Mas buena que el pan: Better than bread

Way back at the dawn of the Middle Ages, when those from Castille, in Spain, where heavily borrowing from the Greek, the Latin, the Arabic, the Gothic and who knows how many other languages in order to craft their own, little they knew that one of their most beautiful expressions would make my mouth water this evening.


"Mas bueno que el pan" -better than bread- is an old Spanish clause that is used to speak of the goodness of a person. Back then, bread was made out of wholesome grain, and this coupled with the energy the Castilians from of old invested in their daily activities (that included persecuting Muslims, Jews, and later on killing American natives while raping their mates) meant that bread and goodness went hand in hand.


They still do, in spite of today's anti-carb propaganda. However, when bread and language crossed the pond to plant their tent pegs in the hearts, minds and tongues of the descendants of Spaniards, native Americans, African slaves, and one or two mercenaries coming from other quarters, "bueno" took on a way more exciting nuance: this is not only goodness in the theological sense, but a similar quality in the erotic field.

And here comes a stunning Castilian actress, Paz Vega, whom I just saw in one of her many movies: "Teresa, el cuerpo de Cristo" (Teresa, the Body of Christ). There's no doubt, she is better than bread, "mas buena que el pan."






It'd be nice to take her out to dinner after seeing her flick, or before, or even if I've never heard of her. However this particular movie is about another woman, also "mas buena que el pan," who has been influential in my life for years. She is Teresa de Avila, a 16th century mystic, whose writing, poetry and spirituality shook the foundations of the cold steel panels that still pretend to protect Christendom (or any other male centered arrangement) from the shattering questions of a woman.