I'll check into that book. Puna- They refer to Balkan Syndrome not as being the same as mad cow, but as another failure by the government, due to misinformation, to prevent harm to Spainards.

Balkan Syndrome was being reported by Belgian soldiers and subsequently by US and other soldiers stationed in the Balkans for UN peacekeeping operations. Apparently the illness, which is characterized by lethargy and a lack of will (come to think of it, they might call that CaliBasco Syndrome too ) was caused by the use of depleted uranium shells in combat there. It's probably similar to what the US was calling Gulf War Syndrome ten years ago.

I'm an idiot - didn't realize that the uranium issue was basically your Balkan snydrome ... Thanks for enlightening - removing the wool from my eyes ....

Touché, Puna. Touché. Well said.

The governments are looking for scapecows..er...goats wherever they can.

Two things to know about food (particularl ythis mad cow thing...) and water.

Water: when I lived in Madrid in 1997 and part of 1998, Madrid's city water was voted cleanest and safest of all Western European cities.
BUT! Be prepared for an initial, but not too serious bout of diarreah. Like it or not, when your system has to get used to a new taste of water/food etc. (even the perfectly safe and clean stuff!) it does offset your balalnce a bit. That, by no means, means the water or food is unsafe. Every time I go back to Spain, my system takes about 5 days to adjust.

Also, as far as mad cow disease is concerned...it's generally when you eat the brain of the cow that you could contract the disease.
tracy

I too have heard Tracy's advice on eating the brain. A well informed friend of mine in Madrid states that he has sworn off anything related to the nervous system for the time being, and yes, this means the beloved rabo de toro...So, just to be on the safe side...

You just have to worry about Rabo de toro like to any other part of the cow as Rabo de toro isn't really the tail of the bull! By now they think it's safe.
The parts that are suspicious are being prohibited.
Chuleton has been prohibited, right now they have to take the bone off. Also brain and things like heart, intestins......(not callos, which are before the stomach)

In the interest of further deviating from the initial post, I wanted to comment on something that Tracy Moral's post reminded me of:

When I was in Madrid living in 1992 as a student, I was told that the water in Madrid is the reason men there go bald...probably because my landlady wanted to discourage me from that oh-so-grotesque daily ritual of showering. She visited the bañera/ducha a little less frequently than her yankee counterparts.

Nevertheless, I did notice the hair club candidates in abundance in the capital. As you move up into Asturias and Euskadi, they are fewer and further between...coincidence? Perhaps....

CaliBasco...LoL!!!

If you are into trying new and interesting water, visit Puertollano, the city of two lies. There is no port anywhere (it is landlocked) and it is anything but flat (a great part of the city lies between two gigantic hills). They have Agua Agria there in the fountain at the center of town. It's full of iron and has a carbonated feel to it. "Agria" desribes it perfectly. (Don't cook vegetables in it though, they become rock solid!) Not much else to visit in the town though. But I love the landscape!

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BueeenOOOOO!!