ElViejo, please have one for me! Enjoy your trip. By the way, I like your nickname

Just a tidbit on the Mad Cow thing...They have found a few contaminated cows in Spain but it is still isolated, though this subject was splattered all over the news as of late...A well informed friend of mine in Madrid, advised us to take just a few precautions...Apparantly the mad cow thing is in the nervous system, so as a precaution, he was no longer eating anything from the cow relating to it, i.e. sesos, or rabo de toro...just a precaution.

p.s. if i'm misinformed, please, someone, enlighten me.:confused

Thanks to all of you who have been replying to my original posting. We just got back from Madrid last evening & I can tell you that we ate churros and drank what I consider to be the world's finest hot chocolate (and yes...it's still as thick and rich as syrup!). In addition, we ate some WONDERFUL paella at a little place across from the Plaza del Sol. I don't remember the name, but they had several varieties and they were all GREAT! We really got some great ham at the restaurant Museo de Jamon on Calle Del Prado. There are other Museo de Jamon locations around Madrid. Also order the bean soup from the menu. It was awsome. But DO NOT go to the Restaurante El Diamantino on calle Atocha. They have hawkers passing out yellow flyers all over the place. I should have known better. All you can eat for 1,100 pesetas. The food was "ok" but it seemed that the steam tables didn't keep it warm. Other than that...we didn't have a bad meal the whole time. And for those of you who are going on a budget...you can dine well for either lunch of dinner for under $6. And, yes, the water is VERY safe to drink. Bien viaje!

[This message has been edited by Antonio (edited 01-23-2001).]

El Viego

Mmmmmmmmm! My mouth is watering. I love Museo del Jamon!

What was the name of the place that you had churros y chocolate? Where was it?

Hope you're not missing Madrid too much now you are back.

Jo-Anne

[This message has been edited by Jo-Anne (edited 01-23-2001).]

Jo-anne - we had churros & chocolate at several places...none of which I remember the name. There was one, though on Sunday across from the Rastro that was terrific.

I know I'm a late entrant on this thread...but I just found it. We spoke with family in Spain on Christmas, and they mentioned (of all things) the "vaca loca". They said that they can't sell their cattle because of the scare. From our conversations I gathered that they don't eat a lot of meat right now either. Regardless, it seems to be a concern at least in their part of Spain (the Basque Country).

Just thought you'd like it straight from the "horse's" mouth.

OK, I wasn't going to have a cow (!!) in the middle of the chocolate thread, but here goes: in the AVE from Sevilla to Madrid the guy behind me never stopped talking in his cell phone. He was involved in agriculture somehow, and was setting up a whole bunch of meetings in Segovia to deal with the mad cow problem/crisis in Spain. Esto es serio, he kept saying.

that would be seriously irritating.

I just stumbled on this article in El Pais today: http://www.elpais.es/p/d/20010123/espana/cupula.htm

It seems the PP is blaming the PSOE for the problem, as the socialists were in power when the "vacas locas" started getting locas. This sounds all too much like the U.S.'s "vast left-wing conspiracy" (PP is right-wing...) No matter who is responsible, the "steaks" are high!!!

calibasco... those jokes...I just don't what to say, man..