--- In rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "Gonzalo Baeza" <gbaeza@...> wrote:
>
> Pictures of the recently-inaugurated Vásquez Montalbán square, the
> opening event of the week-long Semana Negra de Barcelona, one of
> Spain's two big crime fiction festivals:
He was a good man and an excellent writer and reporter. He was also an
expert on Spanish gastronomy. His book on Catalan cuisine is classic.
I am glad that he has been honored by the city he loved so much, my
favorite city, too. His political positions didn't always endear him
to the local ruling elites, but people loved him. His crime series
with Pepe Carvalho and his sidecook Biscuter travels well. He may have
been the first to combine hardboiled crime with a passion for good
food. As a cook he was a very advanced semipro, that is, he could do
everything except the most complicated desserts. He could have been a
pro. His knowledge of mushrooms, in particular, was prodigious.
One of these days I should write something about him. It is rather
painful, however; his sudden death while waiting at an airport in
Thailand, where he had gone on assignment, still shocks. I bet he had
some great meals in Thailand -- that's a positive thought.
Best,
mrt
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 04 Feb 2009 EST