Popcorn and Pasta Straws
1st Feb 2020
I've been filming this week in Fuerteventura, helping my house-hunters find a holiday home and enjoying a bit of lovely winter sun. The island has a reputation for being breezy, which makes it an ideal year round destination as even in the height of summer it doesn't get too stifling. It is a destination frequented by all kinds of wind and wave sports enthusiasts, from kite surfers and scuba divers, to sailors and body-boarders.
Despite the risk of doing a “Marylin Monroe”, I decided to wear a beautiful, floaty dress – yellow of course (a strange compulsion I have whenever I'm in the Canary Islands) which had to be sticky-taped to my shoulders by Sandy, the ever patient soundman, every morning, to prevent a wardrobe malfunction!
Our search was mainly concentrated around the popular town of Corralejo, with a sojourn to the beautiful fishing village of El Cotillo later in the week. We were thrilled to find a vegan cafe there, called The Happy Cactus. I ordered the Black Bean Happy Bowl, and a fresh celery, carrot and orange juice. Both were absolutely delicious, and best of all the juice came with a non-plastic straw. It was in fact a Pasta straw! What an ingenious idea! Why isn't everyone doing this? Paper straws fall apart, metal straws are tricky to clean; pasta straws are by far the best alternative to single use plastic straws that I've seen!
We did in fact discover a few great vegan eateries in Fuerteventura. Even the non-vegan restaurants provided delicious and plentiful options. H20 Juice bar and Vegan Cafe was another, with a few options of different home made burger patties (I had the lentil burger which was delicious!) and daily specials, plus more great juices and smoothies, and the pasta straws seem to be catching on, all over the island!
Having visited Fuerteventura on numerous occasions, this time, I discovered somewhere new; Popcorn Beach. I don't know how I've missed it before! I've been to all the beauty spots, like the lagoons outside El Cotillo and the Sand Dunes which are a protected natural park. The “sand” on Popcorn Beach looks strikingly similar to popcorn, but be warned, trying to eat it could result in a visit to the dentist! The Rodoliths (popcorn) are actually small pieces of rock, covered in algae, then once the algae dies, the tide washes them up on the shore. It is prohibited to remove any of the “popcorn” from the beach as they are important to the eco systems and the natural environment here. Such a fascinating scene and well worth a visit!
