Andere Länder, andere Sitten - Las extrañas costumbres alemanas ;-)

Tal como dicen los alemanes: "Andere Länder, andere Sitten." ;-)

Guisantes con calamar - Erbsen mit Tintenfisch

Posiblemente uno de mis platos favoritos. Uno entre los 1001 que tengo.
Möglicherweise eins meiner Lieblingsgerichte. Eins unter 1001.



RECETA DE SERGIO Y JAVIER TORRES

Ingredientes 

400 gr guisantes
130 gr calamar
Sal y pimienta
1 cebolla tierna
Gotas de lima
Aceite de oliva
2 cucharadas de vino blanco seco

Elaboración 

Pelar los guisantes y guardar las vainas. Cortar la cebolla tierna en rodajas finas.  

Para el caldo: Poner las vainas de los guisantes en una olla y cubrir con un poco de agua (justo a ras), añadir sal y llevar al fuego. Dejar cocinar durante diez minutos. 

En una olla, poner 2 cucharadas de aceite de oliva y añadir la cebolla cortada. Rehogar ligeramente, añadir los guisantes, continuar rehogando y añadir dos cucharadas de vino blanco seco. Añadir el caldo de las vainas y dejar cocinar cuatro minutos. Cortar el calamar en tiras muy finas. Retirar la olla del fuego y añadir el calamar. Poner unas gotas de lima, pimienta, sal y aceite de oliva. Emplatar y ¡listo para comer!

"Spain's secret conflict" - Catalonia and Spain - A documentary in English

A documentary about the struggle of the state of Catalonia within Spain. Packed with lots of insights, interviews and data. What are the reasons and arguments for the conflict?

The documentary "Spain's secret conflict" (Gary Gibson, 2010) lasts 39 minutes and is really worth seeing if you are interested in Catalonia and/or Spain. Among the persons sharing their point of view on the issue are former Prime Minister of Spain (1996-2004) José María Aznar, former President of the Catalan Government (1980-2003) Jordi Pujol, former Vice-president of the Catalan Government (2006-2010) Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, Catalan politician Oriol Jonqueras, British historian and Hispanist Paul Preston CBE, the popular and controversial Spanish pundit Federico Jiménez Losantos, former Vice President of the Spanish Government (1982-1991) Alfonso Guerra, Catalan historian Josep Maria Solé i Sabaté, the British writer Matthew Tree, the president of the Confederación Española de Organizaciones Empresariales (Spanish Confederation of Employers Organizations) and Catalan entrepreneur Joan Rosell Lastortras, Spanish politician and intelectual Jaime Pastor Verdú, and many anonymous people interviewed in public spaces around Spain and Catalonia.

Footnote: The interview with Matthew Tree took place in the Hotel Casa Fuster, "located in the heart of Barcelona in a modernist building which has been restored for perfection while being converted into an establishment of great luxury. Hotel Casa Fuster is one of the 5 selected hotels by the Leading Hotels of the World" (website Hotel Casa Fuster).

Casa Fuster (Wikipedia in Spanish)

Gràcies, Adrià.

"Interview with Spain's China Expert Augusto Soto", Chinese Academy of Social Sciences CASS

INSTITUE OF EUROPEAN STUDIES, CHINESE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

