FRIDAY. Enough said.
Let’s talk about food, which, as you know, is one of my favorite topics. I am not a big meal eater, but rather more of a grazer. This can be dangerous because small bites do add up from a caloric standpoint.
But, if I order a whole entree, I inevitably get bored after just a few mouthfuls. What can I say? I like variety in my meals. My go-to dining out plan is usually to order a salad and an appetizer, and if I’m really hungry, maybe a side of veggies to round out the meal.
Also, I can count on being able to sneak a few bites from my husband’s plate. He has resigned himself to this, and long ago stopped trying to protect his plate from my interloping fork – or fingers. We’ve gotten to the point where he simply hands over a few sample bites to head the beast off at the pass. Marriage, it’s all about compromise – and what do they say about happy and well-fed wives?
Living abroad might have established this eating pattern for me. Portions in Europe – France and Italy, for example – are a LOT smaller than what we’re used to here. Even though they have more courses, I feel like Europeans eat less overall every time they sit down and linger over their meals. (And they don’t do a lot of snacking, traditionally, which we’ve discussed here before).
The country that does this best – the whole small plates snacking thing – at least in my experience. , (maybe sushi also qualifies, now that I think of it, so best to say “European country?”) – is Spain.
I’m speaking, of course, of tapas, which are a series of small snacks – usually savory, usually served at the bar, and usually accompanied by drinks of an alcoholic nature (usually wine, usually red).
Tapas has its origins in the Spanish word “tapar”, which means “to cover” or “lid”. Legend has it that the first tapas was a simple piece of bread or meat that you placed over your drink to keep the bugs and/or dirt out. If the meat was salty and encouraged you to drink more, driving up your tab in the process, all the better.
To be clear tapas are NOT appetizers. You can get those in Spain; they’re called aperitivos and they supplement a full meal, just like in the U.S. Tapas are an entirely unique thing all on their own. It’s traditional to engage in tapas and conversation in the hours before lunch or dinner – and Spaniards like to eat late, as a rule, so it’s like a little something to tide you over.
There’s a wide range of tapas dishes. Some are very simple – a dish of nuts or olives or fish preserved in oil or pickled vegetables. And some are more hearty and complex – fried potatoes, seafood, or meat, omelets, croquettes, etc.
Of course, like everything else, tapas has an origin story related to a 13th century king who was said to have ordered that small plates of food to be served with alcoholic beverages to reduce its intoxicating effects. Maybe, maybe not.
But whatever the backstory, tapas today are deeply ingrained in Spanish culture – so much so that the country’s tourism agency in 2016 launched World Tapas Day to celebrate the small plate tradition that has become beloved across the globe.
World Tapas Day is the third Tuesday in June, which is today. Happy snacking.
It will be cloudy this morning, with off and on showers developing in the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the mid-70s. The weekend looks like a wash – quite literally – which is a bummer, but also good for the grass and my plants. So I guess I’ll take it.
Also, this is happening, which would be existing if they sky was going to be clear enough to actually see it.
In the headlines…
Several large companies, including Ticketmaster parent Live Nation, are vowing to end surprise “junk fees” following a pressure campaign from the Biden administration.
The moves come after Live Nation faced criticism from the White House and Congress in January over ticket sales for pop star Taylor Swift’s tour that included exorbitant hidden fees and platform outages, preventing some fans from buying tickets.
Consumers won’t see a sudden drop in ticket prices or see that annoying $24.99 service fee disappear. But they will know about it before they start adding tickets to their cart.
“This is a win for consumers, in my view,” President Joe Biden said in a press conference.
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley claimed on the Senate floor that the foreign national who allegedly bribed then-Vice President Biden and his son Hunter has 17 audio recordings of their conversations but questioned if those tapes even existed in an interview days later.
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson took offense at a recent tweet from Biden, who claimed the Vegas Golden Knights were the “first major professional franchise in such a proud American city.”
Wilson has a question for Biden: When will the 2022 WNBA champions visit the White House?
Biden will make his third official trip to Connecticut during his presidency today in order to deliver a speech at a major gun violence prevention summit at the University of Hartford.
Biden is “open” to removing a big hurdle to Ukraine’s membership in NATO after the war, even if the plan doesn’t specify when Kyiv would join the alliance.
The judge overseeing former President Trump’s indictment issued an order instructing any lawyer who wants to take part in the case to start the process of obtaining a security clearance to handle classified material by early next week.
Cannon gave “all attorneys of record and forthcoming attorneys of record” a deadline of today for getting in touch with the Justice Department’s litigation security group so that they can expedite “the necessary clearance process.”
When Trump responded to his latest indictment by promising to appoint a special prosecutor if he’s re-elected to “go after” Biden and his family, he signaled that a second term would fully jettison the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence.
The district attorney in Westchester County, New York, has closed a two-year investigation into Trump without filing criminal charges, her office confirmed.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said in a statement that she reached the decision after an investigation that was conducted “objectively, and independent of politics, party affiliation and personal or political beliefs.”
Patrons at Miami eatery Versailles cheered when Trump twice declared “Food for everyone!” during a surprise stop at the Little Havana hotspot. Then he left without buying food for anyone, according to a local report.
After narrowly avoiding a federal default, the Republican-controlled House and the Democratic-led Senate are now on a collision course over spending that could result in a government shutdown this year and automatic spending cuts in early 2025.
