Tag Archives: Blogging

My Final Blog Post From Italy

June 30, 2014 Greg

Could that title be any more depressing? I almost cried just typing it. What happened?! Our “year-long sabbatical” in Italy came and went in a flash. But that shouldn’t matter… we extended our overseas adventure another six months. Wasn’t that just a few weeks ago?! How is it that our return airline tickets have today’s date on it? We still haven’t seen the trulli huts in Puglia. We never got the chance to visit Jen’s nonno’s town in Calabria. I never proved my “Italianness” by grilling a branzino on our BBQ. Heck, we never ate at that joint down the road that I’ve always wanted try!

“Get outta here pal, before you try to grill me”!

Truthfully, I have been aware of the impending move back to America and it turns out… I am a guy capable of emotions. Expressing them is something else altogether; but perhaps I’ll try. Here it is – I am excited to move home. I am eager to spend time with my friends and family. I am anxious to begin working again (and especially eager to earn a paycheck). I am pleased at the thought of a bit of “normal”. At the same time I am also exceptionally sad to leave. I am sorry to abandon our friends and family here in Italy. I am mournful at the thought of missing the food and wine. I become melancholy when I think about the mountains and the lakes I won’t see daily. Perhaps most of all, I am heartbroken that I won’t spend every day/all day with Jennifer and Julia and that I’ll never have the same uninterrupted bonding experience with my second daughter (who will be arriving this September). I’m more mixed up inside than a perfectly stirred risotto.

Before I continue with this post, I feel that it’s important to comment on the status of the blog. Sipping Espresso will continue publishing posts about travel, food, and of course, a little more nonsense (at least for a period of time). In an ideal world, I would have published a post every couple of days and been completely caught-up, allowing for this to be the final post. Of course, I’m nowhere near finished blogging about our recent adventures. I have a good twenty posts in the pipeline and I won’t let myself or my three loyal readers down by cutting our stories short. Sadly, this will be my last post written from the comfort of my “Italian blogging chair”.

I think that the only appropriate content for this final Italian post is to remark on the top ten things that I’ll miss most about Italy. So without further adieu…

10) “I’m in the mood for a brioche”

We have a pasticceria (pastry shop) right next door. Literally, right next door. Many of our guests have enjoyed waking up to a breakfast table full of brioche (the Italian version of croissant). It’s a major convenience to be able to enjoy fresh-baked goods by merely walking a couple dozen meters…wait, feet. Gotta remember, I’m moving back to the US. Jen actually sent me over this morning for a few of the delectable treats. I will miss being sent on these little errands by my wife so that we may enjoy freshly baked goods for breakfast.

9) Ding dong does the bell

Like most people, I’m not particularly fond of being woken up prematurely. But man, do I love hearing church bells any time of day. Here in Italy, the oversized chimes are in no short supply. I would venture to guess that we have more Catholic churches than the US has Starbucks… each town has one or more churches. The spires and bell towers can be seen (and heard) from far away. I have a feeling the sound of church bells will forever be a sound that will whisk me back to my time here in Italy. I will miss lying in bed and hearing the church bells early in the morning.

Main church with two bell towers in Agordo, Belluno

8) Little shops and friendly merchants

When I lived in the Maryland suburbs, I shopped at the big box stores. I selected my electronics from Best Buy, picked up my groceries from Whole Foods and chose my clothes in the mall. When I lived in DC, I still found myself driving into Maryland to do my shopping because it was easier. In Italy, “supporting your local merchants” isn’t a thing – it’s just what you do. If you want a good piece of meat, you visit Marco, our butcher. When Jen sends me to pick up flowers, I see Chiara and let her suggest the correct bouquet for me. I know the baristas in the coffee bars and the panettiere (bakers) in the bread shops. I will miss knowing my merchants, where my products came from and the conversations we have while exchange goods for money.

Inside our local butcher shop, just down the street

7) “I could run 5,000 miles and I could run 5,000 more…”

I have been running off and on since high school. Unfortunately, I’ve never stayed with it beyond the spring/summer season. But for the entire eighteen months I’ve lived in Italy – I have been running. I started jogging a one mile lap around our neighborhood, discovered my favorite 5k loop and eventually started building toward regular 10+ mile runs. I ran in the cold, in the rain, in the snow and also in the best conditions imaginable. What kept me going all this time? I think it was the feeling I got to be outside, surrounded by nature. On any given day, I would jog past scenery that included villas and castles, lakes and vineyards, animals and tractors and so much more. Since running once again became a part of my life, I would continue logging miles on our road trips, which meant I could explore the trails and scenery from Tuscany to Scotland. I will miss the feeling I got as air filled my lungs and my feet pounded the pavement, consumed by some of the most beautiful scenery Europe has to offer.

6) A passion for local products

Short of buying New England Clam Chowder or Virginia Ham, most products that you buy in the US seem come from an unknown place. It is almost as if they materialize in your local Walmart from a faceless factory somewhere far away… whether that means food produced “somewhere” in the midwest or clothes produced in another country altogether. Here in Italy, if you’re buying food – you not only know that it is locally raised and produced, you’ll most likely know the specific town of its origin. You can choose to consume prosciutto from either Parma or from San Daniele, depending on your preference. If you want a new suit, you can opt to get something pre-made in Milan with silks from Como or perhaps you want to get a custom suit hand-made in Naples. I will miss knowing where almost all of my products come from and being able to select which I want based on that information.

