El Bulli: 1998-2002

[Jason Perlow]

really? Lisp and all?

[Nick]

I don't recall it as being a lisp. Just different. Correct pronounciation?

[Jason Perlow]

Jo ablo Cathtellyano.

[Nick]

Not quite. But keep trying.

[Steve Klc]

Jason, you'll be comforted then by the CD-ROM--you can select either language!

[Jason Perlow]

Not quite. But keep trying.

yes, even the Castillians say I sound Cuban. Six months at the University of Salamanca didnt help my accent much.

[helenas]

The books is selected for the "Hall of Fame" by the Gourmand International (Hall of Fame)

[Chef/Writer Spencer]

That would be great. Any other FN coverage of el Bulli would probably be dreadful. You could make it work, either as ACT or an hour long special.

The thought of Tony Bourdain at El Bulli is like Jim Morrison wandering loaded through Beethoven's garden. There's must see TV.

[Jinmyo]

Yes.

Welcome to eGullet, Spencer.

[Tim D]

Great thread Robert! I cannot wait to get my hands on the English version (having slept through, what I believed at the time to be, Spanish class).

[Bux]

The books is selected for the "Hall of Fame"  by the Gourmand International (Hall of Fame)

"The best," "the top ten" and most halls of fame lists will always be suspect to me, but I found the site fascinating. I noted a number of nominations (best book in the world, best chef book, etc.) for books written in Catalan. One can only wish Franco were alive to see this resurgence of the public face of a language. This is a testament to the culture as a whole, but also to the place Catalan cooking has in the world at this moment.

I'd also like to know more about the cookbook author described as "The Latin-America answer to Nigella Lawson" in the Spanish-Latin American entry for the Hall of Fame who, by the way is noted as having worked at El Bulli.

[vserna]

It's good to see all this good-faith interest shown in Ferran's outstanding work. (As some of you know, he has been savaged a couple of times in the US...) Please allow me just one very small point: those who, when visiting Spain, choose to stay in Barcelona only, or perhaps do a Barcelona-San Sebastián duo, are sure to miss out on the greatest culinary explosion taking place in Europe right now! From a garlic-producing town in La Mancha called Las Pedroñeras to Ezcaray, a mountain village in Rioja, the scene is mind-boggling in the amount of creativity, talent and freedom to be found in so many kitchens. One day I'll explain 'the Christian Parra theory' for this new Spanish cuisine, but if I had to find one most important defining word, it would have to be 'freedom'. BTW, the scene in Madrid is undergoing the same type of deep-seated transformation as in Barcelona.

Edited January 7, 2003 by vserna (log)

[Stephen Jackson]

I just got my copy today via elBulli's website - took less than a week.

Very impressed - especially with the CD-Rom, which is truly astounding.

I like the little vanity feature of being able to wipe the 'blackboard' clean and write in chalk all over it.

Although the truly brilliant feature is the fact that almost every recipe Adria and his team have created since 1998 is available to study and print off. No secrecy here, just a willingness to share and educate. How refreshing.

It would be disappointing if they hadn't come up with as impressive a book as they have, but it's a breathtaking work nonetheless. I don't think I'd ever describe a cookbook as a 'page-turner', but this is awfully close.

[lizziee]

The cookbook just arrived today! It is incredible.

Now, for someone who is completely computer illiterate and doesn't read or speak one word of Spanish, how do I use the CD and what should I expect to see - pictures, words only?

Thank you, Robert for posting this.

[mikeczyz]

stupid question-

are the book and cd-rom in english?

mike

[lizziee]

Both are in Spanish.

[Steve Klc]

Lizziee--have you figured out the CD-ROM and how to change between the different menus and formats?

[lizziee]

Steve,

The short answer - Nope!

[Steve Klc]

OK--close all browsers and Word documents and e-mail screens but do not log out or shut down your computer. Put it in the CD drive and what happens?

[lizziee]

Steve,

Thanks for walking me through this. That's not the problem. Stuff comes up; I get the long list of dishes, but that's it. Of course, I don't understand a word of the Spanish -- are there pictures attached to the list. Should I close everything down for more memory? I don't get a back function. I don't know what I am doing.

[Steve Klc]

Here's what should happen:

Load the disk and "see" the disk on your desktop;

Doubleclick on it;

You should see a black disk in a dialog box with two file folders,

Doubleclick on the black disc;

You should see and hear a white screen with El Bulli 1998-2002 and then two black options--castellano and Catalan--click on one of these;

You should get the cool chalkboard;

From there click on Recetas would be easiest and most immediate;

Allow it to index and load for awhile--and then click on one of the many "indices"--in this case, try "fotos;"

Cool, huh? Every image for every dish splashed across the screen for all 4 years--all clickable.

To go back to the indices--see on the top line how it has "recetas fotos" or something like that--with recetas "lighter" than fotos which is darker? That means you are in 'fotos"--to leave fotos and go to another indice just click on 'recetas.' I'll have to do this just to make sure I'm remembering correctly.

But say you click on the group of 2001 photos instead--it will take you to a screen which says "recetas-foto-2001" across the top with even larger thumbnails--move your cursor over an image and it will appear in the large preview box--click on a numbered thumbnail which looks interesting and it will take you to the recipe--which is printable with one click. The top line now reads "recetas-foto-2001-receta" and to go back to select another recipe, just click on 2001--this logic is followed throughout. So you don't really have to know the words--work your way from left to right and back again to navigate.

To exit, click on Salir;

then click on the arrow;

then you should see the macromedia tag and you're out.

Did all that work?

I'm using a Mac but can get onto a PC if need be. For a PC they recommend Pentium III-128 MB RAM-Windows XP and 24 bit color but it should work on systems with less--the specs are on the page in the CD-ROM booklet. I'm using it just fine on a G3 600 MHz iBook with 640 MB RAM, OS 10.2.3 but with only 8 MB video memory--it certainly would run better on a newer processor.

[lizziee]

I am on a Mac and I will have to try it again as I didn't see all your instructions until just now. I don't remember seeing fotos, but then again, I am really dumb at this. What does buscar mean? I did click on that and nothing happens. The only way I could unload was to turn off the computer. I can't believe how stupid I am at this.

However, I am having a wonderful time, using my own menus from El Bulli as a guide, searching out my favorite dishes in the book and salivating. Notwithstanding 2001, I was so blown away with El Bulli in 2000 that I could talk of nothing else for months. Plus every restaurant experience, afterward, was a let down. It is great fun to see what I raved about.

[lizziee]

Steve,

As an aside, because we ate there 2 nights in a row, Adria did not serve us the regular menu the second night. Instead, he did a retrospective of his most famous dishes, a precursor of what he did this year.

[Bux]

What does buscar mean?

Search. Do you have a box to enter a term? Of course you'll have to enter the Spanish word, term or name of the dish or whatever it will let you search for.

[lizziee]

What would I do without you guys! Here I have spent $170 on a book/CD (postage from France was hefty) and I would be looking at a blank page on my computer.

I am going to try it again.