Fuengirola, Spain

La Cazuela de la Abuela

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Spanish Translation: “my grandmother’s casserole”.

Dave’s translation:” Best Happy Hour EVER“.

How lucky are we to be in Fuengirola for the 4th annual La cazuela de la Abuela Competition. Eighty seven restaurants (of the 583 in town) chose to participate.

Getting started:  Pick up an entry form (passport) at the tourist bureau.  It contains: a map of the participating restaurants/cafes – named and numbered, a place for 5 restaurant stamps, a box to indicate your favorite, and your name and contact info.
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Participating restaurants make a ‘winning’ casserole (stew, soup, whatever) and hope to win your vote.  Entries varied widely: chickpeas & chicken, yummy seafood stews, and Moroccan-spiced pork with roasted potatoes (above – our favorite!!)  are examples.

To play:  Put 2€ (about $2.35) in your pocket for each restaurant you’ll visit, and to the streets & alley ways of Fuengirola you go!

At the restaurant tell them you want to sample their casserole. They will ask you what you want to drink- beer, wine, coffee, soda…and start sampling.
IMG_1752After you’ve collected a stamp from 5 different restaurants (see above), record your favorite, and return the form to the tourist bureau. They will check it over before putting it in the ballot box, and letting you select a little prize.  (It was fun to watch entire families, kids and all, turning in their passports.)
Mmm - how many passports have we turned in?
Mmm – how many passports have we turned in?
Other participation prizes included t-shirts, aprons, beach towels, beach mats, and others I forget.  Oh, and don’t forget a new blank passport – no limit.
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Yummy pork & rice.

The contest runs for 2 weeks, and March 5 (we’ll still be here in Fuengirola) names will be drawn for a boatload of prizes – seven day stay for 6 at a resort, a 42″TV (our luck we’ll win this!!), a 19″ TV , tablets, dinners etc.

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OK – I’ll stop with the food…

Not sure if the winning restaurant gets anything other than bragging rights.

So, 2 visits a night was typical, but once we did 3. If we liked the looks of their tapas dishes on display, we might get one or two (another 2€ each) and call it a meal.

 Dave notes “Where else can you get a drink and appetizer-sized dish for $2.35?!” – Laura (cheers)

2 thoughts on “La Cazuela de la Abuela”

  1. This is my favorite thing you have done yet! 🙂 I’d make my whole goal to try as many as possible. Too bad they aren’t handing out recipes. I’d like that Moroccan one!

    Side Note: Dave, Derrick just signed up for Robotics club at school! He’s super excited.

    1. Yes, Michele, I can totally see you with a pocket full of euro coins, map in hand, and your running shoes on!! Plus you’d need an empty suitcase to haul all of your little prizes home in! We’re doing our best to hit as many as possibly, but the wine drinking kind of limits us. We’d have to switch to non-alcoholic beverages. Awesome about Derrick. Glad the school is offering it. Laura

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