Almerimar - Gastronomic Event
March 1st, 2008 - Sandra MarshallYesterday a friend and I took a walk down to the port for a coffee and to check out the Gastronomic event. I have to admit to being a little confused as to exactly what I was going to as, apart from a very pleasant picture of some cooked vegetables, the poster didn’t give much away!
The event was inside what used to be the cafe/bar of the old Sol Apartments, and on stepping inside we were confronted by what looked like a vegetable stall, apart from the fact all the veggies were in sealed boxes. I actually thought a lot of them looked so much nicer than the ones we buy at the Mercadona that I was getting a little excited. But they were not for sale and nobody was around to give us any more information, so hopes of finding a new source of fresher more delicious veggies faded.
There were quite a few people inside chatting, having a beer and eating nibbles, but I was still confused as to what this was all about. I then spotted Viviene at what appeared to be a reception desk. She sold us tickets for 1€ for drinks at the bar, explained the tapas was being brought out on big plates and to just grab some and try it, and gave us free little recipe books in Spanish and English. This was all very civilised but I STILL didn’t quite get it!
Anyway we got ourselves a drink, and wandered over to the tables area for a chat and to start sampling the food. I tried some very good ‘Whitebait Lookalike’ made from very thin strips of deep fried courgette (preferable to whitebait in my view but I know Chris wouldn’t agree), then had some grilled peppers, fresh tomato in oil, some lovely little tostatas with mixed veggies on top, and finished up with some sweet but definitely interesting honeyed (i think) cucumber. I enjoyed it all but then I love vegetables, and I was impressed that the food was all free and not dependent on how many drinks you bought, although a little hit and miss as to what you managed to grab!
SO what was it all about? Basically it was a promotion for the vegetables of the region, and the little cookery book was produced by the Agriculture and Environment Dept of the Council in El Ejido. OK all very good but I remain confused as to how this has helped generate trade for the businesses of Almerimar, namely the restaurants, bars, etc. which is the remit of the ‘Foro’ that organised it.
One suggestion was that the aim was to attract people to Almerimar to go to the event, but it was far too small to warrant that, as apart from some face painting and balloon bending for kids outside, and some music, what I have described was it. In addition it didn’t seem to have been publicised very well. A much bigger event with genuine vegetable stalls, cooking displays by the local restaurants (only one of which had submitted a recipe) etc. may have worked as a better attraction.
Overall I enjoyed my drink and veggie tapas, quite like my little recipe book ( a lot of the recipes are very dinner-party), and think it was a good initiative that people had put effort into. However I left feeling it could have been so much more and wondering what it had achieved.
To read about a previous ‘Foro’ event, please click below:
About Almerimar
Almerimar is located in the region of Andalucia, Spain. The nearest airport is 30km away in Almeria. Other airports that are within 3 hours include Malaga, Murcia, Granada, and Alicanti. Other holiday resorts in the region include Mojacar , Aguadulce and Roquetas de Mar
Almerimar is a great place to live as an expat amongst the expats, or to work amongst the Spanish. There are all kinds of properties including villas, apartments and town houses for rent or sale. It is a very traditional part of Spain, with traditional Spanish foods so if you plan to travel to Spain either to look for jobs, for your company to trade with companies in Spain, or to learn Spanish and enjoy the Spanish weather then come and take a look.
If you are interested in purchasing a property in Almerimar please visit our sponsor Mirror of the Sun
Almerimar is also one of the largest marinas in Spain with over 2,000 births and excellent boatyard facilities.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
[...] that its remit was more focused on specifically generating business, which is why I found the gastronomic event a little confusing and wrote [...]