Filling the Sink

Everyone loves a good breakfast, and in this week’s episode of Filling the Sink we’ll be investigating two different traditions, the Catalan 'esmorzars de forquilla' versus the international trend of brunch. Over the last few years, brunch bars have opened up all over central Barcelona, particularly in tourist hotspots such as the area around the Sagrada Familia. To find out more about the rising trend of brunch, Catalan News journalist Oriol Escudé visits Billy Brunch, one of the most famous brunch chains in the city. Owner Billy Thorens shares the secrets to his success and we chat to some of the customers to find out what’s so great about brunch. Host Beth Cohen investigates the ‘esmorzar de forquilla’ - Catalonia’s own traditional morning meal - and finds out how it has been making a comeback and “declaring war on brunch”. We have breakfast with Albert Molins, a journalist from La Vanguardia and founder of EsmorzApp, an app which enables users to find restaurants serving the traditional hearty Catalan breakfasts in their area. After trying both options, Beth and Oriol discuss the future of local cuisine and declare their own personal favorites in the battle of the breakfasts. This week’s Catalan phrase is “menjar amb els ulls” - to eat with your eyes - when something looks so good that you just have to eat it.

November 9 is the tenth anniversary of the 2014 Catalan self-determination vote and to mark the occasion we’ll be looking at the independence push over the last few years. Catalan News Agency journalist Guifré Jordan gives us an overview of the events leading up to the 2014 self-determination vote, the unofficial referendums between 2009 and 2011 and the protests which took place in Barcelona in 2010 and 2012. We listen to some of the Catalan citizens who went to the polls on November 9, 2014 to find out their reasons for voting and their hopes for a better future. Journalist and head of Catalan News Gerard Escaich Folch introduces some of the key pro-independence leaders, such as Artur Mas and David Fernàndez. We also explore the reactions of the Spanish government to both the 2014 and 2017 voting and discuss the main differences. Host Beth Cohen draws parallels with other national and international situations and reflects on the future of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia. This week’s Catalan phrase is “Fer mans i mànigues” which means to make that extra effort and do everything possible to achieve your goal. It’s an inspirational phrase to round off this week’s podcast on Catalan independence.

Despite its popularity as a recreational drug, cannabis has also been used throughout history to relieve pain and aid relaxation. Beth Cohen and Emma Monròs investigate the uses of this controversial plant in contemporary medicine, discovering its effects, benefits and contraindications. Emma talks to doctor Magí Farré, head of clinical pharmacology at the Germans Trias i Pujol University Hospital in Badalona, to find out how cannabis-derived pharmaceuticals are currently administered and how changes in the law could benefit sufferers of certain conditions such as chronic pain, cancer, and multiple sclerosis. To find out more about legal cannabis cultivation, we visit Canamedics in Manresa, the first company in Catalonia with an official license to grow medicinal cannabis. Owner and co-founder Luis Comas talks to us about this groundbreaking enterprise and explains the challenges they are facing. This week’s Catalan phrase is “Que bé s’està quan s’està bé ” - how good you are when you are good. It’s used to express gratitude and recognize your good fortune when things are going well. It’s a perfect feel-good phrase to end this podcast about health and wellbeing on a high!

As All Saints Day approaches on November 1, many Catalan families will be visiting the graves of their loved ones, taking flowers and paying their respects to the dead. To mark the occasion, Beth Cohen and Emma Monrós dive into the history of two of Barcelona’s most iconic cemeteries, Poblenou and Montjuïc. Emma talks to Adrià Terol, cultural manager of the cemeteries in Barcelona, about the history of funeral rituals in the city. Adrià explains how the niche tomb appeared as an egalitarian burial solution and how the bourgeoisie later reintroduced grandeur to the graveyard. We admire the sculptures in Montjuïc cemetery, such as the famous Petó de la Mort (Kiss of Death), and visit the Museum of Funeral Carriages to see some of the historic vehicles there. Beth finds out how locals celebrate at this time of year and we brainstorm some ideas of spooky things to see and do in and around Barcelona for Halloween. This week’s Catalan phrase is “Assemblar-se com un ou a una castanya” - to be as similar as an egg and a chestnut, which of course are as different as chalk and cheese. It’s a perfect phrase to use as la Castanyada approaches! Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