5) Salami and prosciutto that cannot be replicated or replaced

You can’t talk about buying local products without expanding on the food itself. My jaw nearly hit the floor the first time I saw the cured meat section of our grocery store. Legs of prosciutto that stretched for miles. A section of the store reserved just for its cured meats (salami, prosciutto, lardo, capicola, bresaola, mortadella, etc.) that was twice as large as most butcheries in an American grocery store! And the butchery itself is equally as impressive here. A massive section of the grocery store reserved for high quality products, from veal to rabbit. The food in Italy is fresh, delicious and life-changing. I’m not exaggerating… I know that my palate has forever been altered. I don’t quite think I’ll reach the level of critique a real Italian can dish out when eating a meal, but I will certainly miss the food (specifically the cured meats) here in Italy.

4) “Barolo, Amarone and Brunello…oh my”!

I knew that wine was a large part of the culture before moving here, but I didn’t quite understand its significance to the Italian experience. Like most things here that are rooted in tradition, winemaking and wine drinking hasn’t changed much in the past few centuries. The perfection that took hundreds of years to develop now yields a harvest that includes access to delicious and affordable wines. After our first few months here, we had to make the conscious decision to slow down our wine consumption – the internal pressure to try all the Italian wine possible in less than two years would have put me in an early grave. I will miss the open access to such wonderful wine… and I will certainly miss paying less than €10 for a great bottle.

Vineyards in Emilia-Romana — Vineyards in Emilia-Romagna

3) “Let’s go to… hmm… Tuscany today”!

A few weeks ago, we were on a road trip when I saw the exit for Venice. We were driving east, toward Trieste and I knew we would be passing nearby Venice – but I hadn’t consulted a map prior to our drive, so I was surprised when I saw signs that told me I was only about 20 km from Venice. The significance struck me that without even trying, we can stop by many of the world’s most important cities (Venice, Rome, Florence, Milan). Within a three-hour drive, we can visit the rolling hills of Tuscany, the ample vineyards of Piedmont, or the pristine beaches of the Italian Riviera. Inside of a four-hour radius, we can find ourselves in France, Switzerland, Austria or Slovenia. We could literally dine on escargot in Chamonix, France for breakfast, have fondue in Geneva, Switzerland for lunch and eat sausage in Innsbruck, Austria for dinner (if we were crazy enough to do that drive… or eat snails for breakfast, for that matter). I will miss easy access to the best that Italy has to offer and a gateway to much of the rest of Europe.

Of all Italy's exits to explore, the one on the right seems the most appealing — Of all Italy’s exits to explore, the one on the right seems the most appealing

2) They grow up so fast!

Before you have kids, everyone tells you, “you’ll only know this specific type of joy when you have your own” (of course, they don’t tell you about the late nights and the “time-outs”). When you do have kids of your own – you finally understand what they mean. When your kids are young, everyone tells you “you won’t believe how fast they grow up”. They’re right about that one too. I blinked and suddenly we were celebrating Julia’s third birthday. I’m afraid to blink again, because then we’ll be packing her up for college. One thing that I will forever be thankful for is that I got to spend a full year and a half with my little Julia (and her mother, for that matter). I didn’t have to go to work for 8-10 hours a day, or miss her while I was on road trips. I spent every single day, watching her develop. I got to witness her form her words, first in English and then in Italian. I got to see her become more adept at using an iPad than her parents. I got to be her “horsey” and her “best friend”. I got to hold her when she was sad and toss her in the air when she was happy. I will always miss the uninterrupted time that I got to spend with my daughter, Julia.

Julia sips her espresso when we first arrive and then again a year later

1) I will miss sipping the espresso with you!

That says it all. I will miss living our adventures and I will miss sharing them with you. I am thankful that we had any readers at all and I am glad that we got to share a part of our lives with you. I made friends and contacts through the blog and I will be forever grateful that I had a place to go and “chat” with people from all over the globe! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Humor, Just a Little Different Here

Seven Systems Europeans Use That Make More Sense

June 16, 2014 Greg

With World Cup fever heating up, I find myself torn between my two favorite teams – America and Italia. Thankfully, the teams are not in the same group and so I can root for both squads guilt-free (hopefully all the way to the finals). As I was comparing and contrasting the strengths and weaknesses of both teams; it occurred to me that perhaps I had stumbled onto something much more important. I realized that it might be fun to compare America vs. Europe… not just the ability to move the soccer ball around the field, but “bigger picture” things. What common sense things do Europeans do that Americans fail to recognize?

For the purposes of this first post, I will focus solely on the items that appear in the “win” column for Europe. I will follow-up a little later with another post listing America’s “wins”. It seemed only fair to publish the posts in this order since Italy logged their first World Cup win before America.

Some background… OK, this piece is not a serious look at which place is “better”. I’m not weighing in on art & architecture, natural beauty or economic importance. I’m not comparing the food or the people. I’m only noting a few of the systems in place that perhaps we would do well to share with one another. Without further adieu…

1.) Use of the Metric System

Let’s start with an obvious one. With Europe (and most of the civilized world) using the metric system… it only seems to make sense that America should join the party. Of course, why should we use such a simple and common-sense system?! We are ‘merica after all. Land of the free and home of the brave (and sometimes home of the confusing). Sure… let’s not make 1,000,000 mg = 1,000 grams = 1 kg when we could make 2.2 lbs = 35 oz. I see the logic there! There’s a reason that drug dealers have adopted the metric system, people!

