Comment from raytibbitts
Time: August 1, 2008, 5:09 am

Man, that photo looks like one of those 3D renderings for a virtual reality world.
So real it’s unreal.

Comment from Jacs
Time: August 1, 2008, 1:30 pm

I love eating Pipas - my boyfriend grew up in Spain and like Maria he tells me that everyone had a serious pipas habit when he was young. The first time we went to Spain together he bought a large bag of “Telepipas” and showed me the technique of splitting the shell and getting the seed out. It took a while but by the end of a couple of large bags I think I got the hang of it. I haven’t seen that many people eating them in Spain but quite often see the evidence of the little stripy husks on the floor, so there must still be some pipas addicts. Incidentally when i went to Uni in Manchester there was a Spanish student, Jose, on my art course, we could find whereabouts he was in the studios by following the little trail of pipas shells or monkey nut shells he left behind him!

Comment from ValenciaSon
Time: August 1, 2008, 6:32 pm

I could never get the hang of orally extracting the seed like my sisters could. I chose kikos as an alternative. I remember going to el cine and there was a sign displayed on the screen which warned “Se prohibe comer pipas en este cine” By the time the movie ended and the light turned on, The floor was almost completely covered with pipas.

Comment from luke
Time: August 1, 2008, 8:06 pm

Thank you for the podcast and the useful info.

We still do pipas in Madrid, I had no idea it that it has gone out of fashion…my wife doesn’t believe it but if it’s true then it’s sad news. But pipas are still very much in fashion with the Turks in London.

Comment from Edith
Time: August 2, 2008, 11:57 am

Pipas are very popular among people from Turkey and Morocco, they are true pros at eating them.

RE galletas marí­a: in Holland, we also have ‘maria biscuits’, and I wonder what the history of these biscuits is.

Great panoramic view, I love the cloud formations and the mountains! It looks very peaceful and quiet.

Comment from Edith
Time: August 2, 2008, 6:57 pm

@ Ben,

If it’s those little beasties in the background you are talking about: they are field crickets, not cicadas. Cicadas sound like circular saws and the song of a single cicada can be quite loud, let alone the deafening clamor produced by a whole chorus.

Comment from Ben
Time: August 2, 2008, 7:41 pm

@Edith, thanks! You certainly know your beasties!!

Comment from Edith
Time: August 2, 2008, 11:05 pm

@ Ben,

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

Comment from Edith
Time: August 2, 2008, 11:13 pm

Insert your earplugs and watch the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlNDUnGNvfg&feature=related