Kellogg's paella  

The New York Times had this wonderful piece by Arthur Lubow about the burst of culinary creativity in Spain (and especially Catalunya and Pais Basco). Lots of superlative endorsements from famous Chicago chefs, too. The key passage, for me:

Castro brought over a handful of fresh almonds. "Four almonds, very simple: sugared, salted, acid, bitter," Adria explained. "The four basic tastes. For me, it is very sensual, this dish."

Castro said: "It is very simple, and it is also very complex." He dipped an almond in a coating of sugar and handed it to Adria. One bite, and Adria shook his head. He wanted more sugar. "I don't like light tastes," he said to me. "I like tastes...." He snapped his fingers. Then he bit into a newly doctored almond that Castro gave him. "No," he said. "More, more." The third rendition satisfied him. We cleared our palates with a little glass of clear tomato extract, and Castro began salting almonds. "It is either magic or it isn't," Adria said. He added some salt to his almond. ''It makes you reflect, and cuisine should do that. The most important thing is to make people happy, but the second sometimes is to give them something to think about." He drank a little juice and tasted a very sour almond. He nodded vehemently. "That is the limit," he said. "We are seeking the limit." He suggested to Castro that they serve the dish with ice water, rather than tomato extract, so that people will not be distracted from the concept. The four almonds will be presented on a black block. ''White and black, very minimal," Adria said. "Four little things - four basic tastes - and just cold water. People will remember this all their lives."