2.) Put Your Pocket Calculator Away

When you’re dining in a restaurant in America, you’ll need to do some mental math when the bill arrives. Ask yourself if the service was mediocre or exceptional. Then establish a figure in the range of 15% – 25% that you desire to leave the server. Do you want to tip on top of the tax and alcohol or remove that portion before you establish a fair gratuity? Finally, do the math and triple check it – someone’s livelihood depends on your generosity. In Europe, it’s a bit simpler. If your bill is €46 – you can leave a €50 and be finished. Here in northern Italy, tipping even that small amount is the exception, not the rule. Waiters are paid fair wages and so it’s not necessary to subsidize their income. I understand the concept of tipping (I worked as a server all through college) but I do often resent paying an extra 20% to the surly server who forgot my ketchup, out of some sense of social obligation or guilt.

Boy... that adds up! — Boy… that adds up!

3.) No More Banged Up Shins

It took me some time to get used to the placement of light switches here, but now I’m a full convert to the European system. In America, the light switch is on the inside of the room, usually next to the door (but not always). If you’re walking into your own home, it’s no problem. But if you are entering a foreign space under the cover of darkness, you may hear a “shreeek” from the cat whose tail you just crushed. In Europe, you don’t have to worry about banging your shins or stepping on Garfield. The light switches are on the outside of the room. Simply illuminate your path and… go!

Avoid this by turning on the lights first

4.) Operate With Military Efficiency

You’ve never heard a Lieutenant in the Army bark, “get to the mess hall at 6:00… PM”. They say, “18:00″. So why does the rest of the American population divide a 24 hour day in half? I suppose it has something to do with the design of a 12 hour clock, but I do see value in using the 24 hour system. Admittedly, it takes some getting used to. After a little while I realized that when Jen asked what time our favorite shows came, I was responding, “21:00″ (9:00pm) in line with the television guide I was consulting.

“I meant clean the latrine by 10:00am… not 10:00pm!”

5.) Baby, it’s Cold Outside

OK, I realize that this is very similar to the first point about the metric system… but some of these things just make sense. Freezing starts at 0°? Nah… let’s make it… say, 32º. Yeah, that seems about right.

6.) Eat With Razor Sharp Efficiency

Pick up your fork in your left hand and knife in the right, keeping your fork tongs down. Cut a piece of meat. Set your knife down on the plate. Reverse your fork from your left hand to your right, twisting the tongs up. Stab your piece of meat once again and put it in your mouth. Repeat. Clearly, you’re eating in America (I’m also guessing it’s a 2-3 lb steak). Here in Europe, this process is altered as follows: pick up your fork and knife keeping the fork tongs down. Cut your meat. With the piece of meat you just cut on the fork, simply move it directly into your mouth with the tongs still down. No extra puncturing the meat. No setting utensils down. No reversal of hands. Simply enjoy your food. Just imagine how many precious seconds of your life you could have been spared if you had been doing this your whole life!

"That American system is far too confusing. I'll just eat like this!" — “That American system is far too confusing. I’ll just eat like this!”

7.) I’ll Be Getting Off On First Floor

If you’re visiting an office on the first floor of a building in America, then you’ll need to ascend to the second level of the edifice, according to the elevator. So when you ascend one floor from the lobby… you’re on the second level. Hmm? So, in America, we really “start” on the 2nd floor. OK. I guess. What if that office is on the sixteenth floor? Well, then you’ll need to go fourteen levels above the ground, since we don’t “have” a thirteenth floor in most of our buildings. Wow. Now I’m lost. Here in Europe, they keep it simple. The lobby is 0 and the first floor is… the first floor.

These are just a few of the things that seem to make more sense. Maybe when I move back to America I can start a national trend to change these seven items to the European way of doing things.

If you liked this post, check out my lists of observations about more differences between Italy and America.

ALL THINGS ARE A LITTLE DIFFERENT

Part One (January 23, 2013)

Part Two (March 26, 2013)

Part Three (June 19, 2013)

Part Four (March 26, 2014)

Humor, Sipping Espresso

How To Write Good

December 5, 2013 Greg

Jen has been pushing me to work harder on my writing; she’s hopeful that one day I can earn a little discretionary income. I have little faith that it will yield any positive results – but on the off chance a publisher is reading this and wants to take a chance on an untrained, unknown, first-time blogger… contact my agent. My agent is Jen. She takes 100% commission.

Julia helps me write on the blog

Since I promised her I would do my best, I recently came across a helpful set of rules to improve my writing skills. I’ve seen this list floating across the internet a couple times and now seemed an appropriate time to re-post it. I’m sorry that I don’t know who to credit as the author – so thank you, you witty SOB, whoever you are.

HOW TO WRITE GOOD

1. Avoid Alliteration. Always.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid cliches like the plague. They’re old hat.
4. Comparisons are as bad as cliches.
5. Be more or less specific.
6. Writers should never generalize.
Seven: Be consistent!
8. Don’t be redundant; don’t use more words than necessary; it’s highly superfluous.
9. Who needs rhetorical questions?
10. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

Thank you anonymous poster that created this list of unbreakable rules. I’ll be sure to follow them to the letter of the law!

Como, Sipping Espresso

Want To See Where We Live?

October 23, 2013 Greg

For quite some time, Jen and I have wanted to open our home to our readers. We have had the extreme pleasure of hosting some of our family and friends – but there are still a good number of you that have not seen our home in person. For that reason, we have wanted to open our doors for quite some time.

Our soggiorno (living room)

You’ve heard me say it many times (if you’re a reader of the blog) – but I feel it’s of the utmost importance that I say it again. When I say, “open our doors“ – what I really mean to say is, “open Dominic and Diane’s (Jen’s parents) doors.” They have graciously allowed us to live in their pied-à-terre for the past year. Without them, this trip could not have been possible.