An Interview with Spain’s China Expert Augusto Soto

★★★

An Interview with Spain’s China Expert Augusto Soto

Q: First of all, please tell us a bit ­about the organization you are affiliated with.  A: I am a Consultant and Professor at ESADE and Academic Contributor of ESADEgeo-Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics. http://www.esadegeo.com/team  President of ESADEgeo-Center for Global Economy and Geopolitics is Professor Javier Solana. As you know, he is Former European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and Former Secretary General of NATO. His leadership is highly inspiring. I am also Global Expert of the Global Experts of the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations: http://www.theglobalexperts.org/?s=Soto&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0 Thanks to my experience in trying to learn more about China and Chinese Western relations over the last 25 years, I am now leading the Dialogue with China Project based in Barcelona: www.dialoguewithchina.eu Its purpose is to contribute to the process of mutual understanding between the EU and China. It has a glocal perspective, encompassing both global and local. By local we mean a Barcelona, Spanish and European perspective. By global we mean the global synergies generated by the EU. Q: What is the current economic situation in Spain now? A: The economic situation appears to be the worst in more than four decades. The facts are known. The economy is not really growing, the jobless rate is extremely high and for the time being at least, Spain is no longer among the eight main world economic powers. The country is to a certain extent experiencing a brain drain which is an immediate opportunity for emerging or re-emerging countries and an opportunity for Spain only in the long run. Spain is still a wealthy society but its per capita income has gone back to the levels of the beginnings of the last decade. At the same time there is a growing consensus among Spanish strategists and policy-makers on the need for more internationalization. This fresh “going abroad” view is seen as a necessary pillar for the future of the Spanish economy. Due to the European character of the crisis a natural priority for the country now is reinforcing political and economic ties with other European powers, particularly with Germany. Another clear and natural option for Spain is reinforcing economic and political ties with Latin America. It is important to stress that most Spanish multinationals reached its international status in that continent over the last two decades. Q: Regarding the debt crisis in Europe, there are many different views. What is yours? A: My view is that the crisis is a multidimensional one. If we look back, the most dangerous aspect of the debt crisis is a relative breaking of confidence among some EU partners. Broadly speaking, over the last two years we have seen somehow a relative gap of understanding between Northern and Southern Europe as well as between the West and the former Eastern bloc. Then we have Britain, whose participation in the EU follows its own peculiar path. Secondly, until recently we saw a lack of clarity to envisage the way out of the debt crisis. It seems that tools for planning in times of the Cold War are not valid tools in times of globalization in which market operations are made at light speed in seconds and even in less than one second. On the other side, the present crisis is a systemic one within the capitalist system but not the end of capitalism. Q: Some pessimistic persons would say that the Euro will collapse soon.  Is it true? A: On the future of the euro there is no consensus. There is not scientific approach to answer to this question neither by EU prime ministers, presidents, euro-bureaucrats or winners of Nobel prizes. At the same time it seems pure science fiction to think of the collapse of the euro. This currency still seems an excellent idea for the purpose of political and economic unity of a diversified continent facing the challenges of globalization. The euro is still an excellent idea which unfortunately has been poorly managed. Personally I am not pessimistic. In the not so distant past Europe witnessed several crises including internal wars. Historically Europe was a unique continent of crises, challenges and response. Also, we are not in times like in the fifties, recovering from the Second World War or the Spanish Civil War. Europe as a block is still the most powerful economic and trading powerhouse in the world. Also, EU’s reaction capacity cannot be neglected. So, in spite of the above mentioned problems, the EU treaty on budget policy agreed on at the end of January it is an outstanding fact. The fact that twenty-five out of the 27 European Union member states have agreed on a new fiscal treaty imposing concerted discipline, in my opinion, is an excellent new beginning sending an unusual positive sign to the outside world. Q: Now, turning to China-European relations, what are the major obstacles hindering the bilateral ties? A: Since the establishment of bilateral relations we have seen an increasing mutual understanding which is a model for the rest of the world. I would say that in this process the major obstacle to harmonious relations is not to recognize some differences on certain issues. These issues are known. Some are issues of principle and some are mostly technicalities. The important thing here is that the relation is so mature that there are different channels to overcome obstacles or misunderstandings. Personally, I do not see any obstacle based on radically different mentalities when approaching issues of common concern. On the other side, it is true that from time to time there is potential for misunderstandings, sometimes, due to the nature of our political systems which are different. But we sometimes find differences within the EU too. So, differences can also enrich ties. Q:  Based on your own observation, what do the Spanish people view China?  