If Barcelona is as hip, interesting and cosmopolitan as Europe gets, we're in big trouble. And if the Ciutat Comtal even comes close to deserving the title capital of cool, well then I'm Gina Lollobridiga. Try to find an undubbed foreign film here, or Le Monde, The Independent, the Berliner Morgenpost at your corner newsstand for that matter. A machiatto? Caffè ristretto? Sorry folks, it's sólo, cortado or con leche aqui. (And there is a difference). While we're on the topic of java, the only wi-fi hotspots in this alleged hipster haven are at Starbucks! And it'll cost you an arm and a leg (something close to $20 for half an hour) to connect. Then, of course, well, you're in Spain in an American coffee chain. (I've just been reminded that the Barceloneta area is now wire free hot spot, but why on earth there? There's not a coffee shop or funky cafe to be found there.) Good luck, too, when you've had your fill of local cuisine: the Catalans are famous for their fear and suspicion of unfamiliar flavors. Finding even a good basic French or Italian bistro seems beyond the pale. Forget Turkish, Thai, Vietnamese. Ah yes, the ever prudent Catalanes have taken a recent interest in everything Japanese, and one can find an overdone and overpriced sushi place on just about any corner outside the Filipino and Pakastani ghettos. (Funny though, there have never been more than a handful of Japanese expats in the city. I wonder who does the cooking & cutting.) Granted, sit down with the kids here and two out of three will tell you how their lifelong dream is to become a DJ or the next Ferran Adrià (as if one isn't already more than sufficient). But how many openings for disc jockeys and Michellin starred chefs are there likely to be any time soon? And what with the educational system here ranking among the lowest in Europe (and the teens being force fed Catalan or Castellano as a second language, if at all, instead of English or something else useful in the real world), most of them either never finish their schooling and end up working at Corte Inglés or for RENFE. Que viva 'cool.'
