Throwing It All Away

Rummaging through the waste bins, recycling reality has finally struck in Alcúdia. Fines, in other words. Fines, and more fines. Several years after the Germans invented the art of examining the contents of bins in the wee small hours in search of recycling miscreants, a similar local zealotry has surfaced. Given that these things tend to be rather half-hearted by comparison to ultra-efficient Germanic control, it is doubtful that quite the same pernicketyness would be applied here, but the rubbish polizei is on the watch nevertheless. 600 euros it will cost bars, shops etc. if they do not recycle correctly, and this goes - apparently - for cardboard boxes that are not put into the paper containers, which would be a positive step were it not for the fact that there probably simply aren't enough containers. As far as I am aware, this fine fining scheme has not been extended to households - yet. It might not be such a bad thing if it were to be. If there is seriousness as to recycling, then it needs to be done seriously. The casualness with which bottles or plastics can find their way into the general rubbish container or bags of different types of material get shoved into the plastics one undermines the whole scheme. But given the communal nature of rubbish, it would require some evidence to ever prove who put what where. On Alcúdia's Mile, apparently, plod saw a bar putting things incorrectly into a container, passed on the info to the town hall's watchdogs who then came and issued a warning to the bar concerned. In the words of the watchdogs, "we don't want to have to fine you", which is very noble of them, and they are apparently going to provide individual recycling containers, thus making it easier for the bars but also making it easier to prove - or so the theory would go were it not for the fact that someone from another bar, or just a passing drunk, might come along in the wee small hours and put something that shouldn't go into the container of another bar.

It is perhaps also worth issuing a reminder that street selling, both buying and selling, is verboten and subject to fines. Bars that allow the likes of the luckies to ply their trade can cop a two-grand fine. And to actually buy something - be it a CD, sunglasses, jewellery - can also lead to the collar being felt and a fine (to 500 euros) being imposed. Them's the rules. Don't necessarily expect the tour reps to issue warnings to unsuspecting tourists, as they probably won't know themselves. So let me do it for them.


Talking Italian
That was what they were doing. If you didn't know, the fine L'Italiano down the Siesta end of the Mile is now also in the port. They've taken over Bogavante. Serie A is seeking a breakaway, and the local Italians are doing their own breakaway - into the frontline of Alcúdia where, further along the road, is Piero Rossi's original place. At the new Italiano was an old friend who had dropped by. Mauricio, one-time of La Trattoria in the port and Momo's in Alcanada. He is moving back to Como next month. One of the nicest of people, barely recognised him as he had cut off the long hair. He will be teaching at cooks' school back in Italy.


QUIZ
Yesterday's title - Brilliant. The Decemberists: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK3Ce9md96g). Today's title - oh God, I keep saying I won't do them again, but ...

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)

Pizzamania

When I spoke a while back about Alcúdia being like Blackpool, or rather The Mile being like Blackpool (24 January "Walk A Mile In My Shoes"), I didn't touch on the restaurants along and off The Mile. To hear or read some comments, you would think that it is burger and chips the whole length of the Bellevue strip. Now burger and chips there are, but there is a whole load besides. The Mile's restaurants may not be your typical Mallorcan in that they don't tend to go in for goat, vegetable tumbet and arroz brut to any great extent (in fact not at all), but there are still some fine examples of good troughing to be had.

The Mile is top and toed by two examples of different food but both of good quality. S'Amfora, which is actually on the main carretera, is a long-established restaurant that is arguably the closest you might get to authenticity in The Mile in that it offers tapas as well as some fine grill dishes. At the other end of The Mile, down by the Siestas, is a new place, L'Italiano, which, as the name implies, is Italian. But it is not your everyday pizza joint, even if they do do pizzas. The menu is far more varied and what you might expect of a proper Italian restaurant.

Alcúdia is weighed under by "pizzerias". Many though are misnomers because, although they have pizzas on the menu, they do more besides. The pizzeria name can often give a false impression. Somewhere like Luna's Grill along The Mile shouts out "pizzeria", but most people who have ever been there will talk about the giant kebabs for which it is far more renowned. A place with "grill" in its name creates for itself an unintentional problem by confusing matters with the pizzeria tag. But, as most parents will know, the availability of pizza is all-important, and so the restaurants co-opt the description in order to cover all bases. At least one presumes that is why they do it. La Traviata, off The Mile, is another case in point. It is a tad more exclusive than other restaurants in the zone but it also embraces "pizzeria" alongside its steak house and "asador" (grill, or spit to be more accurate) persona as well as its tapas and paellas.

Despite the apparent abundance of pizza, The Mile is far from being a Blackpool of fast foodism and grease and chips. The often used Greasy Mile moniker does perhaps allude to a sub-standard level of cuisine, but it is misused; indeed it is wrong in most instances. Authentic Mallorcan no, but good what one might call "international" food, yes.

And a restaurant of the week, here's a shout for L'Italiano:

Where: Avda. Pedro Mas y Reus 40, Puerto Alcúdia opposite Bellevue.

What: Genuinely Italian cooking. Pastas and pizzas yes but also meat and fish dishes. The menu of the day a few days back offered osso bucco. Top quality wines as well. Evening special menus during the season.

When: Every day.

Who: Sandro and Domenico. They are Italian. Not the greatest command of English but they manage, though I had to point out on their menu of the day board that you don't say "frieds squids". But hey, they're Italian.

Why: Classy sort of joint. Good-sized terrace for the warmer weather. Italian-run, you can be sure this is the real McCoy or maybe that should be Maccoieo or some such.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Leonard Cohen. Today's title - album by a DJ who, at the time, was known under a different name.

(PLEASE REPLY TO andrew@thealcudiaguide.com AND NOT VIA THE COMMENTS THINGY HERE.)