Dominic realized his lifelong dream of owning property in Italy (his mother-country) in 2010 when he and Diane purchased their condo in Lake Como. They had been looking on-again off-again for a place of their own for years. The search ranged from Tuscany to Piemonte before they got a call one day from Dominic’s brother, Franco. A condo directly below his had become available and he wanted to know if they were interested in seeing the place. They boarded a plane and came back to us a few weeks later with pictures of the place and renderings of what Diane wanted it to look like.

Diane had an architect draw the possible floor plan within the existing condo

Diane is a wonderful designer and a visionary. She fully renovated the condo – opening rooms, installing a brand new kitchen (with modern conveniences seldom seen in Italian homes) and did it all while carefully maintaining the original beauty of the place (the marble floors are still intact). She even thought of unique touches like US plugs in each of the bedrooms. How she was able to get it all done while living alone in Italy for two months (without a car) is still beyond my greatest comprehension. However, the end result is nothing short of magnificent and certainly has been a wonderful home to us this past year.

Lake Como is in the Lombardia region, situated in northern Italy. Lago di Como is a magical place with incredible views of water and mountains at every turn. Since I’ve written many posts and shared many pictures about the various towns along the lake; Como, Menaggio, Tremezzio, Lecco, Brunate – just to name a few, I won’t post too many pictures of the area. I’d just like to feature a couple new photos of downtown Como, to showcase some of the local flavor.

Downtown Como shot from the side of the lake

The Duomo is the prominent focal point in downtown Como

The Duomo from Piazza della Duomo

The central arch of the Duomo

The Duomo and piazza at night

The chiesa (church) in Piazza San Fedele

Without further adieu, our home…

View from our front balcony (off the guest room)

Come and walk through our foyer – original marble on the floor

Family Room

Family room and dining table

Family room from the opposite wall

The dining table sits just off the open kitchen – a unique design in an Italian home

Diane had the curved wall on the left custom designed

The dining room and kitchen

Cucina (kitchen) with a larger oven than many homes

Kitchen from the other entrance

View from the balcony off the kitchen

The balcony off the family room – we’ve enjoyed many light dinners outside

Next, we have the bedrooms. While the condo always had three bedrooms, there was only one bath. Diane worked with the architect to create a second full bath for guests, while still showcasing a fabulous master bath. They were able to do it all without taking away any space from the bedrooms.

The sunny and spacious owner’s suite

A quilt hand-knitted by Jen’s nonna adorns the four-post bed

Owners bath – complete with bidet

Hallway separates the bedrooms from the rest of the condo

The second bedroom fits in between the other rooms

“Jessica’s room” has become our guest room – thanks for the loan, Jess!

“Our” former bedroom is now Julia’s bedroom and playroom

The bed is as comfortable as it looks

Another quilt from Jen’s nonna

This balcony is shared by the second and third bedroom

View from the balcony off the bedrooms

I hope you’ve enjoyed our brief tour through the place we’ve been lucky enough to call home this past year. If you had fun peeking in on our daily life – you may want to check out a scenic post that features great photos of our town and an older post we wrote shortly upon moving here about our kitchen.

And for those of you that haven’t yet come to see us… I’ll use a phrase popularized by Tom Bodett of Motel 6 – “we’ll leave the light on for you”. Or perhaps more appropriately… “we’ll have the salami ready for you!”

Humor, Just a Little Different Here, Sipping Espresso

All Things Are Just a Little Different… Part III

June 19, 2013 Greg

Another edition in the series that highlights differences between our native America and Italy. In the first post (HERE), I briefly touched on small things such as uniquely Italian keys while in Part II (HERE), I expanded the list to include differences in culinary habits, banking and shopping. Like a Hobbit collecting stories or a dragon stashing treasure, I have been storing many more of gems for a later blog post (I just finished re-reading The Hobbit… that may explain those metaphors).

Much like the last post in this series, I will try to organize these examinations of our culture differences in their family of origin. The previous post also exclusively featured cultural digressions that we determined to be more positive than what we grew up accustomed to seeing. Here, we take the gloves off and highlight the good, the bad and the ugly – tutti (all).

♠♣♥♦ ♠♣♥♦ ♠♣♥♦

DRIVING

Like in the US – cars, trucks and motorcycles are the most common form of transport. We have spent a lot of time ourselves in our beloved little car touring the country and so, naturally we noticed quite a few differences.

Where are all the traffic lights?! If there are hardly any traffic lights in an entire country, how are there not piles of collisions and pent up road rage? Well, it’s because the Italians adopt a much more efficient system by maximizing the rotundo (roundabout). The roundabout dates back as far as 1768, with more well-known examples as far back as 1907 (around the Arc de Triomphe). More modern uses of the traffic-calming system were implemented in the 1960’s throughout Europe. Washington DC is one of the few US cities that actively adopted the roundabout, so the custom was not entirely foreign to us (it can be intimidating for newer drivers). I love blowing through a roundabout when I’m late for something instead of waiting anxiously at a red light for up to five minutes.

A roundabout in our town

Zzzzoooom!! What was THAT?! If you’re driving on four wheels you have to be aggressive just to fit in. In fact, you’re more likely to get in an accident if you’re timid or ride your breaks. Since I was probably already considered an aggressive driver by US standards, I feel right at home here. But what I can’t wrap my brain around is the motorcycles. They blow past traffic at double the speed limit and everyone just seems to accept it as normal. You can be driving at a comfortable 120 km/hr and feel like you’re standing still as three or four Ducati’s blow right past you. They pass other cars and each other, while facing oncoming traffic, in the rain and around blind corners. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

Watch out for those crazy motorcycle riders

That better not be your car in the left lane! Don’t you dare drive slowly in the left lane here. And by slowly, I mean passing cars at 90 mph. If you’re not flying, the left lane is not for you. Along with the aforementioned motorcycles passing in the blink of an eye, you’d better keep an eye out for that Alfa Romeo that will drive three inches behind your bumper until you move into the right lane. I used to pull that tactic in the US (riding bumpers of anyone that dared to drive in the left lane)… man, is it annoying!

