1. Sant Jordi has not yet arrived, and the Liceu has already closed its dance season. The four shows this year have received applause and good reviews but, as taste is subjective, they have fallen short of expectations at the time of subscribing. They are good shows –of course– but they haven't stirred our souls in the slightest. They haven't even moved us. I admit that I arrived in a bad mood for the last performance, Nijinsky's. Given that the performance –two and a half hours long– started at half past seven, we decided to grab a bite near the Liceu before the show. The idea, initially, was for a quick, stand-up sandwich. We were looking for a clean, decent place that wasn't a rip-off. After all, with a Rambla under construction that made it difficult to pass, we thought that the pre-prepared trays we saw from the street –labeled in the establishment as "montaditos" and "tapas"– would be a decent option for a two-bite meal. When we entered, they were already surprised that we were locals. Before we sat down, seeing that they weren't going to rip us off, they warned us that we could only pay with bills there. What a surprise! We left with a nagging suspicion and looked for another option.

The Boqueria Market has named Carles Gaig alongside other great figures, as it has included him in its Council of Sages. A recognition also received by Juanito Bayén (from Pinotxo), Jean-Louis Neichel, Isidre Gironès, Josep Lladonosa, Jaume Subirós, or Francesc Fortí. The history of the Gaig family and gastronomy began in 1869 in Horta, when his great-grandmother created a "little tavern", in the chef's words, with chairs and a watering trough for horses. People passed by there to avoid entering Barcelona, where they had to pay a few cents to pass. So, to avoid the tax, many people used this route to go from Sant Andreu del Palomar to Esplugues and save themselves the fee. The great-grandmother, with a commercial nose, began to offer simple dishes, and that's how the business started and predestined Carles Gaig's future long before he was born. Today, he receives this tribute with his wife, Fina Navarro, National Gastronomy Award for her work in the dining room, and their daughter Maria, the fifth generation who has already joined the restaurant, seated in the front row.

It's Wednesday, and I'm sitting at the bar of Kiosko Universal, one of the four restaurants in Barcelona's Boqueria Market, which The chef Quim Márquez, Quim from La Boqueria, always recommendsNext to me, at a round table near the bar, a couple has ordered a seafood platter. It costs 36 euros and is so generous it could easily be a main course. There are mussels, clams, prawns, squid, razor clams, and langoustines. I consider ordering it, but today I opt for other dishes recommended by Borja Domínguez (Barcelona, ​​1991).

Pastry chef Christian Escribà will reopen his Escribà pastry shop on La Rambla, formerly known as Antigua Casa Figueras, in the middle of next month to prepare for the Christmas season. Last summer, he decided to close its doors and put up a "Closed for Holidays" sign because, until then, the construction work on La Rambla between the Liceu opera house and the Boqueria market meant there was "nothing but noise and no customers." The closure has, of course, resulted in financial losses and the dismissal of five of his seven employees. However, the pastry chef says that the City Council has kept them informed about the progress of the construction (they have found remains of city walls), given them a new completion date—it should have already been finished, but it will now be next month—and assured them that, once the work is completed, there will be a redesign of the space, which they have discussed with them.

"I'm happy about the award, but it's not coming at the best time of my life," fruit seller Eduard Soley (Barcelona, ​​1947) tells me at his home, where we met for the interview. The sadness that accompanies the joy is due to an illness, but it will pass, and the award will remain. Furthermore, he really liked the way he found out he was receiving this award given by the Friends of the Rambla Association: "First, my president, Jordi Mas, from La Boqueria, called me; and then, the president of the Association," he explains.

La Boqueria is thinking about its future to once again become a benchmark market for the people of Barcelona, ​​and not just for tourists. "It's normal for visitors to come in because La Rambla is a natural passageway for those arriving in Barcelona by sea or land," says Màxim López, manager of the Municipal Institute of Markets and Commerce, Restaurants, and Food at Barcelona City Council. If we think of markets as an evolution of the sales that were (and are) carried out in open squares, La Boqueria is something in between: it has no walls or entrance doors. So one of the proposals on the table, according to López, and which the Merchants' Board must approve by assembly, is the possibility of "closing it with walls and entrance doors, regulated by turnstiles that could be opened upon payment of a fixed amount," he explains. This payment could be as little as five euros. "Everything is on the table because La Boqueria needs to recover its essence to remain a benchmark," says Màxim López.

Ramon Cabau (Lleida, 1924 – Barcelona, ​​1987) was one of the world's most important restaurateurs and met a tragic end. He committed suicide in La Boquería, which he considered his home, by ingesting cyanide. When journalist Marc Casanovas Anguera discovered the figure of this pharmacist, public relations expert, farmer, chameleon, visionary, charismatic, womanizer, media figure, elegant, and a host of other adjectives, he realized there wasn't much information about him and was shocked. This is how the book was born. A gastronomic opera. The life and death of Ramon Cabau, the soul of La Boqueria. (Ara Llibres), which will be presented at the Finestres bookstore this Monday, September 8, at 7 p.m.

The Fruits del Bosc Petràs stall at Barcelona's Boquería market, popularly known as Setas Petràs, has closed "temporarily," explains Xavier Petràs, son of the renowned Llorenç Petràs, who retired 17 years ago and passed on the business of buying and selling mushrooms, vegetables, and quality produce to his three children. Since then, Xavier and his sister Mercè have run the stall at Barcelona's Rambla market and also the catering business, while their older brother, Isaac, handles the distribution to supermarkets.