As you are a China expert, would you say that people in Spain have a good, correct and objective understanding of China? A:  Spanish people have a very positive image of China. It should also be stressed that thanks to the modernization of China its society is changing more rapidly than any other society in the world. Spanish people need permanently to keep an updated view on China. At the official level, in modern times bilateral relations were established in 1973 and in 2005 they reached the level of “strategic partnership”. It is no wonder that top Chinese leaders have praised Spain as “the best friend of China in the European Union”. Personally I feel delighted for the increasing degree of interest about China in this country. Over the last years I have accompanied Chinese delegations and friends visiting Madrid and Barcelona. What struck me most in most occasions is the degree of good will and curiosity expressed by Spanish people from all walks of life. Some even try to speak some Chinese to the guests and show surprising knowledge about China’s culture and customs that just a decade ago would have been unthinkable curiosity for an average Spanish citizen. There is also an increasing academic community devoted to Chinese studies and to the study of the Chinese language and culture. Spain has now six Confucius Institutes. Of course, each quarter of our big or small cities has many Chinese restaurants. At the same time you can also see emerging businesses in different sectors bolstered by the initiative and hard work of Chinese immigrants widely admired. Q:   How should we improve the understanding of the Europeans about China? A:  As in the case of Spain, Europeans need more channels for a better understanding of China. Luckily there are some tools and frames at hand. The EU-China Year of Intercultural Dialogue starting on February of this year, taking place in the 27 countries of the European Union, is a window of opportunity. This fresh EU-China initiative suggests the following reflections. It is more than clear that since youth represent the future, we should try to engage more students. First of all, we should significantly provide constant support to those young European and Chinese scholars who have spent years trying to understand Chinese and European realities and bilateral relations. Secondly, I feel that we need to promote interest on the significance of our relations among EU and Chinese outstanding students who so far, because of their study fields, show interest but know little about China and Europe. They are tomorrow’s leaders, so it is of strategic importance to inform them and actively engage them. Thirdly, by the same token we should try to engage senior EU and Chinese middle level ranking politicians, economists, academics, artists who are not directly connected by profession or dedication to the improvement of EU-China ties, but who are influential locally and globally. This latter group is the most important target group. Of course, carrying on constant dialogues and fora on international relations, economics, strategy and geostrategic issues should be kept high on the agenda for mutual understanding. It goes without saying that dialogues go beyond a specific year of the calendar since it is a permanent task. Q:   As a scholar on international studies, what suggestions would you like to give to the young scholars in China regarding the question how to conduct international studies? A:  First of all, keep in mind as a principle a quite famous and familiar sentence to both Chinese and global citizens since 1978: “Practice is the sole criterion of truth”. This means knowing what it means to your country. Secondly, you need to know how this translates into other countries according to local conditions. Thus, thirdly, since China has become a power of global reach, no matter what is your specialty within the field of international studies, you must constantly visit more different countries than previous generations of scholars did. Study and travel in countries of the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. Each continent teaches you something, by doing so you could see first-hand aspects of reality not included in the main texts of your own field. Fourth, read the Chinese and European classics again and again. If you want to enrich your understanding of the Western world, do not neglect ancient Roman and Greek classics. By reading them you will somehow realize that several events that are taking place in the international scenario have somehow “happened” in the past and been masterly interpreted by those ancient giants. This will help your capacity of judgment. Fifth, due to the crisis and common global challenges it is a must to reinforce the understanding of political sciences, international relations and economics. And also keep an eye on new vehicles of communication made possible by the information revolution. Keep yourself updated! And last but not least. If you feel that after years of studying within your field there is a contribution you can make to society, do not hesitate and try to make an impact on your own society by contributing to international encounters, conversations, dialogues, good will, etc. We face and will face very deep challenges that deserve to be tackled together.             (This interview was conducted through email on February 3, 2012.)