You trust me to do what now?! Some things are a long-forgotten memory from an era far gone. 25¢ phone calls, hand-cranked car windows and floppy disks are all things of the past. I thought pumping your gas first and paying second also fit into that category. But here, people are a bit more trusting. And it’s nice. Reminds me of a more innocent time. The first few times I tried to pump my gas, I kept searching for that mistrusting credit card machine, until I realized that it’s a “pump-first pay-later” society. Which is kind of surprising, because…

Gas costs how much, again?! Did I hear you complain about the price you just paid at the pump? Is it the current administration’s fault? Or perhaps the previous administration? Go ahead and tell me all about how you just came close to hitting $4/gallon during the high-travel season… I remember when I used to grumble about that too. Never again. I was happy to see gas was so cheap here at first. Then I realized it was price per liter. And in Euro’s. I did the conversion one time (also… never again) and realized I was paying almost $9.50/gallon. I threw up a little on my sneakers.

Gas costs how much?!

A TIME ONCE LOST

Pumping your gas first and paying second is just one example of the trusting and warm society we’ve encountered while living here. Many (many, many) things here are rooted in tradition, which lends to a more easy-going lifestyle. One of relationships and trustworthiness. Personally, I find it refreshing.

I’d like to withdrawal some money please. Think about your bank. When you go there to conduct business, did you have your ID? Your ATM card and PIN code? Your account number? You bet you did. It just occurred to me recently that I’ve been walking into my local bank branch for months without knowing my account number, presenting an ID or passing any form of security check. This may sound somewhat alarming, but I kind of like it. They just know me. And I know them. It’s the same three people and they always help me find my account and transact my business. It sort of has that Mayberry vibe, where your smile and handshake are good enough.

Don’t feel well? Call the doctor and sit back. Doctor’s make house calls? Seriously? That’s amazing. The “house-call” era ended long before Jen and I grew up. We were surprised recently to see a doctor leaving a neighbor’s apartment. He even had the little black medical bag, like something straight out of a movie. Of course, they have normal doctors offices and hospitals, but apparently they also make house calls.

Don’t expect me to jump up to help you. The “slow-going, there’s time to do that later approach” can be charming, but at times it can also be madening. The local definition of customer service is uniquely Italian. It means, “I will be happy to help you… just as soon as I’m finished doing whatever it is I’m doing.” For example, when buying my car (which was an ordeal worthy of it’s own blog-post) the salesman would constantly show up late for appointments (slowly finishing his coffee at a nearby bar), take phone calls resulting in long conversations while I stared awkwardly at the wall and require me to come back multiple times for paperwork he could have mailed. “Surely, that must be isolated to this particular guy” you say. Wrong. Go to the bank. Just be sure you’ve planned for over an hour, because you will wait. Go to the butcher… or florist… or anywhere. Just be prepared to wait. Please understand – I don’t mean to say that people aren’t pleasant. They are incredibly nice and love to chat about nothing and everything. The only problem is that the 5 people waiting behind you are doing just that… waiting. Multi-tasking customer service is a concept that hasn’t arrived.

Babies get all the love. I had heard that Italians were incredibly nice to babies before we got here. I had no idea just how true that was. It’s not unusual to be stopped time and time again by kindly older ladies or men, asking Julia come ti chiami (what’s your name?). But even the younger kids (the tweens that don’t yet realize life exists outside of Facebook) are incredibly nice to babies. We recently took Julia to the doctor for a check-up and the pediatrician was as sweet as could be. He complimented Julia and even gave her a couple kisses on the check. As born and raised American’s our instinct was to think it peculiar (and even get a bit defensive) that a stranger kissed our daughter. But it was so very sweet and affectionate that we charmed by the act.

Some friends of friends… they just took to Julia and she took to them

Julia made a friend and shared her Nonno Franco with her

BABIES

Jen is the primary caregiver in our family – she is a wonderful mother and takes care of Julia (I like to just swoop in and be “the fun dad” – you know, avoid all the dirty work). Since she has done such a good job taking on this role, she has also been the one to notice many of the following differences between US and Italian babies.

I can’t kick the habit, mom! Know what a ciuccio is? Sure you do. You probably know it as a binky. A ba-ba. A nu-nu. C’mon, stay with me folks – a pacifier. You know who else knows what it is? That five year old little boy that’s walking around with it hanging off his lower lip or the six year old little girl that pops it in for a quick fix in between bites of her risotto. We tried to get Julia to stop using her ciuccio around 18 months and people thought we were crazy. “If she wants it, why not just give it to her?” they would ask. We eventually relented and the ciuccio is now as much a permanent fixture as her hair bows and coloring books.

Julia has a love affair – with a cuiccio

You’re going to use a scarf, right? Baby scarfs. Did you know an entire market exists for baby scarfs? Italians are paranoid about the warmth of their babies. They will quite literally wrap them in layer after layer of clothing, covered with a down jacket, accessorized with a fashionable scarf (tied in that tricky Italian bow-knot), topped off with a wool hat and sandwiched in between their sleeping-bag stroller thingy’s. We were less concerned about the warmth of our baby (or perhaps, less prepared), often draping a ghetto sheet over our stroller, hoping she wouldn’t kick it off while trying to avoid the judging stares. Next year, we will be armed with all the latest baby high-heat fashion.

