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Top 10 Wonderful Things in Italy, Not America
And on the flip side…
In part because I’m a Libra/bilancia with a tendency toward fairness, and in part because I don’t want you thinking I sit around salivating over visions of waffle fries, I’ve prepared another list to accompany the Top 10 Things I Miss from the States.
Again, other than obvious answers like P, P’s family, and Luna, we do have some things over here that my friends across the pond aren’t going to find. Collectively, they are the:
Top Ten Wonderful Things Found in Italy
and Not in America
10. Ciobar. For the uninitiated, this is hot chocolate as it’s meant to be. Called “cioccolato caldo” here, order it in a bar (café as we’d call it), and you’re going to forget all about that old broad Swiss Miss. Here and throughout Europe, hot chocolate is thick, creamy, and rich–but the best part is that you can make it at home with a packet of Ciobar, milk, a small pot, and a flame. It’s un-freaking-real. I kid you not.
9. Free health care. That would be the dreaded socialized medicine that about half of the United States is so afraid of. Employees here pay into the system through deductions in their paychecks, but whether an Italian citizen/resident is employed, unemployed, elderly, whatever, she’ll still get a spot in line to see the doctor, a stay in the hospital if necessary, required physical therapy–all without the fear of going into heavy debt.
8. Dish-drying rack above the sink. I’ve been out of the U.S. for a while, so if you have these now, please forgive my ignorance. But these babies are ingenious–so if you haven’t seen them around Home Depot, all you industrious types need to get working on a patent. With these metal wire racks positioned above the sink and hidden inside a regular-looking cabinet, you can put your washed dishes directly there to dry *and* store. There’s a metal tray below that catches the water, which you then take out and dump separately. No more drying and putting dishes away! One stop washing, folks.
7. The World Cup. I know many of you will say you don’t care, but try to imagine something, anything (positive) uniting an entire country. It’s a pretty cool thing–and, you know, the views from the cheap seats aren’t too bad either. So to i miei italiani vi dico “popopopopopo-po!” How ’bout them Azzurri?
6. Raoul Bova. Purrrrr. Have you seen “Under the Tuscan Sun,” which, btw, shared nothing with the book other than the name, Tuscany, and an old house? Bova was the young luvah. We see a lot more of him in Italy than just that film, thank goodness. And on the subject of leading men…
5. George Clooney. You had him but you lost him. Sor. I’m sure you have sightings of him every now and again in The States, but honestly, he and his Lake Como villa are on the news here as often as the Pope. And that’s a lot.
4. Gelato. I doubt I really need to explain this one, but let’s just say it’s so much more than ice cream. Sara at Ms. Adventures in Italy is sponsoring a Tour del Gelato, so go over there and join her quest. For my part, I’ll add that we have a special treat here in Calabria known as Tartufo di Pizzo, which translates as the “truffle of Pizzo,” Pizzo being the town in which it’s made. This tartufo is no mushroom, but it can resemble one after the chocolate and hazelnut ice cream with a liquidy fudge center is rolled into a rough ball and then coated in cocoa powder and sugar. Is it summer yet?
3. Really old stuff. I’m certainly not one of those people who says America has no history; if I did, that would make one of my bachelor’s degrees awfully suspect. But if you want to see some *really* old stuff, there are some amazing artifacts around here. Everyone knows about the Coliseum, the Pantheon, Pompeii, but come further south and you’ll see some excellent lesser-known pieces as well. My favorites are the 5th century B.C. Riace Bronzesin Reggio Calabria’s museum. The detail is breathtaking.
2. The opportunity to see the sun rise over the sea on the east coast and the sun set over the sea on the west coast on the same day without the aid of an airplane. Phew. Still with me? From where I am on the Ionian Sea, it’s a two hour drive to get to the Tyrrhenian Coast–this is the narrowest part of the Italian peninsula and enables the phenomenon described above. Theoretically, you could even put in a full day’s work in between if you do this in the summer. Kinda cool, no?
And the number one wonderful thing found in Italy and not in America:
1. Il pisolino. Perhaps you know it better as the siesta, but that’s Spanish. The afternoon nap, although dying off or already dead in much of the north (they tell me), is very much alive in many areas of the Mezzogiorno (south of Rome)–especially during the dog days of summer when it’s too hot to do much else. In fact, the word “mezzogiorno” means noon, and the south of Italy is so called because of the relentless midday sun. Nothing better than a couple hours of shuteye after a refreshing Caprese Salad on the terrazza (in the shade).
So there you have it. Good things are to be found everywhere if only you look.
Did I just violate the copyright of some Disney film?
But seriously, no place is perfect and everywhere has its positive and negative points. And even though I normally like balance, I do hope that wherever you are, the pluses tip the scales.
Top 10 Things I Miss from the States
Expats are often asked what we miss most about our home countries. For me, home is the United States, affectionately called “The States,” and as you may have guessed, there are a lot of things there that we just don’t have here in the Bel Paese.
