A few nights ago I was put in a precarious position. I was given the option of either enjoying a nice, quiet dinner out with friends, or watching a bloody fight-to-the-death match between man and bull. Of course the more sensible side of me wanted to just relax at a restaurant, but the other side of me demanded an experience that was actually worth telling. Thus, I kissed my tapas cravings goodbye, and prepared myself for what was sure to be the most unbearably gory show of my life.
I suppose I should first divulge some details so there are no misconceptions about what is actually meant by the term ¨bull fight¨. Unfortunately all those cartoons from my early childhood had me fooled into thinking a bull fight merely consisted of a man waving a red cape in a slightly annoyed bull´s face, who would then proceed to charge the cape but never the man himself...Okay so that´s about 10% of the truth. What they don´t show is the part where the bull is initially stabbed multiple times in the back so it starts out very angry and very bloody, to put it lightly. I´ve also never seen a cartoon in which the matador himself gets attacked by the bull, but I sure did see that in real life. (These matadors, by the way, are literally my age, if not younger.) Not to mention the part at the very end when the bull finally collapses and the matador is given one or two of his ears as a trophy, which he may then throw into the audience like a baseball.
After that rather explicit description, you would probably think I had an awful time at this bull fight. And trust me, that´s what I thought would happen too. But in all honesty, and I feel a little sick for saying this, I enjoyed myself. I forced myself to get into the mindset of a Spanish fanatic, and I actually found myself clapping with the crowd. I came to realize how, in some twisted way, the fight between the matador and the bull was like a dance, and it was beautiful.
It sounds bad, I know, but if you think your stomach (and your morals) are up for it I would strongly suggest going. More than anything, it was an awesome and one-of-a-kind experience and I´m happy to say that I did not regret not going out for tapas that night.
