This section explores the roots of Basque culinary culture and the rich traditions that shape daily life, from ancient preservation techniques to communal celebrations.
Here, you'll find my everyday encounters with Basque and Spanish traditions. Notes on festivals, rituals, cultural history, and lived traditions in the Basque Country.
And why the Basque Country is a model of culinary pride.
Sometimes the universe conspires in your favor in ways you could never orchestrate. My birthday this year didn't just fall on a day…it fell on the eve of San Sebastián's biggest celebration, the Tamborrada, gifting me a four-day weekend and a cascade of moments that reminded me exactly why I'm here.
I spent it wandering alone through morning streets, treating myself to an omakase dinner at Kai Sushi, sipping a mezcal martini at the legendary Dry Bar in Hotel Cristina (where staff surprised me with champagne and cake), meeting friends for craft beer at Baga Biga Faktoria, and walking home along the quiet Urumea River. When I arrived, a gift from friends back home waited on my doorstep, tangible proof that love travels across oceans.
This is the story of celebrating a birthday abroad: grateful and homesick, solo and surrounded, honoring both the life I chose and the people I miss. Because pursuing a master's degree in a foreign country means learning to hold contradictions, and finding beauty in both.
The best birthday gift I've ever given myself came served on a wooden counter, one deliberate piece at a time, in a small sushi bar in San Sebastián's Centro neighborhood. No fanfare. No crowd. Just me, a master chef, and the quiet celebration of choosing myself.
When my birthday arrived this year, I faced a question many of us encounter while living abroad: Do I wait for the "perfect" celebration, or do I honor myself exactly as I am, right now? I chose myself. And in doing so, I discovered that solo dining at Kai Sushi wasn't just dinner—it was an omakase experience in trust, presence, and radical self-love. Here's what happened when I sat at that sushi counter alone, surrendered to the chef's expertise, and learned that the most profound celebrations don't require an audience.
Celebrating my birthday alone with an omakase tasting menu at Kai Sushi in San Sebastián taught me that solo dining isn't lonely, it's radical self-care. A personal journey through Japanese-Basque fusion, mindful eating, and the transformative power of choosing yourself. Plus practical tips for your own solo dining experience.
Explore umami from science to culture. Discover how the fifth taste shapes flavor, challenges xenophobia, drives markets, and revolutionizes plant-based cuisine.
- "umami taste receptors T1R1 T1R3" - "MSG safety scientific consensus" - "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome myth debunked" - "umami synergy glutamate inosinate" - "plant-based umami sources" - "umami salt reduction cardiovascular health" - "fermentation umami development" - "umami market growth 2025" - "Kikunae Ikeda umami discovery" - "umami Mediterranean diet" - "Basque cuisine umami" - "xenophobia MSG Asian restaurants" - "umami food waste sustainability"
Gastronomy isn’t just cooking. It’s food in context: culture, sustainability, science, justice, and story. Here’s what it is, why it matters, and why I’m making it my life’s work.
gastronomy, what is gastronomy, food culture, food justice, gastronomy meaning, food sustainability, Basque food culture, gastronomy student
Gastronomic Science blends the art of cooking with the rigor of research. Here’s how it’s shaping our understanding of food, flavors, and human experience.
Discover how Honest Umami is disrupting the food industry by marketing MSG honestly instead of hiding it behind "natural flavoring" euphemisms. A case study in transparency.