Wild Goose Chase

Carolyn is in town!! She sent me a grocery list a week ago of the ingredients she’d need for our Christmas dinner. I signed us up to host Christmas dinner for those that were in town. I didn’t have any time to do a fly by at grocery stores, I had a paper, a project and a move(!) this week, but I appreciate the email that said “I’ll be making goose,” and the other email “does Spain have pearl onions.” (What about goose!)

Carolyn arrived on Thursday December 23rd at 7 am. I was there when she emerged from the glass doors after customs with two huge suitcases. I owe her big time, she brought a ton of stuff that I put in requests for, warm clothes, Costco size peanut butter...
After we dropped off her stuff, we went in search for this goose.

…in Spanish…
Butcher shop Do you have goose?
No, I don’t have goose
Do you know where we could buy goose?
Maybe your best try is at Corte Ingles.

Corte Ingles Do you have goose?
No.
Do you know where we could buy goose?
No.

Butcher shop Do you have goose?
What! Goose? No. What!?
Do you know where we could buy goose?
What! We don’t like goose.
Do you know where we could buy goose?
We don’t like goose.
Madrid doesn’t like goose?
Spain.

Carolyn didn’t feel great from the long flight and I had been having something like vertigo about six times and have to stop walking, it was very bizarre, so went home in need of a nap, we had the first of several holiday parties to go to.

At Zubin’s several Christmas dinner guests were there and a few asked about the goose. Andres and Juliana asked us if we found the goose, I said not yet but we’re going to keep looking. Juliana said “I’ve told my whole family about the goose! They all know!” Andres confirmed that their whole family knew about the goose, he called it “the famous goose.”

When we told Chris that we were still looking for goose he said all the stores were closed on the 24th and 25th. Ffffffffffffffffffff!!! I was prepared to leave the party at 10:15 pm and catch the grocery stores, or any store that was still open. Maria said that some shops were open on the 24th until the early afternoon. When Shirley asked us if we went shopping, we said we went looking but didn’t buy anything. “Wow, you guys are efficient,” Shirley said. “It nearly killed us” I said.

Still not feeling great, we went to bed.

9 am we were up at headed to the first of several markets and butchers. We asked every single butcher or poultry section (about a dozen) if they had goose. It was “Navidad pollo” for us. We napped before the Porter’s Christmas Eve party.

I calculated with the lack of sleeping trying to do homework, stay on top of reading or finish projects, I’ve missed a night of sleep every three (week) nights. I wish I could say I’ve got a lot of late nights partying under my belt. My friend Michael is about six months ahead of me in the program and he said I’ve got some time before I stop caring.

While shopping I pick up a Santa costume…

The Porter’s was perfect!

[photo coming soon!]
Three part Santa – Kyle (pants), me (jacket) and Steve (beard)

From 101224

Then Santa made an appearance, like a good mall Christmas photo…

Christmas morning Carolyn dressed up a lamp for a tree and put present and a luggage put bearing gifts and made our family tradition “pull-apart cake.”

Unfortunately this story ends anticlimactically. Even with a trip to the pharmacy for some Bauman recommended medicine, my health didn’t improve. In fact, it got worse. We cancelled Christmas dinner and put the Navidad pollo in the freezer.