October 19th is the World Health Organization’s International Day Against Breast Cancer. In 2022, more than 2 million people worldwide were diagnosed with the illness, while the number of diagnoses here in Catalonia last year was around 5,400. Although breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of cancer in women, it has one of the highest survival rates, which have improved year after year. On the 200th episode of Filling the Sink, Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about some of the realities and myths surrounding breast cancer and who is at risk of getting it. We hear personal stories from breast cancer survivors Mònica Roldán, Grindel Darwich, and Anna Bacardit, as well as from campaigners Alba Martínez and Aurora Fernàndez, president of the association Ginkgo. We highlight the importance of early detection and discuss both private and public healthcare options and hear from oncologists about their biggest challenges. This week’s Catalan phrase is “de mica en mica s’ompla la pica”, which translates to “little by little the sink fills up,” and is the phrase behind the name of the podcast, and means “one step at a time.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

SEAT is known as one of the largest companies in Catalonia and one of the biggest car manufacturers in Europe, selling over half a million cars in 2023 alone. The classic SEAT 600 was more than just a car - it was the model that democratized driving in Spain, got millions of people on the road, and served as a symbol of a rapidly industrializing country in the mid-20th century. On October 18, 1971, in the final decade of the Franco dictatorship, a pivotal moment in the workers’ rights movement occurred when SEAT workers staged a strike at the Zona Franca factory in Barcelona to protest the unjust firing of their colleagues. What began as a labor strike escalated into a deadly 12-hour clash with Franco police, resulting in the tragic killing of worker Antonio Ruiz Villalba, and numerous injuries. Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to discuss the 1971 SEAT strike -  one of the biggest flashpoints of late Francoist Spain, what led up to it, and what the outcome was. We will also hear first-hand accounts from Pedro López, who was one of the strike organizers, as well as Carles Vallejo, one of the dismissed workers. This week’s Catalan phrase is “fer historia” which means “to make history.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Last Saturday, around 5,000 people gathered for the 11th edition of the Barcelona International Community Day at the Maritime Museum, just off the famous La Rambla boulevard. The annual event welcomes the international community for a day of talks, workshops,  and networking activities to help newcomers to Catalonia settle in, meet people, and get tips on how to enjoy the Catalan capital. Lorcan Doherty and Gerard Escaich Folch from the Catalan News came prepared to the event with a Catalonia trivia quiz and got to chat with readers and listeners about what their expectations were when they made the big move, and how these compared with the reality once they were here. Whether people came for a job opportunity, the good weather, or were inspired by a novel, they are now part of the growing international community that makes up a quarter of all residents living in Barcelona. Gerard sits down with host Lea Beliaeva Bander to catch up on all that went down during the event. This week’s Catalan phrase is “Benvinguts, passeu, passeu” - in English “Welcome, come in, come in”, which is part of the chorus of the Catalan singer-songwriter Jaume Sisa’s popular song “Qualsevol nit pot sortir el sol.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

While most people were away on vacation this summer, it was announced that the Catalan Socialists had made a deal with the pro-independence Esquerra Republicana to create a new financing model in Catalonia. If approved, it will be implemented in 2026. The deal would, among other things, give Catalonia more economic independence and create what some call a “fairer” system. Other, more critical voices have characterized it as “poison for the welfare state”. But what exactly does this new proposal entail and how is it different from the current tax system? Lorcan Doherty and Lea Beliaeva Bander explain everything you need to know about the model, from what the changes will mean for Catalonia and Spain to how Spanish and Catalan politicians have reacted. We will also break down concepts such as the “solidarity payment,” and the ranking principle, or “el principi d’ordinalitat”. Núria Bosch and Maite Vilalta, the co-directors of the Fiscal Federalism Observatory at the Barcelona Institute of Economics and professors of economics at the University of Barcelona, explain how the new Catalan model compares to federal taxing systems in other parts of the world. The Catalan phrase of the week is “la clau de la caixa,” which means “the key to the safe”. It not strictly an idiom, but a phrase used often when discussing the new deal. Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

