Life of Guangzhou - Enjoy Spanish Paella!

Spaniards have a love affair with seafood. They crave fresh fish and shellfish of all kinds, from cob to lobster. No surprise. Spain is surrounded on three sides by water- the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Cantabric Sea to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. For Spaniards the love of seafood is natural.

On the menu of Spanish restaurant or at the table of a Spanish household, Spanish Paella must be on the recommended list.

To celebrate the Spanish National Day which is on November 12, I was invited to join an outdoor buffet by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in Guangdong on the 14th, two days after another celebrative get-together. [Year of Spain, Year of Cooperation]

People are enjoying the day. [More photos]

The event was arranged in a tranquil park in a corner of the beautiful Ersha Island. Songs in the air with Spanish ardor and Spanish national flags led me to the place where the hosts and guests enjoyed the day.

The Spanish chef melted the oil in a very large pan over a low heat, then added the shallots, garlic and leek for gentle fry. Adding water, when the whole pan became aromatic and appetizing soup after cook to reduce the volume, the chef put the Spanish rice in it and covered the lid.

What a wonderful Spanish Paella!

Several minutes later, the chef opened the lid and kept on adding chunks of shrimps, eggs, beans and chicken. What a wonderful delicacy it appeared to be!

Finally, the chef poured lemon juice on the Paella and then the so-called largest Spanish Paella in China was finished.




                                                         The kids

(Report by Jessie Hwang, Photographed by Lu Kaisheng )