Pounding the Drum with Elena Arzak

Today, January 20th, 2024, is the inauguration of Donald Trump as America’s 47th President. It is a day of emotional extremes: one either reveres or detests him.

Far away in San Sebastián, Spain, no one is paying much attention to the happenings in Washington, DC. It is San Sebastián Day, and almost everyone there celebrates by pounding a drum!

There are groups of men,

and of women,

and, even the children, too, beat their drums!

The drummers drum, costumed as cooks,

and as soldiers.

Starting at midnight on the 20th, for twenty-four hours, the city is filled with the sound of the pounding of drums. The La Tamborrada is a mad, crazy, joyous, day. You can’t get away from it, not even in the pastry shops!

More than 15,000 Donostiarras (as the people of San Sebastián are called, deriving from the city’s name in Basque) participate in this citywide, raucous fiesta. There are various stories regarding the origins of the La Tamborrada, but probably the most accepted one goes something like this. During the Peninsular War, in the early 1800s, Napoleon’s troops took over San Sebastián. During this time of occupation, it was typical for the women to fetch water at one of the city’s two fountains, while the French troops marched around in formation. The French were not much for merry-making, and they did not allow protest, but soon the town’s women figured out they could express their dissatisfaction by beating on their water buckets.

Over time, this show of defiance morphed into a celebration of the city, and its independent spirit; ultimately, it fused with the culinary culture that is deeply embedded in San Sebastián’s many Culinary Societies. To commemorate the city’s day, the feast day of Saint Sebastian, a Christian martyr (shown below in a statue that stands above the city’s basilica of Santa Maria) who was killed for his faith by the Roman emperor Diocletian in 287 AD.

This wacky party has continued to grow, and now more than 100 groups of drummers attired as soldiers and cooks, young and old, women and men, beat their drums on the 20th of January. And what does it have to do with San Sebastián’s famed three-star Michelin Restaurant, Arzak?

Arzak is an iconic San Sebastián institution. It opened over 125 years ago in 1897; it has survived two world wars, a civil war, the long Franco epoch, the turmoil of the ETA terror, and a global pandemic. It is among the most decorated restaurants in the world, having had three Michelin stars for almost 40 years, and it was a favorite of the late, beloved Anthony Bourdain.

He said the following about the genius chefs, Juan Mari Arzak and his daughter, Elena Arzak, who run the restaurant…

“I met Juan Mari Arzak in 2001 when I first ate at his restaurant. It was magnificent: forward-looking, wildly creative, but always delicious, and, most importantly, always, always Basque. A rock-solid principle, adhered to by both Juan Mari and his daughter Elena, is that no matter how seemingly modernist, what you eat at Arzak is reflective, representative, and respectful of Basque ingredients and traditions.”

It is difficult to add to that. But for me, beyond all of its fame and repute, it is simply like home.

I have dined there numerous times, and I think of Elena, and so many others of her long-time colleagues at the restaurant, as my friends… like the beloved Mariano (aka, el oso/the bear), Arzak’s great Sommelier.

Juan Mari Arzak, who, more than almost anyone, is credited with the emergence of San Sebastián’s legendary culinary scene, is mostly retired. Now, it is his daughter Elena who runs the restaurant. She has welcomed my son,

and I have watched her daughter go from ponytails to university.

I love everything about the place… so much so, that I often travel to San Sebastián for a day or two, just to visit Elena and her restaurant. After I arrive and greet my friends, I settle into my favorite table in a corner of the coolly elegant dining room; there, I luxuriate in four hours of pure bacchanalian joy!

About the food… no menu is ever the same. More than 50 new dishes are created each year in the restaurant’s “R&D Lab”…

… and each of the 15 or so plates that are served with every meal are always a feast for the eyes, stunningly imaginative… and utterly delicious.

But of the many times I have been there, one visit remains in the forefront of my memory. January 19, 2019. The La Tamborrada Dinner. It is a popular night to dine out in San Sebastián; I was lucky to secure a place.

I arrived to find a chef’s hat at my table. It was a hint of what was to come.

As the meal wound down, at about 11 pm, I was brought a “drum”. Let the fun begin!

Being solo, I soon meandered among festive tables…

… and then to the party with Elena and her cooks in the kitchen.

Just before midnight, I got into my cab and made my way to the Constitution Plaza to see the festival officially kickoff. The square was packed.

At the stroke of midnight, the city’s flag was raised…

… and the“head chef” said, “let the fun begin” (in so many words!).

Then, the sounds of the drums could be heard in every corner of the city. It was a massive party, a celebration of what it means to be a Donostiarra. For the next 24 hours, the March of San Sebastián was constantly beaten out by the drummers. Over and over it played, and there is even a statue that highlights the festival’s origins.

Late at night on the 20th, I made it back to my room. I was exhausted, but I had one more task… to find the words of the march I had heard drummed out all day.

We are!
We also
We are always merry, always happy!

There is a Sebastian in the sky
one unique San Sebastián in the world
that is the saint and this is the town
That’s what our San Sebastián is!

From Irutxulo, from Gaztelupe
Joxemari young and old
Joxemari young and old
from street to street playing the drum
there he goes spreading the good mood
Joxemari!

From now on, the hardships are gone
To the party! To dance!
We come to call the donostiarras
Happy!
The carnival is coming

So, so true. I so often long to be with Elena, the Oso, and my other friends at Arzak in the one, unique San Sebastián…