You have heard me go on about my petanca and read the blogs after the competitions, but this is something different this is a celebration of one clubs 25th anniversary. Tivissa Petanca Club was 25 years old this year, and we were invited to join them for a “black rice paella” celebration. The Petanca club is well supported by the community and the Alcalde (mayor) is always present to hand out prizes at the petanca events.
Tivissa is an old town with a long history. It is nestled beneath the La Llena massif which when viewed from the petanca courts is both fascinating and precioso. It has a lot of historical features dating back to the Iberian period and a church within a church – that is really interesting to see. It also has some of the best petanca players.
On the Saturday we arrived to find the tables decorated with flowers and set up under canopies. The chef was busy preparing the paella with – as you can see – a happy smile. There is a definite art to making a paella, and it is usually a man who is in charge of this event. There are two types of paella here a sea food one which consists of prawns, mussels, small cockles and pieces of squid. The other is a country paella, which is mainly rabbit, chicken with sometimes pieces of pork, basically any meat that is available.
The tables were set out in a long line under awnings with a red awning to show that the ajuntament is part of the club, in the middle. It was hidden slightly by one of the trees but with a little help my wife finally got the picture she wanted. (The one of Rocca and myself didn’t show it clearly enough…)
On the tables were flowers roses, lilies and daisies which came from Ramon’s garden. In between these were placed plates of meat, crisps, olives, salads and other tid bits, a real summer celebration table. Although not shown here water, lemonade and of course wine was in plentiful supply which made for a happy, relaxing meal with friends.
This is a family club where they encourage the younger members to enjoy Petanca, and before we adults got down to some serious eating the youngsters enjoyed something to eat and drink before going to play.
This is what we were waiting for Black Rice Paella. After the photographs had been taken we sat down and tucked in. Did we enjoy it? Well just look at our smiling faces……
A big thank you to our friends at Tivissa Petanca Club for making us welcome, and letting us share in their celebrations.
© Michael Douglas Bosc
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