Archive for the ‘uniquely italian’ Category
“We Took the Cannoli”: Trip to Messina, Savoca, Tindari, and Palermo, Sicily
I’d love to give you a great recipe for today’s What’s Cooking Wednesday, but although my traveling buddy Cherrye and I are physically back from our Sicilian adventure, my mind, heart, and stomach are still in Palermo:
We took the cannoli. Get it?
And in case you wondered, no, you have not eaten cannoli until you’ve had cannoli in Sicily. They shouldn’t even be allowed to be called cannoli anywhere else. Seriously.
More details soon.
Love Thursday: Nurturing My Travel Lovebug
Soon I will be off on a journey to an island not so far away to spend some time in one of the cities I have been absolutely dying to visit since I moved to this part of the world.
Various circumstances beyond my control have gotten in the way of a trip up until now, but not any more. I’ve got my travel buddy and my travel guide and I’m about to nurture my travel lovebug, who has been neglected for far too long.
[Note to anyone thinking of showing up in my hilltop village and burgling me: you will still have P and the pooches to deal with.]
What? You haven’t figured out where I’m going?
Does this look familiar?
If you’re a fan of Il Padrino a.k.a. The Godfather, and you made it to the end of the third installment, you should recognize this building.
I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve had visions of my re-enacting that fateful scene (what, people run the Rocky steps in Philly all the time!), but when I told P I planned to bring ketchup to make it more realistic, he didn’t seem to think that’d go over well. Go figure.
You think it’s too late to call up Andy Garcia to save me from embarrassment?
*le sigh*
Happy Love Thursday and Happy Trails!
P.S. I won’t be touching a computer for the next several days, so please be patient regarding responses to comments and emails. I’ve planned some posts in advance for you, though, so keep coming by the blog so she won’t get lonely!
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[tags] palermo, sicily, love thursday, the godfather, il padrino, andy garcia, le sigh[/tags]
expat countdown meme
My fellow American in Calabria, Cherrye of My Bella Vita, did this meme a looooong time ago, but I’m just getting around to it.
She got it from Expat Travels: From Switzerland to Canada (where I saw it as well) who got it from The CanadianSwiss Blog…and as I’ve been promising Diane of Martinis for Two that I’d talk a bit more about my expat feelings, I figured now was as good a time as any to do this one.
* Name 5 things you love in your new country:
- Knowing that a neighbor always has something I need–parsley, lemons, tomatoes, gossip (yes, even things I don’t need!).
- The sea, the sea, the beautiful Ionian Sea and the mountains, the mountains, the gorgeous mountains–all from my balcony!
- Fresh, organic food that is readily available and relatively inexpensive.
- Clean, fresh air.
- Not having to worry about health insurance.
* Name 4 things that you miss from your native country:
- My family and friends, of course.
- Ethnic food of any kind other than Italian/Calabrian.
- Jeans that I like and that fit me well.
- American sports, especially watching my Duke Blue Devils this time of year (and especially *especially* when they beat Carolina).
* Name 3 things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:
- Silvio Berlusconi.
- The pathetic salaries in sharp contrast to the high cost of living.
- Did I mention Berlusconi?
* Name 2 things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:
- How difficult it has been to get to know Italian women as friends.
- The entire Italian education system, including how long it takes many to get through university.
* Name 1 thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.
- Well, P of course, but also the Italian language. I’m not sure I could do without it anymore. I came here knowing nothing, but now I’m addicted.
Fellow expats, do play along!
But hey, even if you’ve moved from one place to another within the same country, I’d be interested to read your answers to this meme–sometimes moving within a country can feel just as foreign as hopping the pond.
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[tags]expats, italy, expats in italy, memes[/tags]
italy’s government falls…again
Last night Prime Minister, er Former Prime Minister, Romano Prodi lost a confidence vote in Italy’s Senate after he had easily won in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house. You can read details about what happened here and read my friend Paola’s take (with which I happen to agree) on the whole thing here (in English).