Some of them I most certainly can do without (see yesterday’s post for an example), and there are always the obvious answers like “hugging down my niece and nephew.” But aside from friends and family, here are the:
Top Ten Things I Miss From The States
10. Comedy. I love me some Aldo, Giovanni, and Giacomo, but nothing and no one can replace the daily dose of Conan, Dave, and Jon that I’ve had to learn to live without. Thank goodness for Youtube. They’re starting to do their own version of SNL here, though. It’s…um…interesting.
9. Diet Coke. There’s some concoction here called “Coca-Cola Light.” Same kind of swirly writing on the bottle, but someone forgot to share the secret recipe. On the bright side, I don’t drink soda any more, but that would all change if the real Diet Coke (or Dr. Pepper, Mountain Dew, or Sunkist) made the leap.
8. Fast food. I’ll admit it. I miss the occasional Wendy’s bacon double cheeseburger or Chick-fil-A’s chick-n-strips with Polynesian and Honey Mustard Sauces. There is a McDonald’s near me, of course, but I’ve only eaten there once in three years (tastes pretty much the same as in the States, if you’re wondering). In this entry, I’ll also throw in ethnic food generally–Chinese, Greek, Indian, Thai, whatever. I don’t live anywhere near a city, so it’s rough going. But I know a good Italian place….
7. Ice. No, not on the stuff on the road–the stuff that makes our drinks refreshing. Many Italians are averse to anything either extremely hot or extremely cold (interferes with digestion!), so it’s quite a chore to find ice in public places. Making it at home, of course, is no biggie so long as you can find ice trays or the strange little bags that are perforated in circles for just this purpose.
6. Cheddar cheese. Go ahead and tell me that I live in the land that makes some of the best,most delicious cheeses in the world–mozzarella, ricotta, provolone, pecorino romano, parmegiano reggiano. I know, and I love them all. But what am I supposed to put on chili or nachos? Uh huh. Now you understand. But then again, there’s no sour cream here either. Tragic, I know.
5. Peanut butter. They just don’t do it. I don’t know why. They have peanuts, and they make Nutella, so it seems like a logical leap to me. Oh, have I explained the dangers of using American logic in Italy yet? Take this as your first warning.
*Updated to add that I have seen peanut butter here–for 5 euros for a container smaller than my hand.
4. Professional & College Sports. Major League Baseball, NFL, and March Madness are the big three for me. Yes, there’s “football” here too, and I can enjoy a match every now and again (say, for the World Cup)–but there’s nothing like calling off work just to watch a whole day of college hoops. That’s some good stuff right there.
3. American coffee. By this, I mean, you know, Folger’s, Maxwell House, nothing fancy. Again, I’m quite aware that Italy has some darned tasty caffè (take a glance at my blog title if you doubt how much of it I drink), but every now and again I just want a regular ole’ (biiiiig) cuppa. Preferably in a thermal cup that I carry with me while walking. *sigh*
2. Regular, lined notebook paper. This is a weird one, I know, but as an old-fashioned writer, I treasure old-fashioned notebooks. I hanker for just one Mead Five-Star (turquoise blue cover, if possible). Here the children write in booklets that contain what we’d call graph paper. I suppose this is good for penmanship, but the last time I used graph paper, I was plotting points, and that didn’t go so well.
And the number one thing I miss from The States:
1. U.S. Customary Units. These are things like inches, feet, pounds, ounces, Fahrenheit. Remember in 4th grade when your teacher told you that the Metric System would be all the rage, and you’d be left in the dust if you didn’t learn it? Yeah, I didn’t buy it either. In the words of Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”: “Big mistake. Huge.”
Now I’m not going to say that this is a Christmas Wishlist per se, but if you happen to have an “in” with a certain jolly fella in a big red suit, whisper a lil’ something in his ear, would you?
Because I could *really* go for a Dunkin’ Donuts’ coffee, extra cream, no sugar right about now.
Note to Paris Hilton: That’s Not Hot
For those of you who don’t know, today is a holiday in Italy. Every December 8, the country has the day off for the Immaculate Conception. And yes, the separation of church and state is the law here. Why do you ask?
So, since it’s a yearly free day, I’ve chosen December 8 as the day my house turns into Christmas Village. And that’s what I did all morning. Harry Connick Jr. serenaded me while I put up our mini-tree (no room for much else) and other assorted cheer.
When I got tired of Frosty melting away (am I the only one who finds that song kinda sad?), I put on the television.
Um, when did Paris Hilton become important enough to do telefonino (cell phone) commercials in Italy? Who has allowed this? I doubt most Italians have the faintest clue as to who she is, even if she is pictured sometimes in the gossip rags. But still…is she *really* going to make them switch phone service?
The funniest part of the ads is one of three things. I can’t decide. In the running are:
(1) Her trying to speak Italian. Horrendous doesn’t begin to describe it. Let’s just say that I had to translate Paris’s Italian into actual Italian for P;
(2) Her voice is dubbed over in some of the ads; or
(3) The voice over girl was apparently given instructions to speak Italian only slightly less horrendously than Paris and (most importantly) to keep the valley girl American accent.
That Paris appears in these ads with one of Italy’s most beloved actors, Claudio Amendola, is more disturbing than funny, so that didn’t make the list. But at least she’s not playing opposite La Loren (who does spots for a different company). Imagine the horror!