Pass me those clippers, I’ve got a head to shave. Italians believe that if you shave your babies head, their hair will grow back faster and thicker. Who knows, maybe it’s true. I’m not taking a position either way – but I sure know that Jen (and her mom before her) were ready to claw, scratch and pull the hair of anyone that came close to their babies with clippers.

I like my butt shiny and clean! After a dirty diaper (pee or poo), they don’t just use wipes here. It is almost imperative that you clean your babies butt the proper way. In a bidet and with lots of soap. Pat dry and wrap in a new diaper. Just wiping with those pre-soaped wipes is not nearly enough.

MISCELLANEOUS

The miscellaneous. Don’t really have a category for these times – just a few more things we’ve noticed.

Bring me a chair… please!! Jen is much more obsessed with this than I am. Partly because I’m not entirely convinced it’s different, but she insists that it is. The cashiers in the grocery stores sit down. I can’t picture it, but Jen reminds me that our cashiers are on their feet all day. Having been [on occasion] all day on my feet – I do hope they’re wearing proper footwear!

Let’s build them just for show! We have come to love the grocery stores here – with one exception. When it’s time to checkout, the stress begins. The two grocery stores we frequent the most have lane after lane of checkout desks. I would estimate over 30 in each store. But I have never seen more than four or five open at any given time. It doesn’t mean the store is any less busy… they just never have a sufficient cashier-to-customer ratio.

Tons of people crowded into three lanes

Push, don’t pull. Not an earth shattering revelation, but something that might help you prevent a broken nose on your next trip to Italy. I’m sure you’ve never thought about the swing pattern of the door at the local store. So let me help you. To open, you pull – it swings out. To exit, you push as you leave the store. Here, it’s the opposite. The only reason I would notice such a thing is that 30+ years of natural instinct had to be re-learned.

Spingere – Push

Bidet’s aren’t just for babies. I mentioned above that the bidet is used to clean a baby after a dirty diaper. Well, it’s original purpose was not for babies, but for us big babies. And let me tell you something… it’s glorious! I always caution all visitors – be weary of any hand towels hanging next to a bidet – do not use it to dry your hands.

Bidet on the right

That’s all for this post – more observations to come in Parte Quattro as time goes on!

Family Stories, Food, Humor, Quotes, Sipping Espresso

Sipping Espresso Got An Award!!

May 20, 2013 Greg

Our first award! I’m excited, honored and flattered. I would like to thank all the little people… namely Julia because she’s pretty little.

The Liebster Award was given to us by our good friend and fellow blogger, Michel. You’ll notice that his blog, Our House in Provence is one that I follow. I imagine if you spend just a few minutes reading some of his posts, you’ll be an avid reader as well. His attention to detail and plethora of knowledge about his subjects puts my posts to shame. Michel and his wife Shirley live in a beautiful home in wine country, California. Michel’s passions include food (he owns a restaurant near his hometown, Bistro des Copains), wine (he is an expert in French and California wine), his family (he has two beautiful daughters and four bright grandchildren) and of course France; the subject of his blog (he owns a beautiful stone village house in Provence).

Michel and Shirley

Michel received his Liebster Award from another blogger I follow, Sara in Le Petit Village. Sara is very plugged into the blogging community and has transformed her life in France into a successful digital collection of written word. Her blog is one I admire very much.

The Liebster Award [in a nutshell] is one that is given among peers within the blogging community. I found a blogger that spent hours researching the history of the award. She had done all the heavy lifting and all it took me was scrolling half-way down page one of my google search. My kind of effort. If you’re interested in the origin of the award, click HERE. The award comes with very specific rules and criteria, which I got from Michel’s post after he had completed all his hard work researching (I told you he was thorough). So, I did not need to spend much time looking around for information about the award since I luck-boxed my way into everything I need to know.

Here are the rules, as explained by Michel and copied from his website (permission to do so was herein implied when nominated for the award. Any questions about the validity of this claim can be forwarded to my attorney).

THE RULES
1. Thank and link back to the blogger who presented you with the award. CHECK – Meech, youdaman!
2. List 11 random facts about yourself. SEE BELOW.
3. Answer the 11 questions you were asked. KEEP SCROLLING LOWER STILL.
4. Present/nomiate a Liebster blog award to 3-5 other bloggers. EVEN LOWER.
5. Write 11 questions for your nominees. YOU GUESSED IT… KEEP GOING.

11 RANDOM FACTS ABOUT ME

1) This is not my first blog. My first blog attempt was an unsuccessful one. I believe I still have the domain name – foodpaparazzi (now my twitter handle). I had a fortunate culinary upbringing and was exposed to many different types of food very early on (when asked in 3rd grade what my favorite foods were, I answered “caviar, lobster and McDonalds”). When I moved to DC in 2008 I was exposed to a whole new world of dining and embarked on an entirely new culinary voyage. At the time, I fancied the idea of blogging about it – but my plan lacked implementation. I got as far as laying out about 20% of the blog and taking pictures of 2 meals. Then I gave up.

2) I have been to five of the seven continents in the world (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia). For those keeping track, that leaves a gap in Africa and Antarctica. I know with 100% certainty that I will make it to Africa someday. My father-in-law was born in Ethiopia and I would love to go back to his hometown with him. There are also many other parts of Africa I would like to see. I don’t have many regrets in life, but one glaring experience sticks out. When Jennifer and I were on our honeymoon, we sailed around Cape Horn – the southernmost point in South America. We had the opportunity to take a short flight to Antarctica for the day – a decision I wrestled with for quite some time. It was prohibitively expensive and so we didn’t do it, but I will always regret not throwing caution (and fiscal responsibility) to the wind.

