Speaking of el Bulli
We went to the opening night of the Spanish Film Festival last month. It was a great night as always and a great film: Fuera de Carta (Chef’s Special) about a gay chef who inherits his children from a brief early marriage when his wife dies at the same time as he is vying for his first Michelin star. It’s hilarious and that combination of comedy and tragedy that the Spanish do so well. The fiesta after was, as you’d expect, terrific, but the food … well, I’m sorry but it was tragic. About the only thing worth eating was the tortilla. But when the wine is flowing and the music is getting you going, who cares? That food came from Sydney’s el Bulli, which is owned by an Argentinean who swears he’d never heard of the original when he named it. In an interview, he told a reporter, “In Argentinean Spanish, like in English, el Bulli refers to someone who annoys his classmates in school.” Really? We tried this theory on a few Argentineans and drew a blank. Maybe it’s from a specific part of the country. Can anyone out there throw a little light on this unlikely story?
