Día de Brasero.

Well, the weather's a-changin', and it's time for jackets, scarves and... a brasero to come home to. Luckily, my piso has one. A brasero is a heater that is placed under a tall table. The long tablecloth over said table is used to cover your legs and trap in the heat from the brasero. At first I was skeptical, mainly because I wondered why in the heck there was such a tall table in my living room. I can never really reach my plate without sitting on a pillow. But as Autumn presses on, I have a newfound respect for the table and the brasero beneath it that warms my toes.

So, what else is new. This week I am on a mission to try the myriad of fruit that Granada has to offer... and believe me, there's a lot and it's all delicious. The apples are amazing. The figs, in season and to die for. Yesterday I tried a Caqui- which I now know is a persimmon, only a lot bigger and without any seeds. You really have to use a spoon, though, because Caquis are eaten when very, very soft.

Next up to try, and currently ripening in the fruit basket: a Chirimoya.

May I also add, people, that I learned how to carve an Iberian Ham. As I mentioned earlier, we have an entire leg in our kitchen that the roommates alternate on purchasing. Translation: I will soon find myself in a carnicería full of hanging ham legs trying to choose which one to bring home. Anyway, it's well worth it. The leg lasts about a month and tastes delicious, whether eaten in slices straight from the leg or planchado (cooked in the frying pan).

As this post, and many others, mainly centers around food I'll also say that Rebeca's mom and younger sister came to stay one night and we were all fed very well. Croquetas, pumpkin soup, fish that at first freaked me out because of the spine in the middle, and... dun dun dun: her mom made me try morcilla (BLOOD sausage). I hid it in a piece of bread and called it a day. Not my cup of tea, but I tried it. This, however, led to a conversation on how much they liked organs (the heart and all) and, among other freaky things, chicken blood ("¡que rico!"). Blurg!

I can't find a pumpkin to carve, but they do celebrate Halloween here. Just today, I gave a lesson on Halloween where they kids played Pictionary drawing different Halloween characters (actually, two had to sit out due to religious reasons). I have seen one calabasa de Halloween, but if bought will have to be carried about a mile home. I'm game.

New phrases:

"No tengo ni un chavo" -- "I'm broke"

"Estoy a dos velas" (**Use gesture: index and middle finger, moving from eyes to nose) -- Use when you are lacking in either money or love. "How's it going with your boyfriend" "Muy mal. Estoy a dos velas."

"Borracha como una cuba" -- Rough translation... "Wasted!" Don't ask how I learned this.