The Catalan capital on the Mediterranean coast has always been a city that attracts immigration, whether people come in search of a better job, a better life, or just an adventure. Barcelona inhabitants - old and new -  are also known as people who are always ready to fight for their rights. The latest movie, ‘El 47’, tells one of these stories. Set in the late 1970s in the marginalized neighborhood of Torre Baró, on the side of the Collserola mountain range that surrounds the Catalan capital, it centers around Manolo Vital, an immigrant from the southern Spanish region of Extremadura, who came to Barcelona in the 1950s to escape Francoist repression. He and many others bought small plots of land on the outskirts of the city and began building their homes and the neighborhood from the ground up, with little support from local Barcelona authorities. As a result, the residents lacked basic services such as electricity, running water, paved roads, schools, and buses. But one day, Manolo Vital took matters into his own hands. Emma Monrós Rosell joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to talk about the story behind the movie. We also catch up with Marcel Barrena, the director of ‘El 47’, as well as leading actors Eduard Fernández, Zoe Bonafonte, and Carlos Cuevas. We also visit Torre Baró and hear from José Antonio Martínez and José Antonio Romero, who explain some of the current challenges facing the neighborhood. The Catalan phrase of the week is “fer més voltes que un rellotge,” similar to the English “to work around the clock”. Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat. 

This week marks the official back-to-school week in Catalonia. According to official figures, 1.3 million Catalans have started or returned to classrooms, noisy schoolyards, and the routine of heavy backpacks and homework. While the vast majority of Catalan students attend public schools, a growing number are enrolled in private institutions, particularly international schools. Over the past decade, Catalonia has become an international hub, increasing the demand for international schools, which are private institutions where the curriculum differs from the Catalan one. Catalonia is now home to nearly fifty international schools, three of which are in the top ten of Forbes’ 2024 list of the 100 best schools in Spain. Oriol Escudé Macià joins host Lea Beliaeva Bander, to explore the world of international schools - from tuition fees and languages taught to the student body they attract. We also talk to postdoctoral researcher Andrea Sunyol as well as education consultant and founder of My Barcelona School, Anya van der Drift, who shed light on why international schools have become so popular, what they offer, and how they have evolved. The Catalan phrase is “posar-se les piles,” which literally translates to “put in the batteries”, and means to get more active or energetic, sometimes after a long vacation, much like the English phrase “get to work” - appropriate for the back-to-school season.

It’s September - a time that means back to work, school, or the start of something new. This year, the same can be said for Catalan politics, as Salvador Illa has been sworn in as the new president of the Catalan government. For the first time since 2010, the Catalan Socialist Party has taken power, but more importantly, the leadership now rests with a party that opposes Catalan independence. After the former Catalan President, Pere Aragonès, of the pro-independence Esquerra Republicana, failed to secure enough support for the 2024 budget, a snap election was called in May. The socialists, led by Salvador Illa, won in terms of seats and votes, but fell short of an absolute majority, forcing them to seek support from other parties. After months of political wrangling and re-election talks, Illa secured the necessary support from Esquerra Republicana and left-wing Comuns Sumar to be appointed president of Catalonia. However, before Illa could be sworn in, Catalonia was shaken by the return and subsequent mysterious escape of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who left Catalonia for Belgium after the 2017 independence referendum. On this week’s podcast, Gerard Escaich Folch once again joins Lea Beliava Bander to unpack who the new socialist government is, what the road to the presidency was like, and some of the major challenges facing the new minority government. We will also explore what the future holds for the fragmented pro-independence movement and answer the question: Are we witnessing a paradigm shift in Catalan politics? This week’s Catalan phrase is “Quan una porta es tanca, una altra s'obre,” in English “When one door closes, another one opens.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Modernism is one of the most important art movements in Catalonia, one that played a crucial role in shaping the cultural identity of Catalonia at the turn of the 20th century. The movement drew clear inspiration from parallel artistic trends throughout Europe, known by different names such as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, or Modern Style. While the world of painters was very male-dominated, with Catalans Ramon Casas and Santiago Rusiñol responsible for bringing the movement from Paris to Catalonia, a few women also made their mark on the movement in Catalonia, namely Lluïsa Vidal.   Emma Monrós Rosell joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to delve into this pivotal art movement, exploring some of its defining characteristics and motifs, as well as some of its most influential artists. We hear from art historian Elina Norandi, who sheds light on the notable absence of women in this movement, and we share some recommendations for contemporary female Catalan artists to watch. This week’s Catalan phrase is “Una flor no fa estiu, ni dues primavera,” which translates as ”One swallow does not make a summer.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

