Today’s reflection follows the events scheduled for the coming days during the celebration of the Valencia Culinary Festival. It seems that not everything is as lost as she thought, and there are people who still keep their minds clear. Do not think that I am referring to our political leaders and those responsible for the tourism sector, do not expect anything from them. It is we who have to act. Perhaps if our beloved leaders listened carefully to the bosses of gastronomy, to those who have gone to great lengths to construct the story that has raised us to the altars, perhaps they would realize the horrible ridicule they are making, and the ruin that they distribute to baskets throughout the city. “Bread for today and hunger for tomorrow” is not a good motto for any serious politician. Assuming there are any.
Those who take the money from tourism raw are not from here, they are from far away. For the Valencians they only leave a few crumbs, and the worst, with destructive collateral effects attached to the social and patrimonial fabric. I am not going to enumerate the list of grievances that mass tourism entails, because I am sure that you are already suffering it firsthand.
Truñismo, or truño-tourism, is of no interest to anyone. The bar must be raised, which is why initiatives to feed and drink well, not to just anyone, but to those who know what they are eating and are willing to pay what it is worth, are welcome.
To scare away unwanted tourism, the first thing that should be done is to raise the price of alcohol. Spain at the moment is the opium den of Europe. Alcohol distorts coexistence and from then on nothing works.
My thing is not moralizing, nor giving wax, so it’s better to change gears. Speaking yesterday with Ricard Camarena, she was trying to find out his vision of the tourism boom. Without evasiveness he made it clear: “In our case the important thing is the root of things. Where does our culinary initiative come from? Well, the creativity necessary to maintain projects like the ones we have at l’Horta Nord, and that give meaning to what we do.” – It is a reasoning as basic as it is overwhelming. With things to eat is not played. Let’s see who dares to ruin Ricard’s garden.
The Valencia Premium association is not made up of four undocumented immigrants, it is home to the cream of the city’s haute cuisine and luxury hotels, including the Santos group, owner of the Las Arenas hotel. Its director, Carlos Boga, points out: “We must find the intermediate point where tourism can be combined with a livable city.”
Let’s see if you understand me, that honey is not made for the mouth of the donkey, that any undocumented person cannot be put in this city candy box. There are very cool things to enjoy these days of the excellence of our city within the framework of this festival, which is in its seventh edition. For example, guided tours in small groups to the Central Market led by Michelin star chef Bernd H. Knöller; tasting with Rafael Cambra at the Valencia Casino; visit to the rice fields with Santos Ruiz, manager of the D.O. Rice from Valencia and Juan Ramos, head chef at Llisa Negra; the Sorolla experience, “Vision and flavors of Spain,” the tasting menu created by Jorge de Andrés, National Hospitality Award for Gastronomic Culture 2023; four-hand menus; vermouth workshop, with Marta Valsangiacomo; tapas at The Westin; visit to the ancient farmhouses of Maestrat to learn about the fascinating history and heritage value of these olive trees; tasting of Fondillón… Villa Gadea, Only You… Hospes Palau de la Mar… Villa Indiano… Casa Montaña… El Poblet.
Now that we have the floor of the apartment shiny and freshly mopped, they come to trample it with their muddy boots. In other words, large investment funds have begun to swallow up the efforts of small and medium-sized, local and national companies. And what is coming our way is more tragedy.
