Niamh

I'm not English or Welsh, but I think I can safely say that that boxer would be considered eccentric by most people on this side of the pond! I used to live with some very conservative eaters who frequently complained that my food "smelt funny" or "looked weird". One of them refused to come into the kitchen one day when I had baby squid on the counter because it was "cat" (Donegal slang for bad or disgusting!) I found it very offensive (not to mention immature and ignorant), and to this day I am a little sensitive when people comment on my food - if you can't find something nice to say and all that!!

Well, at home in Ireland nearly all of the hamburger, Chinese, Indian and pizza places deliver, except maybe some of the really upmarket ones. People, I think, would be far more likely to get it delivered than to go and get it (in the realm of take-out dining that is), unless they had to go out for other reasons. We don't have the same selection though, it's hard enough to find a sushi restaurant, let alone one that delivers! The choice is getting better though. We have drawers and drawers full of the little menus, they drop 'em though the letterbox AND put them in the bag when you get the food...like that, its about 40 mins from calling to delivery. Over here in Madrid it's quite different. I don´t know about "real" Spanish people, but I have a feeling there is much less ordering from take-aways, with the possible exception of pizza. We have got a few pizza and Chinese (in the loosest sense of the word !) menus in the flat, but I wouldn´t know where to start. Many normal restaurants here (not the fancy ones, obviously) can be persuaded to make you up a take-away - you'll have to go and get it though!

Thanks everyone! It didn't even strike me to try a herbolario!

Does anyone know where I might be able to find caraway seeds (alcaravea/carvi) in central Madrid? I have had a good look around in all the supermarkets and smaller food shops, but I just can't track any down. I thought about looking in an "ethnic" shop, but I can't think of any regions that traditionally use a lot of caraway, except maybe Poland(?), and I haven't found a Polish shop yet.

Could somebody tell me what a groom's cake is? Is it just for the groom? Does the bride have one too? Where is this common practice? I've never heard of it!

Wow, thank you all for taking the time to help me out. Dan, the advice on flour in Spain was great - I could only find one type too. I will take my life in my hands and be a bit braver about asking around. Once I have found good flour I will give it a go again, following your tips, and then I will report back! The starter was natural, but didn't rise at all really. I need to rack my brains to find a good, warm place in the flat. It seems to be 20º wherever I go, and there's no airing cupboard, which others have told me works well. I hope it does work at some point, like I said, I am total beginner, but there is something very fun about the whole process. I haven´t even managed an edible loaf yet and I am already addicted!

I was buying cheese the other day, and remembered this thread, so, in honour of it, I got two goudas - a 5 year old one, and a younger one flovoured with cumin. I had no idea that gouda could taste that different! The five year old one was strong, with crunchy crystallised bits. It is a bit too strong for me to eat on its own, but it is making a very good adittion to things where mixed cheese/parmesan usually goes. The cumin flavoured one is great - I don't normally like cheese that tastes of other things, but I bought it because there was already a very small piece cut. I was great to nibble or in sandwiches, I'll be buying more next time I'm cheese hunting!

Yup, a breakfast roll. An Irish breakfast (sausages, rashers, black/white pudding, an egg or two, hash browns if you can handle it) in a crusty roll. It's usually the preserve of builders and taxi-drivers, but crosses all societal boundaries in times of hangover. Not ground breaking, but it tidily combines all the elements - carbs, fat and protein. Washed down with a glass of orange juice and many cups of tea. It makes French people living in Ireland gag

Hello Everyone, Well, for my first ever post in Egullet I would have hoped to start with something more cheery, but unfortunately, it's been a bad day for breadmaking... I tried my first ever breadmaking attempt today, using the Castilian Sourdough recipe from "The Foods of Spain and Portugal" by Luard. Suffice to say it didn't work out, but what I am looking for are specifics on the smell of the starter. Luard doesn't mention, but other things I have read say it should smell "fresh". Mine smelt earthy, but I went ahead and used it, not sure what fresh smells like and thinking that I would know as soon as I tasted if that wasn't right. It wasn't! The bread tastes like mouldy facecloths. Maybe I was silly to have used it, but it didn't look off and I really had nothing to compare it to. It bubbled and did all the other things she said it would, but because of the taste and the fact that the bread is as flat as a pancake, I am assuming that it was a starter problem. Could anyone tell me what the starter should smell like, and why it might have gone off? The only thing I can think of is that the temperatures might have been lower than they should have been (about 20 degrees celsius), and might have fluctuated by 2 - 3 degees over the 48 hours. I am a real baking novice, so you'll need to speak very slooowwwly