment to be proud of! I hope you send Cupcake a dozen delicious cupcakes as a “thank you”!
Tundra Bunny:
Brilliant idea! SG was talking last night about what we should send them as a thank you.
How exciting to get the book done! How many copies are you getting? The photo book I created with my dad’s pictures is print-on-demand so I’ve only ordered five (for my relatives). It will be a very desirable book someday because of its scarcity. LOL!
Too bad the taco place didn’t work out better. If he sees your blog maybe he’ll rethink his prices. (And get to work on time, though I know some Europeans are more relaxed about such things. I guess even though he’s Californian he’s adopted the local vibe.)
Back to Meson Salvador!
Steve:
SG finally chose to make it a limited run of 100. He considered print-on-demand but it wasn’t a practical choice with the complexity and size of the book. Shipping is presenting challenges now. As for the taco place, I can’t imagine he would ever find or read my blog. Sometimes, he hangs a sign in the door that reads “Gone Surfing.” Funny, but annoying when it’s during his posted business hours. All he needs to do is update Google and Facebook — or be there when he says (imagine that).
Perhaps your newest taco vendor thought he was still in California serving micro-dishes at macro prices?
Bob,
I suppose when you only work a few hours a day here and there, you’ve got to get more for the bit of time you put in.
The taco dude sounds like the type of person I would cordially loathe. Apparently the good lady in the photo broke her arm struggling with someone trying to prevent her from putting that outfit on.
wickedhamster:
Ha ha! The “good lady” is actually a man (I don’t know if he’s good or not).
I thought so! Cue Aerosmith.
And I’ll be singing THAT for the rest of the night! She had the body of a Venus. Imagine my surprise. (Well, maybe not.)
The top with what I perceived to be a zipper up the back threw me off. That makes it all doubly hideous.
wickedhamster:
He has a special fondness for spandex and crop tops, whatever the origin.
I am learning words/slang sometimes do not translate well into other languages.
Urspo:
And often with embarrassing results.