In my short time here in Barcelona, I’ve had the privilege of immersing myself in the Catalan culture, but what exactly is that? To me, Catalan culture is a community, a family of likeminded people that want the best for their beloved Catalunya. Trying to find pictures of this has been challenging, but here is some pictures of my interpretation.
My first picture is a paella that I’d tried in my town of Les Corts. This traditional food is enjoyed by many and tastes delicious! My second picture is a traditional Catalan fideua recipe from my host mother’s Catalan cook book. This recipe uses a great amount of oil and seafood, which I learned is very popular in Catalan dishes. My third picture is the Catalan flag with the star that represents the desire to for catalonia to become an independent nation My fourth picture is a yellow ribbon that represents solidarity with the leaders of the pro-independence movement. The flag and ribbon are two of the most prominent visual signs of Catalonia in my opinion that represent this community and solidarity. My fifth picture is crema catalana, which is a traditional dessert that’s similar to the american creme brulee. This is one of my personal favorite dishes that I’ve tried here thus far. I think that food is an important part of the Catalan culture because it’s something that’s been passed down for generations and is extremely important to keep the culture alive. My final picture is a castell that I’d seen during the festival de Sant Antoni. To me, castells represent community. They lift up others without thinking of the dangers that could happen to them if they for some reason fell. Everyone around the professional castell participants are willing to jump in any where that they’re able. The amount of joy that explodes once the tower is finished and is taken apart carefully is amazing to see in person. There’s so much power that each castell represents and the solidarity between the people. There’s also a great amount of trust that goes in to building these. Not only are you standing on a stranger, but there’s a stranger standing on you and all that’s holding you is others’ hands. Wow. We have nothing like this in America. The first one that I saw in person had given me goosebumps.
My Experience with Catalan Culture 