See index summary below.
Tape 1
Side 1
0-8:00 Jose Ramon’s parents, Esteban Larrea and Petra Zubiaga, were born in Arrieta and Busturia, Bizkaia. Esteban was about 22 years old when he moved to the US and worked with ships. When he arrived, he had no family in the US and didn’t speak any English. He worked with sheep near Grandview in Idaho for 25 years before returning to the Basque Country. He returned to Spain because of the Depression in the US, then bought a farm and married Petra. He stayed there for twenty-two years before returning to the US again to herd sheep for Highland Sheep Company. After several years in the US, he and Petra returned to the Basque Country and he passed away 5 years later. Ramon’s sister had Petra return to Washington DC, where she died.
8-16:00 Esteban and Petra had a farm in Busturia where they raised their eight children, Jose Esteban, Jose Luis, Maria Begoña, Jose Inacio, Maria Isabel, Jose Ramon (narrator), Maria Nieves, and Maria Soledad. Almost all of the children have moved to the US. Jose Ramon was born on October 6th, 1943 in Busturia, and recollects cutting grass with a scythe, loading donkeys, raising cows, pigs, and goats, and growing corn and beans and peppers. He remarks that his family was heavily affected by Franco’s food rationing, and describes how. He attended school in the nearby village of Parisi, and the school itself had the habit of collapsing, because there was no money to fix it!
16-26:00 Jose Ramon started school at the age of seven and only attended for a few years, because the school building was in such bad shape. Only Spanish could be spoken in school, for Franco had recently decreed that Spanish was to be spoken in all public spaces. For fun, the kids used to go to dances in nearby villages, play with friends, and go for little hikes. There was never much money for expensive endeavors. He describes going to mass in the extremely small church in Busturia every Sunday. Petra would sell eggs, chicken, and bacon and buy sugar and fish at the Monday market in Busturia and Gernika. He discusses taking corn and wheat into town to be milled, and then making bread. Bread making was a lot more work there than it is here in the US. Jose Ramon stayed at home to help on the farm until he was 20, at which time he came to the US. A couple days after he left, the military people came looking for him so that he could complete his obligations. He had brothers in the US, and really wanted to come. His original idea, like so many other Basques who came over, was to work for a few years and then come back to the Basque Country. Now, however, he says that he would never return to Euskadi for anything but a visit: he loves his home.
26-31:15 When he came to the US, only his mother and youngest sister remained in Bizkaia, and they were soon sent for. Jose Ramon’s brother Joe and Joe Ysursa helped Jose Ramon come over. Jose Ramon took a taxi from Bilbao to Madrid and then flew to New York City, then to Chicago, and finally to Boise. He didn’t speak any English, but Ray Ysursa picked him up and took him to the Valencia Hotel. When he arrived, his brothers were already married to American girls.
Side 2
0-5:30 Jose Ramon worked as a camp tender for Mitch Quintana’s sheep operation for 15 years (in Homedale) before working as a lumberjack in Washington for 4 years. He came to Boise on November 11th, 1963. He almost always worked with Basque people, so he didn’t speak much English until he met his wife.
5:30-12:00 After his lumberjack days were over, Jose Ramon hauled hay for two years for his brothers Joe and Luis in order to pay off his debt. Shortly after this time, Jose Ramon bought a truck and started his own hauling business. Now, known as Ray Larrea Trucking, Inc., his company is quite large and has a few 16-wheelers. He pretty much hauls hay exclusively. Various aspects of his business are discussed at length. They haul for Bascos, Americans, and a lot of Dutch dairymen. For a little while, Jose Ramon even had a bar called the Caribou Bar.
12-19:30 Jose Ramon married and divorced three women before finally marrying his current wife, J.P. Phillips, in Las Vegas in 1994. They met in Mt. Home one day while Jose Ramon was driving through, and he gave her a business card! They met again at the Ranch Club, the restaurant that also houses Oñati’s, and decided to get married a short time later. Their marriage is discussed. It was never very important for him to marry a Basque girl, and all of his wives have been American.
19:30-27:00 J.P. mentions a mug she has that bears the inscription, “To live with a Basque builds character.” Jose Ramon has no children, and is fairly involved with the Basque Community: they take part in the picnics and so forth, but he is not a member of the Basque Center in Boise. They also eat at Epi’s in Meridian quite frequently. Food is described. Jose Ramon loves to travel, and has been all over Mexico, Spain, Australia, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Uruguay, and other countries. The beauty of the Basque Country is discussed, as is that of a nice lamb roast.
27-31:45 Jose Ramon absolutely loves the Basque Country, and top among his reasons is the cuisine: nothing compares to Basque food. Despite this, he’s not really considering a permanent move to the Old Country, but he and J.P. plan to take a few extended visits to Spain. They discuss some vacations that they’ve taken. Given his globetrotting tendencies, Jose Ramon still identifies himself as Basque.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Franco, Francisco; Spanish dictator
Larrea, Esteban; father
Larrea, Jose Esteban; brother
Larrea, Jose Inacio; brother
Larrea, Jose Luis; brother
Larrea, Jose Ramon
Larrea, Maria Begoña; sister
Larrea, Maria Isabel; sister
Larrea, Maria Nieves; sister
Larrea, Maria Soledad; sister
Phillips, J.P.; current wife
Ray Larrea Trucking, Inc.; Jose Ramon’s business
Ysursa, Ramon; helped Basque come to the US
Zubiaga, Petra; mother
PLACES:
Argentina
Arrieta, Bizkaia
Australia
Bilbao, Bizkaia
Boise, Idaho
Busturia, Bizkaia
Chicago, IL
Chile
Epi’s, a Basque Restaurant
Madrid, Spain
Meridian, ID
Mexico
New York, NY
New Zealand
Oñati’s Basque Restaurant, Boise
Parisi, Bizkaia
Ranch Club, Boise
Spain
Uruguay
Valencia Hotel, Boise
THEMES:
Cookery, Basque
Festivals
Food Rationing
Great Depression
Travel