A wee blast for the past to keep you eating up paella and bovril

Here in Barcelona I am getting "sported up" to the max. Over the summer I have been watching the Euros, Tour de France, Olympics and now the Scottish football is back to join the party!

With a few days to go before you can get your teeth into the new season of "Paella and Bovril" I thought I would give you a wee taste of and old one, trust me this Paella does not go off!

A few years ago I went to montmelo, the Spanish home of Formula 1. This serving of P&B is from the programme that followed. 

Enjoy and see you soon! 

PLEASE SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL TEAM AND IT'S MATCH DAY PROGRAMME! YOUR CLUB NEEDS YOU!

VVVVVVVVRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMM………… I am just back from a day at Montmelo (Melon mountain). For those who do not know, Montmelo is the home to the circuit de catalunya, the track used for the Spanish Grand Prix.  Today was part of the test weekend being held before the season starts.

Now a tickets to the Grand Prix start from just under £140 and go up to £2000, but today I got access to all areas of the circuit for just 17 euros. All the stars were there, Alonso, Hamilton, Button and all the rest.  As the cars screamed past and the thousand of fans who were there waved flags and bought merchandise. I had a wee thought to myself. For the same price as an afternoons First Division football I am getting to watch the best of the best, now that is quite a good deal!

I have been to a few sporting events here in Catalonia and the crowds all seem to have something in common.  There is always time to have a bite to eat and a drink.

  When we first moved here we struggled with the Spanish eating timetable of eating your dinner at 9pm or later. We were always starving by about 7pm. how did they do it? Then we found out. 5 meals a day, a Government infomercial told us. Breakfast of cereal and a sweet pastry, then a mid morning snack of a small sandwich with a wee glass of wine in some cases, a 2 hour three course lunch, with wine of course, tapas and a wee beer about 6 then a dinner after 9.  This apparent constant eating and drinking is evident in crowds at sporting events. Everywhere you look you see people with tin foil wrapped baguette that brought from home, and glasses or cans of the local beer, bought from inside the ground. The alcohol sold at half time most places here in Barcelona is a coke can sized priced in a way that is not so cheap you buy loads and get steaming at half time, or to expensive you do not buy it.  Supporters are not rioting or throwing their cans at the players.  They are adults and are treated so by the authorities.

 Alcohol at a sporting event! Since the 80s alcohol has been banned from Scottish grounds due to the violence and riotous behaviour experienced at many a weekends match! I am too young to remember this first hand, but I have seen the films and pictures of these times and yes they are pretty horrific. It was the right time to prohibit alcohol, in order to save the game. As the years went by football became less associated with hooligans and violence and more about big money players and expensive entrance fees.

But is it time to re-think the ban? Is it time for a pie and Bovril to be replaced by a pie and a wee beer. People like a drink whilst watching football, the pubs that are packed on match days will tell you. Sky sports and a lager in a nice warm pub is some people’s idea of a good day out at the football.  Maybe it is time for the ban to be lifted and let the clubs compete with the pubs and their “live” matches.