Running with Pigs in Europe

By Paul Pennay
Published: 2010-07-15

On my first morning in Madrid, running on only about 5 hours sleep, I was in desperate need of a coffee to get me going in the morning.
About a block from the hotel at which we're staying, I found a small café that served coffee along with various pastries including croissants and churros.

The churros I'd tried before were quite crunchy and were served with melted chocolate, but the ones I found in Madrid looked and tasted exactly like the youtiao you can buy on the streets of most Chinese cities.
I took Zhang Feifei down to the café the next morning to try these "Spanish Youtiao," but he thought that they didn't quite taste the same without being accompanied by a big bowl of hot soy milk.

Along with the youtiao, the friendly little café was showing the first day of the running of the bulls in Pampolana live on a small TV in the corner next to a poker machine.

The morning crowds of office workers also getting a quick caffeine fix on their way to work, watched on as the bulls charged down the streets.


Croissants and Churros in the small café

 

Where is a big bowl of hot soy milk?

 

Churros in the cafe

 

Youtiao (油条) sold on the Chinese streets