O Xugo

A Peroxa is a tiny, tiny, tiny pueblo in Ourense. It is so tiny that O Xugo [1] is the only bar or cafeteria in the entire town. The bar is situated on one of the steep, terraced hills that is very typical of this area of Galicia (the terraced land is a Roman innovation that makes cultivating crops — in this area, wine-​producing vines — much easier). The view from the outside seating of the bar is breathtaking. It is literally the Galician Grand Canyon, with the río Miño below and surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs, all neatly terraced with vines.
With such a monopoly on out-​of-​home food/​drink consumption, you’d expect the prices and service to be abysmal, but this was not the case. In fact, we experienced quite the opposite (which was a very stark contrast to how coldly we were received at one bodega in Amandi). A friendly Galician barkeep invited us to have a seat, poured us Mencia wine (which was produced right there in the neighborhood, according to him), and brought us the perfect freezing-​cold weather remedy: tapas of callos. Before the serving of wine and callos, I was so cold that I could not feel my fingers and could not flex my toes. (I’m screwed for Chicago winters, but that’s another story.) There was nothing quite like this rich, thick stew of chickpeas and tripe. The callos were so good that each of us had three small rations.
An astute Galician businessman, this barkeep was. [2] We noticed wooden boxes on one of the shelves near the bar and inquired into whether O Xugo sells wine. His response: «Yes, of course! It is locally produced wine; the harvest is so small that we do not sell outside of this area of Ourense. Two bottles will cost you 10 euro.» 10 euro for 2 bottles?! Let’s just say that we helped our barkeep empty the shelves that day.
We left O Xugo with our stomachs full, our bodies warm, additional knowledge of «Galicia Profunda,» and a few boxes of Mencia from Ribeira Sacra.
[1] The intellectually curious (and Galician-​inept) part of me asked our barkeep what «O Xugo» means. Apparently, this is a yoke for oxen and horses. We were hanging out with the «campesinos,» indeed.
[2] Galicians don’t have the best reputation when it comes to doing business.