Archive for the ‘why do they do that’ Category
having a ball in rome
*Updated to direct you to what Juli, a trusty correspondent in Umbria, dug up about Graziano Cecchini and the ball stunt: Behind the Balls.
The other day Rome’s Spanish Steps were having a ball.
Well, actually a half million of them as red, blue, yellow, and green balls flowed down one of the Eternal City’s most famous landmarks.
The rainbow spectacle was the doing of Graziano Cecchini who commented that we use “art — if we want to call it art — to stress our malaise.”
Cleaners were on the ball, so to speak, and got the lot of balls cleared out rather quickly, although they also had help from tourists who grabbed some of the only free souvenirs they’d find in the Bel Paese. Word has it that some balls even quickly found their way to eBay.
Some of you may remember Cecchini as the mastermind behind this last year:
This is the Trevi Fountain dyed red in October. Leaflets found nearby said that the red represented the red carpet of the Rome Film Festival and the water was dyed red in protest of the expenses incurred organizing the event.
After the Trevi Fountain incident, Cecchini was investigated for possibly damaging historical monuments, but experts said that, thankfully, none of the red color had seeped into the 18th century fountain’s marble structure.
So what do you think about such displays?
Art? Vandalism?
Inspiring? Disgusting?
Does it make you want to browse listings of Rome hotels, make a reservation, and wait for another show?
And would you have, ahem, grabbed a ball–or did you?
Do tell.
Buon weekend!
Grappa: Italy’s Beloved Firewater
In Wednesday’s Sweet Apple Omelet recipe from Gina DePalma’s fabulous Dolce Italiano, a little thing called “grappa” was one of the ingredients — and one that I omitted.
Probably because I singled it out, there ended up being quite a bit of discussion in the comments about this uniquely Italian creation — questions that can be summarized as “What is grappa?”, “Why would you use grappa in desserts?” and “Does Gina have a particular fondness for it as it appears in quite a few Dolce Italiano recipes?”
Since there is some mystery surrounding this peculiar clear bevanda, today we’re talking grappa, and our source will be none other than Gina DePalma, who was more than happy to answer questions about its use in her recipes.
But first — what is it?
We needn’t go further than Dolce Italiano for the answer. Have I mentioned that beyond a fabulous collection of recipes, Gina also offers an amazing amount of information on Italy, festivals and celebratory foods, the Italian language, and baking equipment and techniques?
You can also learn the history of gelato, why you should always toast nuts before using them, how to test your oven’s prowess, and how to substitute different egg sizes in recipes.
And so much more!
In a section called “Ten Italian Ingredients You Should Know,” Gina writes about “the building blocks of [her] dessert repertoire.” These are the essential items in her pantry at Babbo, she says, and grappa is on that list.
From Dolce Italiano:
An aquavite, or “water of life,” grappa is made by distilling grape skins and grape pomace, and this characteristic distinguishes it from other distillates made from wine or fruit….Grape pomace is essentially the leftovers of the winemaking process–the skins, pulp, and seeds. The pomace is heated in a still to produce an alcoholic mixture, which is distilled to remove the solids along with water, impurities, methyl alcohol, and any other volatile substances. The grappa is then carefully aged in a multistep process, which ends with a final reduction of alcohol and cold-filtering. Skilled, traditional grappa distillers produce a drink that is filled with nuance and flavor.
As every region produces wine, every region also produces grappa, but it is the northern versions that get the most accolades, particularly those from Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the Veneto.
Which brings us to the Sweet Apple Omelet. As Gina pointed out in her email to me, the recipe itself comes from Friuli, and so grappa was a perfectly logical and tasty addition to it.
But in general, Gina notes, “lots of pastry recipes–not just Italian–use spirits and distillates. Rum, brandy, framboise, even whiskey. Booze is there more than people realize, especially in European-style pastry.”
I can certainly attest to that last part as sometimes it’s difficult to find a dessert here that *doesn’t* have some kind of alcohol in it — it’s even in children’s snacks! Here in the south where I am, grappa isn’t usually the addition of choice but there is a lot of rum, brandy, anisette, and even vincotto. All tasty to be sure.
So why would you use grappa in a dessert recipe? From the book, Gina says that that “a truly fine grappa will accent and improve whatever flavor is highlighted on the plate.” She particularly likes using grappa in fresh fruit desserts and says that it is “heavenly when added to a crepe batter or lightly sweetened whipped cream.”And about her allegedly using excessive amounts of grappa in the recipes?
“I think I use a good variety in the book — rum, amaretto, and grappa, mostly. I think that Americans see grappa as an unusual ingredient, and the recipes that use it have gotten more than their fair share of attention. But first and foremost, I use grappa in the recipes where it fits, either regionally, or because I think the flavor works really well.”So there you have it.
Now you know a little more about the mystical grappa, why Gina uses it, and why you should too.
I do want to be clear that I didn’t use grappa in the Sweet Apple Omelet because I didn’t have any. I was sick over the weekend when I needed to shop for ingredients, and since I wasn’t going outside, this meant no grappa-shopping either.
Related to that, even if I could’ve gotten my hands on some grappa (surely one of my neighbors has a stash, although it might be peperoncino-flavored!), my recovering stomach was certainly not up for even the smell of it. Or at least I didn’t want to risk it.
