The World Cup ... and why soccer is a lot like food.

People of Substack!

Anyone who knows me, knows that when the World Cup is on, I’ve got one thing on my mind…fútbol, or as we call it in America, soccer. I am a Barça (FC Barcelona) fan, and of course I support the Spanish national team, La Roja, playing now in the World Cup! 

I’ve been watching fútbol all my life and that means I have some traditions. On game days when I am home, my wife and daughters are in the kitchen with me, we are all cooking together, preparing simple tapas like endives with orange and goat cheese, mussels with potato chips, or jamón iberico with ripe melon for our friends. When our guests arrive, everyone gets a drink…a glass of cava, or even a glass of gazpacho! Sometimes we’ll make a paella outside over an open flame just the way we used to do when I was a boy back in Spain. These moments are so special…we create these new memories with my family and friends, coming together around food. That’s the best. 

Here I am in my La Roja jersey! Go Spain!

Soccer is the game of the people and just like food, it is about identity. It makes you ask yourself who you are. We know where we come from, but we also can know where we belong. As a chef, I have traveled to many countries, experienced many cultures and have learned about the world because the power of food transcends our differences in color, language, and beliefs. Our foods, the dishes we share with people we love or people we just met, they all tell a story of where we come from, of our history, of our values. As the great Brillant-Savarin said, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are.”

I remember when the earthquake hit Haiti in 2010. As you know this was the beginning of my idea to feed people who are impacted by disaster…it was the only thing I knew as a cook that I could do to help. We went to Haiti with about 15 solar stoves. We traveled from village to village cooking humble meals using the power of the sun.

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As I traveled throughout Haiti, I saw the brightly colored tap-tap buses painted with beautiful images of everyday life. I was struck to see the gods of soccer like Lionel Messi of Argentina and Cristiano Ronaldo of Portugal, who are both playing in this World Cup…and the Haitian children shouting their names as the buses passed them by.

In the middle of that tragedy, I saw something amazing. I saw hope and the smiles of young children who were kicking around a soccer ball! They started shouting “blan, blan” (foreigner), and asked me to join their game. Of course I did…and I loved it! We played until the food was ready, and I called them over to eat. They were shy at first, but then they dug in and showed me the most beautiful smiles, full of joy. 

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This year I have been lucky to be able to watch La Roja play at Jaleo in Washington DC, where we play all the games (we are also playing the games at Spanish Diner in Bethesda, and Mercado Little Spain in New York!) They won their first game against Costa Rica, and tied yesterday against Germany. What will happen on Thursday when we play against Japan? Maybe I will make Spanish-Japanese tapas, some bluefin sashimi, sushi rolls with paella rice, or even a Cocido Japonés, the Spanish-Japanese chickpea stew that I invented for my cookbook, Vegetables Unleashed.

So tell me…what does fútbol mean to you? And who are you rooting for? And maybe most importantly…what do you eat when you watch the games?