Parallel Universes: The Fería del Libro in Guadalajara

For the second time this year, the first being in Panamá Gastronómica, I’ve had the feeling of being in a universe parallel to the English-speaking world.  Great events, well-attended (half a million in the “FEEEL” as the Feria del Libro is pronounced in English), discussing the same themes as the English-speaking world.

But influence, copying, no I don’t think so. Not even any reference whatever to the English-speaking world.  Globalization works in mysterious ways and the American belief that it’s all top down is just over-simple.

So something of the FIL, next largest book fair in the world after Frankfurt, the 10,000 lb gorilla (but also not in the US you will note).

So well-organized, little notes in the hotel door every morning about where we had to be and when and how.  And for the truly acquisitive, these carts.

So many presentations, between 3 and 10 every hour from 10 am to 10 pm for an entire week, every one spot on time.  All the best known historians, poets, novelists, etc writing in Spanish, highbrow and popular.

So many books–legal and medical, self help and esoteric, poetry and novels, academic and for children.  A huge convention hall with shelves reaching to the ceiling.

So many requests for an autograph from students who had to show they had been to the FIL.  My fame?  Not for a minute.  My stature, skin color, and comportment. You bet.  Finally in the sea of Spanish speakers a gringa they could nail for an “international” comment.

So many intriguing books on food history from Castilla y León, the invited Spanish guests, and from Brazil (dende, Brazilian influence on Portuguese cooking)

So many opportunities to get a glimpse into other places, books from the Dominican Republic, Cuba (Che Guevara again and again), Columbia, Costa Rica, you name the Spanish-speaking country, they were there.

So evocative, the wine that Columbus first successfully landed in the New World on his third voyage.  (No, I don’t think it tastes the same but even so when sipped as poets read the poems about the Castillian landscape . . . the mind wanders across the oceans).

And so informative (kidding) but actually yes, our panel, talking about all kinds of themes in the history of food in the world of Spanish speakers.

If this is a bit hard to see, I wanted to leave the photos and back drop. Left to right. Laura Caraza, author of many Mexican cookbooks and columns including those in Mexico Desconocido, the magnificent glossy about Mexico that taught me so much when I first came to the country: Jiapsy Arias González, who is expert in convent food and the indigenous food of the Yaquis in particular and teaches at the University of Mexico City;  José Luis Curiel, food engineer, historian, and gastronome; Julio Valles the moderator, former engineer, gastronome and author of many food histories of sixteenth-century Spain; me; and Rosario Olivas, the food historian of Peru.

My goodness, did I enjoy this.

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