“Can you make paella?”

No, not me. But now I can, by lurching around the kitchen and pretending to be the clean-up girl, as opposed to the pin-up. The people of Valencia fiercely defend that no one else in Spain knows what a true paella is and if you eat them elsewhere, you are most likely deceived.

“Can you make paella?” was the third line that came up from our Malaysian guest after introduction to the Spanish host.

“Er, sure. Welcome to Munich! Make yourselves at home.”

“Please, please. It would be really great to have some authentic paella.”

So to my foreign eyes, paella is possibly to Spanish what risotto is to Italians. With risotto, you can be as creative as you like with the ingredients. However, do respect the cooking method. Same goes with paella, except you need the saffron to make it look authentic. And the distinction between risotto and paella : “We never stir the rice while it’s cooking,” and this confirmation comes from a true blue Spanish. Why? Just don’t question it.  But then again, he’s not from Valencia.