FYI, the lead-up to the vote included spitting, fainting, and one senator being taken out on a stretcher. And yes, those are Prodi’s oh-so-mature opponents popping the bubbly just after the results were announced in the above photo. They were actually scolded on live television by Senate President Franco Marini who told them to put away the bottle as “We’re not in an osteria.”
So what does this mean? Well we could be looking at either an interim caretaker government (which just might be led by . . . Prodi) *or* a so-called snap election.
Because goodness knows what Italy needs is more elections. It’ll be up to President Giorgio Napolitano to decide.
As Eric Reguly notes in this article, this turn of events opens the door for the return of Silvio Berlusconi, Former Prime Minister, billionaire, controller of a large chunk of Italian media, and, in some political circles, the Anti-Christ, as the leader of the Bel Paese.
On a personal note, this could also mean that I’d get to vote for two countries’ leaders in one year.
Still, I’d prefer the interim government to give President Napolitano a bit of time to fix the electoral system so that fewer parties would be able to spit (literally as it turns out) and fight for control in Parliament. The last election put 40 different parties in there, which turned into a lot of power struggles, strange bed fellows, repeated confidence votes, and general chaos.
Ah, and a fallen government.
Kinda feels like déjà vu all over again, doesn’t it?
The last time Italy’s government fell eleven months ago, I posted this and suggested we all turn to alcoholic children’s snacks to ease our pain.
But I say we up the ante.
I hear that Hershey’s is making some mints whose packages resemble street packets of cocaine–although not for too much longer, so hurry and grab yours today! Talk about an Ice Breaker!
Click here for a photo on the off-chance that you, too, had no idea what a mint that resembles a street packet of cocaine might look like.
And that’s all I have to say about that.
Buon weekend a tutti!
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[tags]italy, italian government, romano prodi, silvio berulsconi, confidence vote, giorgio napolitano, politics, hershey’s, icebreakers[/tags]
Announcing World Nutella Day 2008!
***Be sure to check out NutellaDay.com for the most up-to-date info!***
Who can remember the first time they were allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast?
Nutella is more than just a “chocolaty hazelnut spread,” it is a way of life. From childhood memories to oozing hot crepes, from breakfasts on vacation to free-spooning sessions on the couch, Nutella is prominent in the memories of many children and grown-up children in the world.
Last year we gave it its own holiday, and this year we’re continuing the tradition.
Sara from Ms. Adventures in Italy and Michelle from Bleeding Espresso (and Shelley from At Home in Rome, in spirit) solemnly declare February 5th “World Nutella Day 2008” – a day to celebrate, to get creative with, and most importantly, to EAT Nutella.
How to participate:
- Make a recipe using Nutella. Take a picture of yourself eating Nutella with a BIG spoon. Make art with Nutella. Wax poetic about Nutella. Re-live your first experience eating Nutella. Have a Nutella-eating contest or a Nutella party!
- Take pictures, upload a video, and blog about it from now until February 4th, 2008.
- Email nutelladay [at] nutelladay [dot] com. with Subject: Nutella Day Entry and include your name, your site name, and your permalink/URL by February 4th, 2008. You can also attach one 100×100 pixel photo of your dish, etc. to be included in the roundup. We’ll be posting the round-up on the 5th of February.
- On your blog, please include the Nutella Day 2008 badge and/or a link pointing to this post so others can participate, too!
- Tag/categorize your post with “Nutella Day.”
- Flickr: Add your photos to the Nutella Day Flickr pool
- YouTube: Add your Nutella-inspired video to the Nutella Day YouTube station
For some inspiration on Nutella recipes, read:
- Last year’s World Nutella Day roundups – Part 1 and Part 2
- Steamy Kitchen with Nutella twisted up in her no-knead Challah
- Novice Baker’s Nutella Two-Tone Cookies
- Dessert First examining her love affair with Nutella and Pierre Herme’s Nutella tart
- Last year’s World Nutella Day introduction post with more information, history, and recipes!
Hope to see you around for this year’s celebration!
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.
Calabria Guidebook
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