The writer George Orwell hated porrón, probably olive oil as well, and he deeply missed tea, milk, chocolate, sugar, and bread. He also missed tobacco. These last were the elements in short supply during the Civil War, and especially in Catalonia during his time there, which was very short and intense: between December 26, 1936, and June 23, 1937, the day he had to flee Barcelona on a train or risk being arrested.