Catalan News launches new podcast 'Filling the Sink'

Catalan News is launching a new weekly podcast on all things Catalan, called 'Filling the Sink'.

 

  

Each week, host Lorcan Doherty gets together with some of the Catalan News team to chat about a pertinent issue.

The podcast will cover cultural topics – from Catalonia's famous human towers, to Gaudí's Sagrada Família or Primavera Sound – as well as political matters, from the debates over independence and the monarchy, to global issues that resonate in Catalonia, like tourism, climate change, and of course, Covid-19.

There will also be episodes on Catalonia's extremely rich tradition of food and drink – think cava, calçots, and Castanyada. If you don't know what Castanyada is, don't miss the first episode!

So, whether you live in Catalonia and need some of the current issues explained, or you're planning a visit and want to know about local customs and traditions, or you're just curious about what makes this place tick, Filling the Sink has got you covered.

There will also be interviews with special guests, gems from the Catalan News archives, and you may even pick up a little bit of Catalan, such as "de mica en mica, s'omple la pica," which means "little by little, the sink fills up," hence the name of the podcast, Filling the Sink.

The idea is that even if you don't know much about Catalonia to start with, if you subscribe and listen, then, like a sink filling up little by little, you'll learn all kinds of things about Catalan people and politics, history and current affairs.

The first episode is available from October 31, which is of course known as Halloween in the English-speaking world. But it's better known in Catalonia as La Castanyada, a time for roasting chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Filling the Sink will look at the history and heritage of that popular holiday, and see if the tradition is threatened by the growing influence of Halloween.

Filling the Sink aims to bring you insight that is informed, but informal. If that's for you, subscribe, for a new episode every week.

It will be available on CatalanNews.com, as well as on all the usual podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

"A new seed"

Marc Colomer, director of the Catalan News Agency (ACN), said that with the launch of a weekly podcast, "ACN plants a new seed as a public channel of information about Catalonia in English, which will project abroad – with its own voice and personality – the social, cultural, political and economic reality of the country."

Catalan News Deputy Editor, Guifré Jordan, explained that the tone of the podcast will be "more relaxed."

"We will do in-depth analysis, but when the topic allows us, we will do it with humor." he said.

Jordan also pointed out that there are over one million foreigners living in Catalonia, many of whom cannot speak Catalan or Spanish. Filling the Sink aims to reach those people, as well as those around the world who have an interest in Catalonia.