So what I’m really wondering is this: is there a way we can petition to get this, um, girl off of Italian airwaves–a way to tell “Tre” that these ads are so *not hot* here?
Has Italy plain run out of people famous for no reason other than their wealth? Aren’t there some Agnelli or DeLaurentis kids running around blowing their inheritances? Or how about members of the ex-royal family now that they’re allowed back in?
Sorry for the rant, but hearing Queen Daft butcher one of the most beautiful languages in the world has effectively drained my Christmas cheer.
Maybe I should go back the dying snowman for a pick-me-up.
Love Thursday: Luna
One August evening I came home to find P making dinner, a little annoyed that I was late. Oops! Using my sweetest voice, I asked what was cooking.
P: Ti piace il cane? (Do you like the dog?)
Me: Whahuh? (Whahuh?)
He pointed under the table, and there was a real live caramel-colored pooch with big brown eyes staring at me.
About a year before, I had taken in a stray, but he had passed away the previous week. The last thing I expected in the house was a puppy, especially since I insisted I wasn’t ready for another one just yet, that I needed time to heal.
I was wrong.
P knew I couldn’t live without a dog for too long, so he went and rescued this pup from a family that had been calling her “Nessuna”–Nobody.
What’s that sound? Your heart breaking?
I squatted down to look Luna in the eyes (P had already renamed her), to which she responded “Grrrrrrr.” How cute.
I told him to take her back.
I was joking, of course, but only half-heartedly. Dogs always love me! What was her problem?
After dinner, P went out for coffee, but I didn’t want to leave Luna alone so we stayed home. Together. Just the two of us. She was still growling a bit as I pulled her up onto my lap, but I held her close, spoke in a soft, annoying baby voice, and scratched under her chin.
About ten minutes later, I called P.
Me: Sono innamorata! (I’m in love!)
P: Grazie. Anch’io. (Thanks. Me too.)
Me: No, di Luna. (No, with Luna.)
Ever since I saw “Love Thursday” on italian trivia (Jennifer discovered it on Karen’s Chookooloonks), I wanted to play, too.
So here’s my first installment, posting the love encompassed in this sweet face looking up at me every morning.
I love my Luna Balloona.
What’s Cooking Wednesday: Borlotti Beans with Tomatoes, Garlic & Basil
“Are you cookin’ beeeeeans?”
Anyone remember David Letterman’s obnoxiously saying this over and over? Well, it was funny, I swear.
Today, amici, the answer to the title question is–YES! I’m cookin’ beans! And you can too!
And yes, I’ll stop with the exclamation points.
Inspired by Shannon at Tales From the Fairy Blogmother, we’re starting a little something called “What’s Cooking Wednesday” around here.
When I told P this, his eyes grew wide and he ran off a quick list of future featured dishes. He’s an excellent cook with a passion for (mostly Calabrian) food, so you won’t be disappointed. I’m only sorry I didn’t take a picture of his “Linguine agli scampi” (linguini with prawns) the other night.
Must…think…more…like…blogger.
So, because he told me I can only do paesana recipes (wonder how long *that* will last), today’s is P’s mom’s Borlotti beans with tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Only a few ingredients, but do set aside a couple hours’ cooking time.
For a primer on today’s featured bean, check out Darla’s entry, conveniently titled The Borlotti Bean. As Darla writes, these are late summer/early autumn beans, but lucky for me, I have a suocera (mother-in-law)* that freezes in-season treats and then passes them to us just when we’re craving them.
Borlotti beans with tomatoes, garlic & basil
(serves 4)
- 2 lbs. of Borlotti beans
- 6 medium cloves garlic (leave whole)
- 6 plum tomatoes, chopped roughly
- 1/4 cup basil leaves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- peperoncino (hot pepper flakes will do)
- salt to taste
1. Shell beans and place in cold water. Bring water to a boil, and leave beans there for about 5 minutes or until they are about half-cooked.
2. While the beans are in the water, peel the garlic, wash and chop the tomatoes, and wash the basil leaves.
3. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a saucepan large enough to hold the beans (or, if you’re going hard core paesano/a, a terra cotta pot), and add the garlic, tomatoes, and basil. Also put in some peperoncino if you’re feeling spicy.
4. Remove the beans from the water with a slotted spoon (or otherwise drain so that you reserve the bean water) and place in the saucepan.
5. Add a cup of the bean water or enough so that they are covered.
6. Set on low heat and stir every now and again, but not too roughly or you’ll be a bean breaker. If you see the mixture is getting too dry and the beans aren’t done cooking yet, add more pasta water as needed. The beans should take about an hour and a half to two hours to cook through.
7. After about an hour, add the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt to your taste. The sauce should be thick when done. When you are ready to serve, drizzle some fresh olive oil directly on top.
8. You can also garnish with fresh sliced red onion–and of course this is to be enjoyed with fresh Italian bread.
Buon appetito!
*Note that it is common in Italy to begin calling your partner’s family your in-laws as soon you’re a couple. Of course, they also refer to an exclusive couple as “engaged” whether or not there’s a wedding in sight. Are you sensing a whole entry dedicated to this system at some time? Points for you!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
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