Shannon Costello

Polaroid pictures left the camera as a pale green quickly covered with faint dark patches. After a time the subject was discernable. Later still, the picture would be completely developed in full-color detail.

Pale green would perhaps best describe the color our our nervous systems when the restaurant we entered last night turned out to be considerably more upscale than anticipated, with metal champagne stands, layers of table cloths, and multiple forks and glasses per setting. The situation called for caution. But how careful can one be when when the menu is nearly incomprehensible? I could say “meat”, “fish”, and “fried” in Spanish, but “sirloin”, “hake”, and “grilled” were quite byond me. And unlike many other restaurants in Sevilla, there was no English tranlation. We would have to guess.

I ordered “esparragos verdes tibios con huevos de cobordiz escalfrados en vinagreta de acaparra y jamon de pato.”

CJ ordered “pastel de verduras gratinadas con ali-oli de aceituna negra con queso de cabra a la parrilla.”

I knew I was getting warm asparagus with egg and a vinigarette and…duck ham? CJ was getting a vegetable dish with ali-oli sauce, black olives, and goat cheese. Beyond that we felt very uncertain.

Our food arrived, beautifully presented…the picture was starting to clear up now. I had an asparagus salad. The dressing included capers and finely chopped vegetables. The “jamon de pato” resembled bacon, the eggs were small, with liquid yolk bursting from the inside when I cut them. I also had goat cheese. CJ had a vegetable quiche with goat cheese on the side — a la parilla?

We returned to the hotel reciting the words we didn’t know. “Parilla” is grilled, “cobordiz” is quail, and “escalfrados” is poached. Oh!

“Acaparra” did not appear in my dictionary, but I believe it means capers.

I am carefully reviewing the food glossary before we eat out again. Really, the time for polaroid is long past.

Sevilla 12/15/05