LA ENTREVISTA TRADUCIDA AL CHINO. THE INTERVIEW TRANSLATED INTO CHINESE: 本网专访西班牙中国问题专家苏傲古（Augusto Soto）教授 顶 ★★★ 本网专访西班牙中国问题专家苏傲古（Augusto Soto）教授 作者：佚名 文章来源：本站原创 点击数：43 更新时间：2012-2-10 12:14:11 问：首先，能否介绍一下您工作单位的有关情况。 答：我是拉蒙·柳利大学工商管理学院（ESADE）的顾问和教授，同时是该院全球经济和地缘政治中心（ESADEgeo）的研究人员（参见：http://www.esadegeo.com/team）。 ESADEgeo的总裁是哈维尔·索拉纳教授。众所周知，索拉纳教授是前欧盟共同外交与安全政策高级代表和前北约秘书长，他的领导非常鼓舞人心。 此外，我还是联合国文明联盟环球专家库中的一名专家（参见：http://www.theglobalexperts.org/?s=Soto&Submit.x=0&Submit.y=0）。 得益于过去25年以来，对中国问题以及中西方关系的持续关注，我目前在巴塞罗那主持一个与中国的对话项目（参见：www.dialoguewithchina.eu）。该项目基于全球-地方视角，旨在促进中国和欧盟的相互理解。所谓地方视角，指基于巴塞罗那、西班牙和欧洲的视角；所谓全球视角，意味着关注中欧互动带来的全球协同效应。 问：西班牙目前的经济形势如何？ 答：大家知道，西班牙经济现在处于四十多年来的最糟糕时期。经济没有丝毫增长，失业率高得惊人，至少暂时西班牙已不再位居世界八大经济强国之列。眼下西班牙还正遭受着某种程度的人才外流，这对新兴经济体或者复兴国家是一个直接的机会，只有从长远看，才是西班牙的机遇。西班牙仍然很富裕，但是人均收入已降至上个时代初的水平。 与此同时，关于进一步国际化的需求，在西班牙的战略家和决策者中正在形成共识。这种“走出去”的新观念被视为西班牙经济未来的必要支柱。由于本次危机的主战场在欧洲，自然西班牙当前的优先事项是加强同其它欧洲国家的政治和经济联系，特别是与德国的联系。 西班牙另一个明显且自然而然的选择是加强与拉丁美洲的经济和政治联系。强调这一点很重要，过去20多年来，绝大多数西班牙的跨国公司都是通过拉丁美洲实现了国际化。 问：关于欧债危机，现在众说纷纭、见仁见智，您有何看法？ 答：在我看来，欧债危机具有多个维度。回头审视，债务危机最危险的方面是在一些欧盟伙伴之间信任的相对丧失。泛泛而谈，过去两年来，某种程度上，北部欧洲和南部欧洲之间，以及西欧和前东欧集团之间已经出现了一些裂痕。然后还有英国——它加入欧盟的过程本身就很独特。 其次，迄今我们仍未看到清晰的危机解决方案。全球化时代的市场运行瞬息万变，冷战时期的应对手段在这样一个全球化时代已不再管用。 另一方面，当前的危机是资本主义制度的体系性危机，但尚不是资本主义的终结。 问：很多悲观论者认为欧元很快将崩溃，您认为这会发生吗？ 答：关于欧元的未来，目前尚未形成共识。无论是欧盟各国的国家元首、政府首脑、欧元官僚们，还是诺贝尔奖获得者，都还没有找到科学回答这个问题的方法。 另一方面，欧元崩溃论有如一部纯科幻小说。对于一个充满多样性且面临全球化挑战的大陆来说，欧元仍然是它们加强政治和经济整合的良好设计，只不过不幸的是目前管理不善。 我个人不是一个悲观论者。在并不遥远的过去，欧洲也曾发生过一些危机，包括内部战争。历史上，欧洲更是一个充满危机、挑战与回应的大陆。况且，现在不是上世纪五十年代，当时欧洲刚从西班牙内战和第二次世界大战中走出来。作为一个整体，欧洲仍然是世界上最强大的经济和贸易实体之一。 此外，欧盟的反应能力也不能忽视。因此，尽管有种种问题，2012年1月底就预算政策达成的条约引人注目。在我看来，27个欧盟成员国中有25个同意旨在强化纪律的新财政公约，给外部世界发出了强有力的积极信号，这是一个相当不错的新起点。 问：现在我们谈谈中欧关系，您认为影响双方交往的主要障碍是什么？ 答：自中欧双方建立正式的双边关系以来，相互理解不断加深，总体上，中欧关系的发展堪为世界楷模。 我认为影响中欧关系和谐发展的主要障碍并不在于认同双方在某些议题上的分歧。这些分歧众所周知，有些是原则性的，有些则非常技术性。