Telemadre. As an American expat living in Madrid, this has to be one of
the
best ideas and most adorable concepts I've ever seen.
First, a bit of background. Madre, in Spanish, means 'mother'.
Mothers,
in
Madrid, still RULE. '
Kids' tend to stay at home until at least their 30's,
because
they usually go to college in their hometown and because of the
prohibitive
cost of buying a house.
People tend to wait until they are getting
married to
buy a home because it's feasible with 2 people but not with one. So,
some
men have quite a reputation here for being a bit spoiled, as they have
everything taken care of for them until they leave home, at which time
many
expect their new wife to take up the slack left by their mother. And I've
heard
from many Spanish friends myself, Spanish mothers
don't help change
the
situation, because they feel useful and loved if they are able to take care
of
their children this way, no matter how old the kids are. Eventually,
however,
the kids do leave home.
Enter
Telemadre.
Telemadre is a Madrid
service that links 'out of work' mothers whose
children
have left the nest and people who, for whatever reason, can't or don't
want to
do their own cooking at home. My friend Candy uses the service and for
30
euros a week receives 10 generous home-cooked dishes via taxi, in
freezable
tupperware, and she says it's fabulous. The service also seems very
personal
- she talks of 'my telemadre' and refers to herself as a 'telehijo' ('hijo'
means
child..don'tchya just love it?) They both have
really gotten to know each
other,
which is also very Spanish.
You have to check out their website. It's in Spanish but it doesn't
matter;
you'll get the idea and the pictures and animations are really cute.
Imagine
this 'out of work' mom, feeling useless, put back into service shopping
for
you, feeling the fruit with her hands, debating the thickness of the pork
chops with the butcher, doing what she does best, all to cook for you
and
deliver just what you want to your home. You must take a peek at the
'Recomendaciones' link...it's really funny! And in 'fenomeno telemadre,'
if you
can read Spanish, you'll learn about a telemadre meal that was sent to a
desperate Spanish woman in Paris, France.
Published: March 10, 2006
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