Chapter 8: A closer look at Alejandro

Where Luis is a sort of laid back placid person, Alejandro by contrast is a young rebel. The two of them have formed a long lasting friendship, maybe because they are so different or because they both share a penchant for mischievousness.

Luis is the practical joker and Alejandro the impromptu action man.

With his corpulent figure, big smiling face and hair in a ponytail Alejandro has many friends in the village. Young and old take to this diminutive giant.

He lives with his parents above one of the few restaurants in the village. As is normal in a hillside village with narrow streets, the entrance to the property leads immediately to a set of steep stairs. No entrance hall or corridor. You step in and you walk up.

Upstairs though there is a great view over the river that snakes its way to the Mediterranean. Below and around the foot of the village, the valley is covered in orange, lemon and olive groves. These groves form the mainstay of the local economy, exporting crops to the world beyond and providing much needed seasonal work for the village population. Steam driven or diesel locomotives pulling long rows of goods waggons stop regularly at the station far below the village. Loading agricultural produce provides yet more local income.

Alejandro's parents do not have a finca in the Campo. Instead, Alejandro spends the hot summer months walking the hills and mountains behind and above the village. His passion is food and he especially likes hot spicy food. That being said, hot and spicy is no good without the addition of herbs like wild thyme, rosemary, oregano, coriander or fennel. 

He likes to pick or collect his own olives from trees growing wild on the hillsides. Always carrying a long stick and a large square of netting which he lays out under the olive tree, he beats the branches with his stick and then carefully collects all the fallen olives. His speciality is called Hog Año or this year’s first pick. Normally they are picked late September before the olives ripen too much and start to turn blue, purple or black.

Once home, he bashes each one with a small hammer, breaking the skin but leaving the stone. The locals call these olives Maltratados or abused. After a few weeks in frequently changed saltwater brine, the acidity has been removed and it is time to add flavour and put them in sealed containers. Alejandro likes to add thyme and rosemary to some and others he spices up with crushed chili peppers. Most jars also contain a generous amount of peeled halved garlic cloves.

When ready to eat, a jar at a time is offered to his favourite bars in exchange for a generous supply of cañas. This village runs on the barter or cash free principle. It is much easier to avoid a tax bill that way as you have not earned an income.

This being Alejandro's last year at school, he has to decide what he wants to do to survive as he does not want to be too large a burden on his parents. It is OK to carry on living at home as many children do, sometimes into their thirties or forties when one or both parents become ill and need caring for or die and the property passes on to the next generation. If there are many children, this invariable results in lengthy battles over the inheritance. As Alejandro only has one older brother with whom he gets on well and their parents are in good health, no problems loom on the horizon yet.