Next time I make the Sweet Apple Omelet though, I will certainly give the grappa a try in there. I trust Gina.
And now my mom does too because she just received her Christmas gift from me in the mail yesterday — her very own copy of Dolce Italiano! The mailman actually delivered it *while* I was on the phone with her.
It’s just the most wonderful time of the year, isn’t it?
Here are the previous Dolce Italiano recipe posts:
Mosaic Biscotti & Sicilian Pistachio Cookies, Sara’s Ms Adventures in Italy
Chocolate Kisses & Cassata alla Siciliana, Ilva’s Lucullian Delights
Ricotta Pound Cake & Sweet Apple Omelet, here!
Chestnut Brownies & Chocolate & Tangerine Semifreddo, Shelley’s At Home in Rome
Chocolate Salami, Jenn’s The Leftover Queen
Best of luck and buon weekend!
if the shoe fits…you’re not an italian policewoman
When Italy’s Interior Ministry decided it was time to spruce up the uniform of the 14,750 women police officers (for more on the numerous branches of Italian police, head over to Mental Mosaic), they did what many of us do in a fashion crisis.
They bought new shoes–with higher heels for a “younger and sexier look” according to La Stampa.
Trying to save money, though, the government bypassed all the world-renowned (but expensive) Italian shoemakers and went with a company from Romania.
Unfortunately, when the shoes arrived, they weren’t in standard European sizes, so the shoes didn’t fit.
Which means a lot of useless shoes.
Oops.
You think they’ll give the Italian government its money back?
Floor’s open to your comments on whatever leaps out at you. Stomp away.
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[tags]italian policewomen, shoes, bureaucratic blunders, italy[/tags]
What’s Happening in Italy?
Oh a lot, amici miei.
Let’s start from the most serious and head down to the downright silly:
(1) Italian Premier Romano Prodi has called for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty in front of the United Nations General Assembly. Without getting into a huge political debate (although you’re welcome to do so in the comments!), I’m firmly against the death penalty, and I’m molto fiera that Italy has stood up against it in the UN.
Of course the United States will be one of the key opponents of the moratorium, but Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D’Alema thinks it has a good shot at passing since public opinion has shifted over the years in favor of outlawing the death penalty. Time will tell, but I’m just happy that the discussion is on the floor and that Italy is in the forefront.
(2) This isn’t technically in Italy, but we’ll get there in a second. The Vatican City State has a new stamp–and not just any new stamp. This time the saint is from Calabria! Yeah! Go San Francesco di Paola!
For those who aren’t up on Roman Catholic saints, Calabria’s own Saint Francis is often overshadowed by Saint Francis of Assisi, the co-Patron Saint of Italy with Saint Catherine of Siena (although there is some debate on that, with Saint Joseph (father of Jesus) as the other contender). Anyway, it’s nice to see *our* Saint Francis, the Patron Saint of Calabria, being recognized.
Here’s a preview:
(3) And finally, guess who’s invading the Bel Paese? You’ll never guess. Or maybe you will. Give up?
This ABC article is actually from April 30 of this year. Scary thing is that the article talks about the time frame of 24-36 months during which Starbucks plans to open branches in France, Germany, Spain, and (gulp) Italy.
Which means we’re *that* much closer to no more of this in the morning:
Yeah right.
So now that I’ve touched on politics, religion, and coffee–three subjects guaranteed to get any Italian fired up (only calcio is missing!)–I’ll leave you to your Saturday.
Hope it’s as gorgeous as ours is here!
STRIKE! drop the tagliatelle & no one will get hurt
I’ve been away from here for a while, so you may be wondering what’s going on in Italy.
Well right here in the Bel Paese where a third of citizens say they prefer a plate of spaghetti over sex, Italy’s going on a pasta strike on September 13.
Seems impossible, insane even, but Italy’s four largest consumer groups are stufi with the planned price hikes of electricity, gas, train service, bread, milk, school books, and, of course, pasta, and they feel that a strike on pastasciutta would be a symbolic demonstration of citizens’ feelings on the matter.
Some say that these planned increases would cause Italian families to shell out another 1000 euros per year on such items, spending up to 25-30% more–a huge increase especially if you consider that the average monthly salary in Italy hovers around that magic 1000 euros mark.
Go ahead. Gasp.
We all know that Italians are famous for their strikes (I’m guessing more than a few of you reading this have been affected by one or another), but a “sciopero della pasta?”
Unheard of, so you know this is serious.
Most Italians eat pasta every day, and some estimates say that an average Italian eats 54 kilos (119 pounds) of pasta per year–for some, as you can imagine, that’s their own body weight or more.
The increasing price of wheat is really behind this, and it brings to mind Mexico’s recent problems with the rising cost of corn to make its famous tortillas. What else is a nation to do when their food staple is threatened?
I have to say I think the Italians have a point here.
Now you may be worried about those Italians who might suffer the side effects of no pasta for a day, but don’t worry–volunteers from the consumer groups will be handing out bread and milk throughout the country to assuage any pangs.
So if you’d like to support your Italian friends, just say no to buying or eating pasta on Thursday, September 13.
And an inside tip?
Start savoring that espresso, as it too has been the victim of a recent price increase.
And if you think Italians are protective over their pasta . . . .
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[tags]sciopero della pasta, sciopero, strike, pasta strike, italy[/tags]
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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