A federal grand jury indicted Jack Teixeira, an Air National Guardsman who posted dozens of secret intelligence reports and other sensitive documents on a social media server, on six counts of retaining and transmitting classified national defense information.
The 21-year-old is facing six counts of willful retention and transmission of national defense information, according to the Department of Justice. If the crimes, he could face up to 10 years in prison for each charge and a fine of up to $250,000.
A judge ruled last month that Teixeira would remain detained while awaiting trial, saying he has a “lack of integrity” and stressing that he put countless people in the US and abroad “at risk” in allegedly leaking the documents.
New York’s attorney general’s office announced an election protection hotline is available ahead of the upcoming June 27 primary in New York in order to report any problems at polling locations.
New York state officials have ordered multiple unlicensed cannabis dispensaries illegally selling recreational marijuana to shut down and stop sales or risk thousands of dollars in daily fines.
Expect a lot of local bills and few, if any, fireworks on big-picture issues like housing and criminal justice when the state Assembly meets in Albany for two scheduled days of voting.
The renewal of the Seneca Nation’s gaming compact with New York remains up in the air less than a week before the Democratic-led state Assembly is returning to Albany to consider the legislation.
Gov. Kathy Hochul did not let a recusal agreement keep her from getting personally involved in secretive negotiations to extend an expiring gaming compact between the state and Seneca Nation, issuing a message of necessity so the Senate could vote on it.
Hochul’s office released key findings of a summary report of the Youth Listening Tour amid an “urgent” youth mental health crisis.
The Youth Listening Tour was held in the spring of this year to hold listening sessions aimed at “exploring the issues impacting the mental health of youth throughout New York State.”
Embattled ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo will have to explain under oath why he does not believe he sexually harassed a New York trooper suing him in federal court.
New York City has reached tentative labor agreements with 11 unions representing uniformed city workers — a package of deals that will cost the city $4 billion and includes annual salary increases of between 3.25% to 4% over the next several years.
Mayor Eric Adams and a phalanx of NYC officials flanking him — absent outgoing Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell — announced a new $4 billion, five-year tentative contract for the city’s uniformed unions yesterday.
Adams dodged questions about Sewell, saying that the “book is closed” on the law enforcement leader he’s taken great pains to praise over the last few days.
The high-ranking NYPD cop set to become interim police commissioner was accused in 2006 of threatening a man who’d declined to produce his ID during a questionable stop and frisk.
Fernando Cabrera, the influential Bronx pastor and former councilman, is stepping down as the senior spiritual advisor to Adams — the 12th high-profile departure since Adams took office in January of 2022.
Adams endorsed longtime Harlem Democrat Inez Dickens in her primary bid for the City Council’s 9th district seat set to be vacated by Kristin Richardson Jordan.
Adams is backing away from a pledge to house migrants in Gracie Mansion — blaming “legal issues” for barring the move — while claiming just the “symbolism” of his offer is good enough.
Adams used executive authority to enact his controversial Medicare Advantage Plan for the city’s retired municipal workforce — overruling Comptroller Brad Lander, who has refused to sign off on the private health insurance switchover.
The director of Adams’ cannabis office was abruptly shut down by a Queens community board chairman during a raucous meeting at Christ the King High School in Middle Village on Wednesday night — drawing a rebuke from City Hall.
The New York City Council reportedly is ducking a vote on a budget for the new fiscal year until after the June 27 primary elections in order to protect incumbents.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said there was “something rotten” about Wednesday’s indictment of former Marine Daniel Penny in the choking death of panhandler Jordan Neely on a Manhattan subway train last month.
Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was hit with the largest fine ever issued by the city’s watchdog group for misusing government resources during his failed bid for the White House in 2019.
De Blasio must reimburse the city nearly $320,000 and pay a $155,000 fine for bringing his security detail on trips during his failed presidential campaign, the city’s Conflicts of Interest Board ordered.
A week after a thick plume of smoke choked the air in New York City, delaying flights, closing schools and sending people to hospitals with respiratory issues, another round of eastward winds is pushing Canadian wildfire smoke toward the East Coast.
Northwell Health hospitals allegedly ripped off NYU Langone’s color scheme in ads — and even made one of its buildings violet — to cash in on the smaller medical center’s stellar reputation, according to a federal lawsuit filed yesterday.
Nusrat Choudhury, a trailblazing civil rights lawyer who has challenged racial profiling and police surveillance in New York City, was narrowly confirmed by the Senate to become the first Muslim woman to serve as a federal district judge.
A 54-year-old finance executive targeted a 14-year-old girl through her Instagram account, passed her off as his daughter on trips around the country, gave her drugs and raped her in New York City hotel rooms, prosecutors with the Manhattan DA’s office said.
Letters, an atlas, medals and a 48-star American flag were among the contents of a time capsule found in the foundation of the Maj. Gen. Philip Schuyler statue after it was taken down Saturday, officials said.
Antonio Brown’s turbulent ownership of the Albany Empire took a stunning turn yesterday when the arena football franchise was kicked out of the National Arena League.
The City of Watervliet now has 70 cameras watching over its streets, parks, City Hall and library as part of an effort to improve public safety, officials said.
The town of Bethlehem’s purchase of 307 acres of farm land in Glenmont and Selkirk could lead to the creation of an “agri-tourism” hub that could be enjoyed by both local residents and travelers visiting the Capital Region.
Like other libraries and municipalities across the country for Pride Month, the Woodstock Public Library scheduled a drag story time event this month — the first in its history – which was upheld in a unanimous vote of its board last night.
