Four months of Italian living had made us UNISG students spoiled. We were becoming accustomed to an amazing national food culture. Great food and wine seemed to be on every corner. Having previously enjoyed several Italian stages (field seminars), no one was sure what our Spain stage would bring. At the beginning of March, all 24 of us packed up and headed off on our first abroad stage.

We began in Barcelona, where we were treated like minor celebrities as we toured the food markets sprinkled throughout the city. We were led into conference rooms above the markets to meet with purveyors and discuss their sourcing and marketing. I have never experienced such a vibrant market culture anywhere else. Incredibly, by municipal policy, the city is organized in such a way that wherever you are, a fresh-foods market is no more than 10 minutes away by foot. The vast array of fruits alone was staggering, but to our disappointment, many of them are not locally grown. We were assured, however, that they were working towards incorporating more local products in the future.

In addition to the beautiful markets, another highlight of the trip was Barcelona Reykjavik, a beautiful bakery with an exciting mission: “…to get back the ancient bread, searching for the right ingredients in the nature, avoiding industrial yeast.” The passionate baker gave us a private demonstration right in the bakery kitchen, allowing us to touch and smell the traditional materials he exclusively uses, including a starter made from corn, green peas, and yeast derived from flowers. The product was amazingly high in quality, and without the use of the industrial yeasts or flours found in practically all commercial baked products.

After spending a few days in the city, we relocated to a smaller fishing village, Vilanova i la Geltrù. We were scheduled to accompany a fisherman on his boat to help with the daily catch, but the windy weather unfortunately prevented any of the fishermen from going out. Instead we were allowed into the private fish auction to observe the local restaurants bidding on fish caught before the bad weather had hit that morning. The fish were rolled out, in crates, on a conveyor belt for everyone to see. Each buyer had a handheld digital bidding device. The room was quiet except for a small beep on the monitor when the bid increased. After the bidding was completed, a small receipt was printed and the fish was again rolled away on the conveyor belt. Following the auction we were brought into the warehouse where the orders were prepared, and there we spoke with some of the fisherman. Some of the fish in the crates were still wiggling.

The next day we headed to a small farm where a progressive cultivator grows herbal remedies. Touring around his greenhouses, we were encouraged to taste the plants as he described the health benefits found in each. One of them, stevia, is becoming more and more popular as a sugar substitute, especially good for those with sugar-related health problems such as diabetes. Unlike other sugar substitutes, it doesn't have a harsh aftertaste, though when later that day we were treated to a cold stevia soup, we all agreed that it might be nicer as a sugar substitute than as a main ingredient.