The moment we sailed around Cape Horn

Our honeymoon – dinner with a view

3) I married my first love, my first girlfriend and my best friend. Many people can get one or two of those – but I nailed the hat trick. Jen and I met in middle school and I love to tell people [truthfully] that she had a major crush on yours truly that lasted nearly a decade. We progressed through middle, high school and the same college together. It wasn’t until a couple years after college that I finally woke up and smelled the roses. I was lucky she was still on the market!

On my 30th birthday

4) I fashion myself to be better than I really am. What does that mean? Well, I am very practical. I know my limits. I know that I am a decent skier, have a little knowledge about food and wine and enjoy writing. But in my mind, I envision being able to heli-ski the Alps, differentiate between a Rosso di Montalcino and a Rosso di Monetlpuciano solely on taste and publish a book after reaching new heights in the blogoshpere. In reality – I’m far too out of shape for heli-sking, my palate will never be advanced enough to be a sommelier and my grammatical errors and awful metaphors will stifle my writing career like Yoko Ono suffocated the Beatles. It’s good to dream… but even better to be practical. It keeps me working hard at things I love, but without any disappointment.

Ski trip from ’05 – I honestly miss that sweet yellow jacket

5) I am proud to say that I’m a “Harley-Man”. I know, I know… more the “suburban-poser, weekend rider” than the “hardcore, grizzly Hell’s Angel” type… but I’m comfortable with who I am. I do absolutely love being on my bike – a Harley Davidson, VRSC Nightrod Special. I bought the bike because I was working for a side business that brought me to motorcycle rallies across the country. I leveraged that part-time vocation into a convincing sales pitch to Jen that I needed a bike. I need to believe in what I’m selling! I don’t know too many pregnant wives that are cool enough to let their husbands buy their first motorcycle a few months before expecting – but I got one of the good ones. She didn’t exactly say “yes” but she didn’t say “no” either – and going for the assumtive close has worked for me more often than not. She has yet to ride on the back with me – but I envision a cross-country trip after kid number II is in grade school.

My third love

This kids a Harley baby!

She loves the feel of the wind in her hair like daddy!

6) I love Ethiopian food – it’s one of my absolute favorites. Jen’s father was born in Ethiopia and spent his formative years eating the unique cuisine – he introduced me to this delectable ethnic fare years ago. The DC metro area has one of the largest Ethiopian populations in the States and so we are fortunate enough to have access to great, authentic cooking. My favorite dishes include tibs in a spicy awaze sauce and kitfo (raw beef, much like steak tar-tar). I once saw an Anthony Bourdain special where he visited an Ethiopian restaurant in Northern Virginia, which was unique for serving cubed chunks of raw beef (not like the minced and treated kitfo). Dom (Jen’s father) and I made a special trip to pop cubes of raw meat in our mouth. I cannot say that I loved it.

Traditional Ethiopian dish with kitfo in the center

7) I got a $100 parking ticket on my wedding day. We were married at the St. Regis in Washington DC in front of our family and friends. The presenter of my Liebster Aweard, Michel was the one who married us. He did an incredible job and set the stage for one of the best days of my life. I received the ticket when I pulled up and parked my car out front of the hotel for a few minutes (to drop some things off) well before the ceremony started. I am happy to report that I went to traffic court and the officer didn’t show up – so I got off!

I’m grinning because I know I’m going to beat that ticket!

8) I have eaten pig brains (delicious), calf brains (not delicious), liver of just about every animal, beef tongue (one of my grandmother’s favorites), lamb and calf glands (sweetbreads – delicious), pig and chicken feet (good in a dim-sum restaurant), frog legs, pig ears and crab poop (just a bit of the yellow mustard is great – Maryland people you know what I’m talking about) . I stop at the heart, eyes and stomach of just about any animal – Andrew Zimmern, your job is safe. I have also eaten shark, snake, alligator, crickets, kangaroo, ostrich, emu, horse, elk, deer, boar, bison, rabbit, duck, pheasant, squab, quail and snails. I have not tried bear or camel and I draw the line at dog and cat. (*after this originial posting, I can add pigeon to the list). This may all sound like a tall tale, but I assure you that it is 100% accurate.

9) My standard meal at McDonalds is a super-sized filet of fish meal (includes a large fries and large Sprite), two double-cheesburgers, a McChicken sandwich, a four piece chicken nugget and an Oreo McFlurry. My standard meal at Five Guys is two regular cheeseburgers (fried onions, fried mushrooms, lettuce, mayonnaise, A-1 and hot peppers), a large fry (“hey buddy, please fill that bag up with fries”), a grilled cheese sandwich (which I eat in the car as an appetizer) and a root beer. My standard Chipotle meal is a steak burrito (usually so stuffed they have to wrap it with two tortillas), two orders of chips/guacamole and a sweet tea. Once, I ate two steak burritos and chips/guacamole in one sitting. In college I regularly ate two 12″ sub sandwiches with chips – I do not recommend attempting either of those two meals. The other meals are fine to try at home.

10) I passed a Professional Sales course in college with an “A” and never took the final exam. Each semester, the professor would allow one student from each of his 3 different classes (roughly 300 students in total) to skip the exam if they could “close” him in a private sales presentation. We each met him in his office and extended him the opportunity to “buy” whatever it was we were selling. He announced the 3 winners on the day of the exam, so we were still supposed to study. I had a really good feeling I nailed the sale so I didn’t study too hard. It paid off.

“Always…be…closing!”

