We’re not quite sure what people like most about Tastarròs. Without a doubt, they love the opportunity to sample a whole range of rice dishes from some of the city’s and region’s best chefs. They also welcome the opportunity to rub elbows. Maybe all the more so after two years of quarantines and mask regulations. As a people, Spaniards are about as social as any nationality on earth. They are in their element in a crowd of other Spaniards eating and drinking. (No wonder we feel at home here!)

The organization of the ticketing system is quite good. Instead of fumbling to pay at each table, participants line up and purchase color-coded tickets. Rice dishes were €4, wine and beer €1 and €1.5, respectively. Appropriately enough, the wines poured at the festival are all DOC Valencia or DOC Utiel-Requena (i.e., local). The central part of the plaza was filled with standing tables. Eating there was a great way to meet people, since sharing is essential. We tended to split a dish between us so we could try as many as possible without filling up.

Many locals were attending to try the dishes of restaurants too expensive or too exclusive for them to visit on a regular basis. Every one of them had an opinion on which type of rice (Senia, Bomba, or Albufera) made the tastiest dishes, whether they preferred peeled or unpeeled crustaceans, and whether they liked the paella-style plates or the melosos, which are soupy.