Breakfast Menu

Yesterday being such a nice day (today isn't bad either), I decided to postpone the usual weekend chores (changing sheets, laundry, ironing) and go for a walk round the neighbourhood. I especially wanted to walk past a building I'd seen on the news on Friday, one which had been taken over by squatters, of which many are Romanians who don't always have a good reputation here. I thought perhaps it was the building where I'd looked at a flat for sale years ago.

I didn't take the flat for several reasons. One it was a basement flat with winding stairs leading to it; two, the light switches in the hall were deteriorated, and I didn't like the darkness either; three, there was a bar next door and smells of fried food wafted in through the open windows, and this was the most decisive factor for not wishing to live here. I could also imagine neighbours throwing down things onto the two small patios that were part of the deal, and this is exactly what's happened in the occupied building.

Not only are the patios filled with rubbish and rotting food, but every corner in the interior. The 'normal' people, who still have to live there I suppose, can't open their windows or hang their clothes out because of the smells and insects. The outside of the building doesn't look bad if you ignore the graffiti and things hanging out the windows. As I walked by with several Romanians sitting on the benches in the street, I realized the bar in question was part of the block next door to the squatters. Even if squatters don't live in the same building, they're both a health and safety concern. As a friend said the other night that's one of the problems of living in the centre. Where he lives he doesn't think is attractive to squatters. He thinks.  

While I was out, I walked past this other bar. Of course, I like the 'chef' in the window and laughed when I saw the abbreviations on the breakfast menu: merme = mermelada or jam (most likely peach jam); chori = chorizo or spicy sausage (maybe some of you have had chorizo) and salchi = salchichón (similar to salami). People here, especially workmen, do have such a bread roll and some kind of meat round 11a.m. It's one of the times of the day that find many bars full. Yesterday, and today too I'm sure, there were lots of people (especially smokers) sitting outside at the cafes and bars.

I've got some over ripe bananas and haven't made banana nut bread for quite a while, so that's what I'm doing when I get off here. Thanks for reading my post and have a good week.