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The Spanish word picar, which is inseparably associated with the consumption of tapas (literally "little dishes"), is easily translatable: to pick, to nosh, to snack. But while the idea is both simple and commonplace, the reality, in the context of the Spanish spirit, is a concerto of the outrageous that builds and crescendos in accordance with the conductor's desire. Nothing so embodies the Spanish ideal of life as a symphony of simple pleasures (and the marvelous bounty of the Mediterranean), as sitting down with friends at a bar and filling a table with glasses of wine, laughter, exaggerated stories and piles of little dishes filled with black, green, spiced, pickled and filled olives, fried calamari and baby squid with lemon, slices of Spanish cured ham - so revered and extraordinary that to translate it with the English word ham is indeed an insult - and every seafood delight imaginable: in savory salads, grilled and skewered on baguette, marinated in vinaigrette with fresh red and green bell peppers, onion and ripe tomato, or sautéd in garlic, parsley and olive oil.
Any bar that prides itself on a serious offering of tapas offers all this plus a counter overflowing with salads, and trays of pinchos (toast points) piled with every combination of pungent cheeses, patés, a staggering variety of sausages and cold cuts, and any combination of the above that might arise in the chef's imagination. But since showing is always infinitely better than telling, I've decided to bring you on a short leg of my own sacred route through the boulevards and back streets of Barcelona in search of the perfect tapas suicide. Stomach empty, some crumpled bills in your pocket, and an itching desire to get walloped by the greatest oral pleasure since that first apple in the Garden of Eden... vamos.
Up in the heart of Barcelona ritz, among art nouveau architectural masterpieces and enough upscale shops to keep you browsing for days, there are plenty of polished tapas bars around the Paseo de Gracia. But I bid you follow me just off the beaten track to where the locals mingle. Wandering...
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