Chulotapas
My visit to Chulotapas got me thinking about why we eat and where we eat and how we eat. And courage. I thought about brave people.
What kind of eater are you?
In your place or out in the world; what is your goal when it’s time to eat? We take a basic biological imperative and add layer upon layer of cultural custom. Eventually a societal habit becomes the norm and we extend this practice to the young so that they will benefit from our learned behaviour.
Are you eating simply to fuel your body or is there something else you hope to accomplish?
If you think about how and what we eat, the times we choose to do it and the postures we assume: it’s an intricate and sometimes subtle expression of how we spend our existence and the value we place on our daily scuttling about on the surface of this rock.
Dropping into Chulotapas last Sunday afternoon with my wife and our close friend, food was secondary to sharing a drink and catching up on a month’s worth of conversation. But the intriguing menu kept begging for attention and the carefully designed list of beverages proved equally alluring. And, frankly, we’re suckers for anything inspired by the Barcelona food scene.
It’s been open since early last summer, and we’re probably the last of our acquaintances to visit, so this is for everyone who will be travelling to our little lake-embraced city on the months ahead.
We enjoyed Iberico ham, savored white anchovies, delighted in a half dozen oysters with a bottle of sparkling Xarel-lo and devoured the seared tuna. Along the way, Marcona almonds, olives in citrus and crunchy Chulo chips filled in the gaps. All were delicious and served simply but with an attention to small details and respect for flavour combinations. A return trip is already scheduled as the Stuffed Squid and Chorizo somehow escaped our list.
I thought about how different it is to eat this way: adding small dishes as you go, allowing the people who work at the place to guide you, stopping and starting (almost like a conversation). Our stomachs were never uncomfortably full, never really empty.
I also thought about the courage it takes to open a new restaurant in July of 2023. At the best of times, it’s a challenge and these days it seems the pressure comes from all points of the economic compass. And to open a place that defies much of what north America has come to regard as required for a successful restaurant: large portions, familiar ingredients, endless duplication and the quick turnover of a formula number of seats.
Chulotapas is taste before quantity, unique expressions over banal repetition, and extended moments of authentic connection away from the hustle.
Located: Penticton, BC, Canada
See the Chulotapas page for hours and menu items. Reservations not accepted.
Bonus: look up ‘chulo’ and try to decide which definition they were focused on.