Whether you are from Spain, related to someone born in Spain or just love the country and her food, you will find these essays a delight. Don Harris has a gift for telling refreshing, meaningful and inspiring stories. Stories of regular people living quietly remarkable lives. Stories filled with emotional depth and understanding, brimming with the rich sights, sounds and smells of life. Spanish life.
In this fast-paced era of high tech and long "to-do" lists, there is much we can learn from the Spanish approach to life. This insightful collection of essays will help you:
- Immerse yourself in the grace and warmth of Spain and her people
- Be inspired by stories of resilience, dignity and generosity
- Learn about families who continue food-making traditions that go back generations
Beautifully designed, the 272-page book includes over 100 color photographs.
¡Viva Lola! The Sauce that Saved a Town
“My wife Ruth and I met a group of remarkable women in Córdoba. Our hearts were warmed by being in the company of people for whom adversity became an opportunity to do something better. Through their vision and hard work, they helped their working sisters preserve a precious tradition, and made available to all of us the artistry of their cooking.
How did this occur? A sugar beet factory closed after forty years of operation, and the traditional fabric of life became badly frayed. Because fathers were jobless and mothers had to work outside the home, there was no one to go to market every day and prepare the traditional mid-day meal that had anchored their gathered families for generations. One of the mothers, Lola, recognized the depth of the crisis, and mobilized some of the other mothers to take action to protect their families' way of life.
They pooled their family recipes. Lola contributed her recipe for sofrito sauce, and others prepared their favorite traditional products. Rising before dawn so that work in their commercial kitchen would be completed before their children came home from school, Lola and the other mothers made fresh, homemade organic food for their sisters. Their products enabled working mothers to more easily continue the tradition of breaking bread together with their families. In addition to helping their neighbors, their company creates some of the finest artisan food in Spain...”
“ ¡Viva Lola! The Sauce that Saved a Town ”
The Heart of Spain
Don Harris has been writing very popular reflections on Spain since 1997. He fell in love with the Spanish culture over forty years ago, when he stepped ashore in Spain as a chaplain in the U.S. Navy. For a time he and his wife Ruth raised their young family among the sherry bodegas of El Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz). As they enjoyed life with their sons in a Spanish neighborhood, they grew to appreciate the intimate dimension of Spanish life, where children are cherished and family ties are central. After retiring from the Chaplain Corps as a captain, Don founded LaTienda.com with his wife and sons. They all visit Spain regularly. The company is now one of the finest providers of Spanish food in the U.S., supporting artisanal and small family firms. In 2009, Don received the Admiral Pedro Menéndez Friend of Spain Award from the Society of Spain for his outstanding leadership and dedication on behalf of Spain and Spanish culture.