重要的是，中欧关系是如此成熟，有很多不同的途径和方法可解决双方之间出现的问题和误解。 关于一些共同关切事项，我个人没有发现存在着任何因双方截然不同的模式而导致的障碍。另一方面，由于政治体制不同，双方偶尔出现一些误解也是有可能的。但这种情况在欧盟内部也时有发生。可见，分歧也可以丰富中欧关系的内涵。 问：据您个人观察，西班牙人民如何看待中国？作为一名中国问题专家，您认为西班牙人民对中国是否有一个良好、正确和客观的印象？ 答：西班牙人民对中国的印象非常好。当然应强调，中国实行现代化以后，社会发展日新月异，发展速度超过世界上的任何其它地方，西班牙人民也需要不断更新对中国的看法。官方层面，双方于1973年建立正式外交关系，2005年建立“全面战略伙伴关系”。难怪中国的最高领导层称赞西班牙是“中国在欧盟最好的朋友”。 我很高兴地看到西班牙对中国的兴趣越来越大。过去几年里，我陪同了一些中国代表团和中国朋友们访问马德里和巴塞罗那。大部分时候最让我感到惊奇的是西班牙普通民众对中国的善意和好奇。一些人甚至试图向客人说中文，向客人展示他们对中国文化和风俗的异乎寻常的了解。仅仅十年以前，对普通民众而言，这是不可想象的。 在学术界，致力于研究中国与学习中文和中国文化的人也越来越多。西班牙现有6个孔子学院。当然，中国餐馆遍布西班牙的大小城市。同时，中国移民在西班牙很多不同行业开展的业务越来越多，他们的积极性和勤劳刻苦广受尊重。 问：如何才能改善欧洲人对中国的理解？ 答：对于西班牙，我们需要更多渠道以更好地理解中国。幸运地是，目前这方面已建立了一些途径和框架。 今年2月在欧盟27国启动的“中欧跨文化对话年”活动是加强双方理解的良好平台。 这个新的中欧倡议基于一些考虑。很明显，既然青年代表着未来，应吸引更多的学生参与该项活动。首先，应该给双方那些多年来致力于理解中欧现实社会和双边关系的青年学者们以持续的实质性支持。 其次，对于双方那些专业领域与中欧相关、且对中欧表现出一定的兴趣、但对中欧了解并不多的优秀学生，有必要让他们更好地理解中欧关系的重要性。 第三，基于同样理由，对于双方那些职业或事业并不直接与中欧交往相关、但具有地区或全球影响的政治家、经济学家、学者和艺术家们，有必要鼓励他们投身于促进中欧相互理解的事业。作为社会中层的高端人才，这部分人是最重要的目标群体。 当然，为加强相互理解，还需要经常就国际关系、经济学、战略和地缘战略等议题举办对话或论坛之类的活动。 不用说，既然开展对话是一项长期工作，就不会仅局限于某个特定的年份。 问：作为一名从事国际问题研究的学者，就如何进行国际问题研究，您对中国的青年学者有何建议？ 答：首先，牢记一个原则：实践是检验真理的唯一标准。这句话相当著名，自1978年以来为中国人民和全世界所熟知。要根据自己国家的实际情况理解这句话的含义。 其次，需要明白各国情况不一，要把握国家之间的差异，结合当地实际开展研究。 因此，第三，自中国成为一个全球性大国以来，在国际问题研究领域，无论你具体研究什么，相比以前的学者，你必须不断地在北半球和南半球游学，实地考察各国情况。在每个大陆你都会受益颇多，从而获得在研究资料中所无法找到的对世界现实的最直观感受和第一手资料。 第四，阅读中国和欧洲的经典，要反反复复地读。如果要加深对西方世界的理解，就不能不读古罗马和古希腊的经典。通过阅读经典，你可能会发现世界上一些正在发生的事件某种程度上过去也“发生”过，而且那时的巨匠们已经给这些问题提供了精妙的解释。这样有助于提高你的判断力。 第五，由于存在危机和一些需共同面对的全球性挑战，需要加强政治学、国际关系和经济学等专业方面的学习；同时应关注信息革命所带来的新的沟通方式。简言之，要与时俱进。 最后，但并非最不重要的是，经过多年的专业积累，如果觉得自己可以对社会有所贡献，应积极主动地通过国际交往、交流、对话等方式，尽量对所在社会产生影响，作出力所能及的贡献。我们正面临着，而且将一直面临着需要共同应对的严峻挑战。 （本专访于2012年2月3日通过电子邮件进行，原文为英文，由刘衡翻译）

Always look on the bright side of life :-)

Simplemente cantar con ell@s ya te hace dirigir la mirada hacia el lado soleado de la vida. ¿Cierto?