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Hey there, listeners! Hermes here. My uncle is ... well, for lack of a better word, analog. He's still trying to figure out how to use "emotion tags", because grave and somber Lord of the Dead makes the machine scream. While we wait on him, (yes, the script was written and I'm just waiting to be called upon to give you those Fun Facts), you get to hear me saying hello to you at the biggest food fight in the world. Yup!

The La Tomatina festival is the largest food fight in the world and it’s held in Buñol, Spain, each year. It apparently started when a quarrel broke out at the Giants and Big-Heads Parade. During this quarrel, the crowd laid waste to a nearby vegetable stall by hurling tomatoes at one another. It took about 12 years for the festival to gain traction, and it was even banned for a time by Francisco Franco due to its lack of religious significance, but the people prevailed with their protests culminating in a staged funeral featuring funeral marches and pallbearers carrying a coffin in which a gigantic tomato rested. Since this 1957 funeral, the people have enjoyed La Tomatina, which takes place on the last Wednesday in August each year. If you’re planning to go next year, that’s Wednesday, August 25, 2027.

Listeners, since my uncle is in an implacable mood right now, and he's been getting way too many fraudulent invoices and unauthorized credit card usage phishes, if you have any commentary, you can send me a message at Hermes@firesidefolklorewithhades.com and between Olympian decrees from Zeus, guiding souls for Hades, and trying to catch the latest and greatest event, (wherever it may be), I'll reply. I can't guarantee it will be a true one, (since the story is always going to win out over the facts in my book), but I can guarantee Hermetic wit.

If you really want to invoice him for services you never actually rendered, well, he's at Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com but don't say I didn't warn you!

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Pssst, listeners! Hermes here. Since Uncle H is still holed up writing this podcast's script, I called in a favor from my old man. Here's a teaser of the next episode. Don't look at me! I'm the God Of Commerce. What can I say? Now, for those of you thinking that Uncle H made an oath ... I hate to be the bearer of bad news but he said "I shall endeavour to ..." which usually means: "I am the Lord of the Dead and I shall find time in my very busy schedule listening to the appeals of fighting farmers in Asphodel ... wait! You thought the Underworld was just a grey wasteland of mindless shades? Boy have I got a story to tell you, but that's for another time. For now, enjoy this little teaser from our latest sponsor.

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Hello everyone! My husband has become a bureaucratic nightmare. He says that the podcast must start following the Orpheus Protocol, and to keep Hermes from paying hefty fines, I would have to adhere to it going forward. I have no idea how anybody's expected to actually make the recipe if we do that, but if it keeps my half-brother out of having to pay off one of his debts accruing my husband's incredibly unforgiving interest rates, then it looks like I'll have to comply. Osiris, stop selling this as a ringtone in the Nile OS store, okay? I'm not as gracious as Hestia. Nor as much of a homebody! I know that's what you did with Hestia's bird aria! And you clearly did that with "Hollow Peace" too.

For those of you who may be interested in making the featured recipe, you'll find it below.

My love, for this episode, I chose to provide a recipe for Gambas al Ajillo, which is an appetizer consisting of shrimp with garlic sauce. Tapas, what we call appetizers, are popular in Spain, and this one is absolutely incredible! Here is what you will need.

1 1/2 pounds (or about 680 grams) shelled and deveined large shrimp, tails intact

Kosher salt

1/4 cup (or four tablespoons) thinly sliced garlic; that’s a lot of garlic! About 13 cloves.

1 1/4 cups (300 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil (choose an oil that is fragrant and medium in body)

1 small dried hot red chile, seeded and crumbled

1/2 cup (about 120 milliliters or 32 grams) minced parsley

2 tablespoons dry sherry, such as manzanilla

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Crusty bread, for serving

Clams, diced ham, or chorizo, (optional)

Place the shrimp into a large bowl and add in a teaspoonful of salt. Incorporate it thoroughly so that the juices can be drawn out of the shrimp. Set it aside for ten minutes.

Be sure you wash your hands well after dealing with raw seafood! You don’t want to end up going to the Underworld before your time, after all. My husband may seem like a big Teddy bear, but in his eyes, rules are rules so you’ll probably end up in the Asphodel Meadows which are, for lack of a better phrase, mind-numbingly boring! So boring in fact that dying of boredom would be a whole lot more fun! Not even being a fan of this podcast would grant you quarter in the palace.

All right, now, in a large enameled cast-iron skillet, toss the olive oil and garlic and cook it at fairly low heat. You want to let the flavors really meld without burning the garlic or making your smoke detectors go off. The garlic will make your kitchen smell amazing, and should begin turning brown. I’d say just under ten minutes.

Add in that chili and stir it into the garlic until you can smell it, 15 to 30 seconds, so don’t walk away!

Now throw in the shrimp and stir it in the pan, letting all that yummy garlic coat it. Do this until they’re just starting to get pink, around five minutes, more or less.

Finish the sauce by tossing in the other ingredients: the sherry, lemon zest, parsley, and a large pinch of salt. Stir until combined and move the pan to a cool burner. Let the heat from the cast iron skillet continue cooking the shrimp through for another 3 to 5 minutes.

Enjoy this dish and don’t forget to use some nice crusty bread to scoop up every dollop of extra garlicky goodness. If shrimp isn’t your thing, (or even if it is!), you can enjoy this sauce with clams, diced ham, or chorizo.

As ever, please send any feedback or dead letters to Hades@firesidefolklorewithhades.com.