Out Among Humans

It wasn’t until the last morning that the sight of the woman supporting a man in distress on the Gran Via finally made sense.

Gran Via, Barcelona – The stroll from Rocafort to the school on Diputación was planned months in advance – twelve minutes each morning, including a stop for coffee to go.

But the plan was soon ambushed by an unsettling sight.

Something had happened to a pedestrian who was being held erect by a woman frantically consulting her phone. There was no walker or medical-supply bag to suggest the man had a disability.

Some mornings later he appeared again, supported again at the same time and place by the woman consulting her phone.

Our professor, Iván Pardon, suggested she may have been one of the many, many Latin-Americans who hire out as caregivers for Barcelona’s “discapacidados.”

“Discapacidado” is the latest in a long series of politically correct words that have replaced previously politically correct words.

Using the discredited “invalido” or “disminuido,” Iván said, can bring a hush over a dinner party. The word “cáncer” has largely disappeared from polite conversation.

Maybe it happens in every language, words that refer to afflictions and injustices are banished with the hope that a new word will ease the pain attached to them.

It wasn’t until the last morning after five weeks that the purpose of the woman supporting her husband or father or client became clear.

She stood alone on the sidewalk as the van from Barcelona’s Institut Guttmann for Neurological Rehabilitation eased into the traffic heading toward the Ronda Litoral.

She seemed relieved. And she looked younger than before.

Even on the quietest back streets, these sidewalk cafes appear out of nowhere.

BARCELONA – There are hundreds of tiny restaurants with only a handful of tables on the sidewalk and seating for no more than a dozen guests inside.

They use terms like restaurant, delicatessen, cafe and snack bar interchangeably, in mystifying ways. It’s impossible to know if a place is a foodie’s dream come true until the plates arrive. A higher price doesn’t guarantee a memorable lunch.

Many restaurants feature their own specialities and if you ask you’ll hear stories about regional family recipes from the countryside. Sainted grandmothers are credited for all things delicious here in Cataluña.

There will be flavors you can’t identify and even after you check your translation app you may be surprised at what you’ve been served. “Yes, lady, that IS bacon.”

The hole-in-the wall on Corsega named Bar Martin posts a menu of the day that for 10€ ($10.94) offers the choice of a half-dozen first plates and entrees, a dessert and beverage. Two diners will be given a bottle of wine to share.

The lunch will be heavy in rice or pasta or french fries (which alone justify an overnight flight with a stopover in Frankfort.)

There are usually people sitting with a bottle of beer or wine and no food. As much as these establishments pride themselves on their menus, the margins on drinks help keep them afloat.

The woman in the photo, along with her husband, seemed to be working the front and kitchen of Bar Martin without staff. She had to be encouraged to smile.

“Sonrie, sonríe!” whispered her husband. Smile, smile.