For centuries, Catalans have enjoyed “la hora del vermut,” or in English “the vermouth hour”, a time during the day when people slow down and sip a cool glass of vermouth while catching up on life. But what exactly is vermouth, where does it come from, and is it difficult to make yourself? Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about all things vermut, and together with the Catalan News team we visit the self-proclaimed Land of vermouth, Les Vermudes, located in the Sant Antoni neighborhood of Barcelona, where our vermouth professor Elena tells us all about this versatile drink, its origins, and how it got its name. And as if that weren’t enough, we also got to make our own. This week we couldn’t decide on just one Catalan phrase, so we came up with two: Fer el vermut, which literally means to make a vermouth, and refers to the ritual of catching up with friends with or without a glass of vermouth. The second Catalan phrase is “Reus, Londres i París”, or “Reus, London and Paris”. To hear the story behind the second saying, check out this week’s episode.  Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Catalan literary agent Carmen Balcells considered a revolutionary in the publishing industry, was single-handedly responsible for turning it on its head. She dignified the writing profession by banning lifetime contracts and ensuring writers could make a living from their craft and negotiate their terms. Through her literary agency, which she founded during the Franco dictatorship in Spain, she played a pivotal role in the Latin American literary boom of the 1960s, discovering and publishing future bestselling authors, such as Gabriel García Márquez and Isabel Allende. She passed away in 2015, and August 9th would have been her 94th birthday. Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to celebrate Balcells’ birthday by delving into her life and legacy. Maribel Luque, the director of the Carmen Balcells Literary Agency, and Laura Palomares, the granddaughter of Balcells will help us understand who this icon was personally and professionally. Instead of a Catalan phrase, this week we've chosen a quote from the legend herself, saying that “Anyone can write a good first book - it’s in the second novel that writers prove themselves”. Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Barcelona is the city in the world with the most extensive history of barricade fights. These words come from philosopher Friedrich Engels, and many other thinkers have pointed to Barcelona as the city of revolutions. 115 years ago, on July 25, 1909, the Catalan capital witnessed one of the first popular uprisings of the century, known as the Tragic Week or La Setmana Tràgica in Catalan.  What began as an anti-war movement opposing the conscription for the colonial war in Morroco, soon turned into an anti-clerical revolt. And it left a striking image: the Barcelona sky filled with smoke, as more than 80 churches were set on fire. Oriol Escudé Macià joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to revisit the uprising and explain the meaning behind Barcelona’s nickname ‘Rose of Fire’ or Rosa de Foc. We hear from historian Josep Pich from the University of Pompeu Fabra, who argues that the events should be renamed as the Revolution of 1909.  We also catch up with historian Salvador Lou, one of the guides of the Barcelona Rebelde tours, who explains how Barcelona became the capital of revolutionary movements. The Catalan phrase of the week is “jugar amb foc,” which means to play with fire.  Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Every year in Catalonia, the LGBTI+ community celebrates Pride, an almost month-long celebration of events, talks, demonstrations, and more, culminating in the big Pride demonstration or Parade in Barcelona, on Saturday, July 20th. Barcelona Pride Month is not only a celebration of the freedom to be yourself but also a moment when the community reminds everyone of the work that still needs to be done by focusing on one specific theme. This year, the main theme of Barcelona Pride is LGBTI+ education, under the title “Education in Sexual and Gender Diversity: A pending subject”. Organizers and activists are calling for a more inclusive school curriculum, diversity training for teachers, and for schools to function as safer spaces. Lorcan Doherty joins host Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the need for diversity-focused education in the classroom. We hear from Katy Pallàs, a longtime queer activist and former teacher about the PEER project, which stands for ‘Programa Educatiu Escoles Rainbow,’ an initiative that seeks to make schools more inclusive. We also talk to Olga Sánchez, a teacher at the Sant Felip Neri School, one of Barcelona’s Rainbow Schools, about her work, and Teo Pardo, a biology teacher and trans man about him using his own lived experience as part of teaching diversity. This week’s Catalan phrase is “paper mullat”, which literally translates to “wet paper” and means useless or not worth the paper it’s written on.  Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.ca

On July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and all of Spain, but the path to motherhood is not always as linear and easy as it is portrayed. Fertility treatment is becoming more and more common throughout the world, and in Spain, one in every ten children in the Spanish state is born thanks to this technology. This is due in particular to three factors: increasing infertility rates, a higher age for having a first child, and the access to reproductive assistance for single parents and queer couples. But despite all of this, there is still a lot of stigma, secrecy, and sometimes shame associated with this way of having children. On this week’s podcast, Cillian Shields and Lea Beliaeva Bander talk to Paula, Montserrat, Marta, and Violeta, four women who have all undergone assisted reproduction in Catalonia, about the ups and downs of fertility treatment, breaking stigmas, creating new family structures and much more. The Catalan phrase of the week is “A poc a poc i amb bona lletra” which means that things have to be done with calm and patience to work out Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

Forty years ago, on July 12th, 1984, the first baby was born through assisted reproduction in Barcelona and in all of Spain. At the time, the news of a couple seeking help to conceive at the Barcelona Dexeus private hospital made headlines everywhere. But a lot has happened since then: in 2006, assisted reproduction became available for free through the public health system throughout Spain. Later, in 2016, a change in the law also made it possible for single mothers and queer couples to avail of the service, and by 2023, thanks to the so-called Spanish “trans law,” trans people had also gained access.   Today, the Spanish government estimates that around 10% of all babies born in Spain are the result of assisted reproduction, and that number is growing every year. Cillian Shields joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the system of assisted reproduction in Catalonia, how it has evolved over time, what the different types of treatment mean, and why it brings people from all over the world to Catalonia. We will also talk to Anna Veiga, the pioneering Catalan doctor and biologist who led the first IVF birth in all of Spain, and Dr. Federica Moffa, the medical director of the private fertility clinic Fertilab, about reproductive tourism. For the first time in the history of Filling the Sink, this episode will be the first of two dedicated to a single topic, so remember to stay tuned for the next episode, where we talk to four women about their experiences with assisted reproduction in Catalonia.  This week’s Catalan phrase is “donar a llum”, which literally means “to give to light” and is the Catalan way of saying “to give birth.” Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

For more than 200 years, Catalans have celebrated the sky-reaching tradition of castells, literally castles in Catalan, when groups of people gather to climb on top of each other to build the highest castle. Although the tradition suffered waves of decline up to the point of disappearance, it experienced a renaissance in the 1980s, and in 2010 UNESCO included castells on its list of intangible cultural heritage of humanity,  bringing the popularity of human towers’ popularity to unprecedented heights. Lea Beliaeva Bander is joined by Oriol Escudé Macià to chat out the ins and outs of castells, including learning vocabulary such as “colla”, “pinya”, “enxaneta”, and “gamma extra”, and finding out who the typical casteller is, and much more. We talk to one of the largest "colles", or castells groups, the Castellers de Vilafranca, about the importance of good mental health when doing the activity, and we also talk to Stephen “Cuss” Anderson, the president of the Castellers of London, who brought the towers overseas after seeing castells in their hometown of Valls near Tarragona. This week’s Catalan phrase is “per pinya,” which means “to stick together” or “support each other” typically in challenging situations, and is an expression that is used both inside and outside of the castells. Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat

This year marks the 74th edition of the world’s largest motor racing event, the Formula One World Championship. Since 1991, the Spanish Grand Prix has been held at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit in Montmeló, half an hour north of the Catalan capital. However, this year could be one of the last times the Spanish race is held in Catalonia, as Madrid has signed a new ten-year deal with Formula One. But with the future uncertain, the event could also be shared between the two cities, similar to the arrangements from 1969 to 1975 and later, from 2008 to 2012, when F1 races were held in both Barcelona and Valencia. Faced with the threat of losing the F1, the organizers brought the excitement to the heart of Barcelona, inviting fans to the Formula One Fan Village in the Plaza Catalunya Square and later, showcasing the horsepower of some of the race cars with a spectacular road show on the Catalan capital’s central Passeig de Gràcia boulevard. The event sparked excitement among fans, who gained exclusive access to an otherwise expensive event, as well as frustration among environmentalists, who argued that it was another part of the privatization of public spaces in Barcelona. Gerard Escaich Folch joins Lea Beliaeva Bander to chat about the history, present, and future of the Spanish Grand Prix. We capture the excitement of F1 fans and the noise of engines and tires during the roadshow and hear from protesting environmentalists.  We also talk to David Vàzquez, the president of the Vallès Oriental Hotels Guild, who explains the economic consequences of moving the Spanish Grand Prix from the Barcelona-Catalunya racetrack. The Catalan phrase of the week is the Formula One appropriate “Fer una parada a boxes”, which means to “make a pit stop.” Get in touch with the podcast team atfillingthesink@acn.cat.