11) Until I moved to Italy, I have consistently held a job since I was 14. My first job was caddying, I did a few freelance valet gigs, worked in a bagel shop most of high school and then worked in the student center at Virginia Tech. After graduation I moved on to Ryan Homes then NVHomes (new home sales and then sales management), M-Brace (medical manufacturing sales and management) and then briefly sold new homes again before this trip. The five months I have lived here have been the most peculiar five months of my life, with my only job keeping my wife happy and baby entertained. While I have loved every minute, I am anxious to start working again.

11 Questions Asked of Me

1. If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, alive or dead, real or fictional, who would it be and why?

I’ll give you a hint… long orange pony tail. Bright orange crocks. Big, boisterous personality. Have you guessed yet? Mario Batali would be my first choice. The choice seems fairly obvious to me. I believe that many of the more popular choices (and many of the people I admire) would be nice to get to know… but a bit stuffy. I can imagine Mario coming over, with an armful of food and wine and helping me and Jen in the kitchen. He’d entertain us with tall tales of happenings I could only imagine. He’d be the center of attention, but yet kind enough to gracefully share the spotlight. And then of course, we’d become fast friends and I would be the recipient of a brick oven pizza one day, just like another of his friends, Michael Symon (who was also be allowed to attend the dinner if he wished).

How much fun does he look like he’d bring?!

2. Describe the circumstances under which you met your spouse or the significant person in your life?

In 1992, I glanced through a sea of pimply-faced tweens, flanked on each side by lime green lockers in Ridgeview Middle School. I had an eye out for new ladies, having already dated all those immature Darnestown Elementary School girls. And then I saw her. Big, feathered bangs. Hot pink body suit beneath her rockin jean jacket. Who was this ravashing beauty? I smoothed my purple silk shirt and set down my Sony Diskman, pausing Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. I strolled over and dropped a casual, “hey – did you see last night’s episode of 90210?” The rest is history.

Lucky for me Brandon wasn’t available

3. Name your very favorite restaurant, in what city/town/village is it located and what kind of food do they serve? I am always looking for recommendations for restaurants to try.

Jeez, Meech. Could you make this one any harder? OK – when I am faced with a task seemingly too monumental to finish, I break it down. How do you eat an elephant… one bite at a time (and medium rare). I’ll list a few places where we regularly eat, in some of our favorite cities (this may not include some of my best meals – but to be a favorite restaurant, I think it’s important you dine there regularly). In our hometown of Washington, DC – it would be Braserie Beck. Robert Wiedmaier’s contemporary Belgian-style brasserie sits on the corner adjacent to our building. Their food is always delicious (try the mussels), the service wonderful, the outdoor patio is divine in the spring and the beer selection is among the best in the city. My favorite steakhouse is in one of my favorite cities – N9ne Steakhouse in the Palms Casino, Las Vegas. The ultra modern furnishing is set off perfectly with the club-music playing just loud enough to create a fun and hip atmosphere. Order the seafood tower (some of the best seafood… in the middle of the desert!) and settle in with a cucumber martini while you wait for your bone-in filet (rare). Amazing. Living in Italy, we discovered Osteria Belvedere Montalbano in our neighboring lake town of Lecco. The restaurant is the among the most unique I’ve encountered. The journey to get there is half the adventure (the small, rustic restaurant sits high atop a mountain with access via a virtually non-existent road). The menu is seasonal and determined by the chef, Fabio – so I can’t tell you what to order. Just sit back and enjoy the most authentic of Italian experiences.

We had Julia’s christening at Brasserie Beck

Antipasti we had set on the table

The family in a room behind the wine cellar

4. What is your favorite dinner meal or “comfort food?”

Michel, I can see we’re very like-minded, I’m sensing a food-theme here… This is almost as difficult as the previous question – but I promise to be a bit more concise. My favorite meals – From my mom (and my most often requested birthday dinner) – egg salad, caviar and artichokes to start. Then a caesar salad made table side. Next, a standing rib roast with sides of roasted potatoes and asparagus. Finished off with a mint chocolate chip cake. From Jen – a starter of salami, prosciutto and cheese. A first course of pasta with a simple pomodoro sugo and then veal Milanese with a side of potatoes and her cannelloni bean salad. Finished with a fennel salad and then pastries from our bakery next door. Finally, my favorite comfort food – if we’re feeling lazy and in a “snuggly” mood – Chinese take out (and large quantities with lots of variety) always hits the spot (add a Coke Zero and a good action movie and you’ve got one of my favorite nights in).

Mom preparing the Caesar table side

My mom and Jen’s mom digging in to the roast

Proof I like this meal every year – this is the following year’s birthday

5. Who is your favorite author?

I’ve got to go with the classic American novelists… Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Steinbeck and Faulkner. Nah, I’m just kidding. I would probably say, Stephen King – the best to keep you lying awake with a cold sweat. Also, Ben Mezrich who has written some fascinating non-fictional novels about Ivy-League kids experiencing meteoric rises of financial wealth in their early 20’s. Finally, Mario Puzo is quite literally the Godfather of the organized crime story. I’m a bit embarrassed I can’t name some obscure, but really deep author that no one else has heard of. I suppose I’m just a bit more mainstream.

6. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be?

I suppose that living in Como, Italy would definitely top the list. I would also love to live in Sydney, Australia and Shanghai, China.

7. What is your favorite movie of all time?

COME ON! I can’t just answer with one (again)! I suppose the top, top, top all-time is going to be Braveheart. I have probably seen the movie 100 times from beginning to end (I re-watch it a couple times a year). The film has the right amount of action, history, love and drama. Some close seconds are Kill Bill, Inglorious Bastards, The Princess Bride, Godfather I and II, Seven, Django Unchained, Heat, The Big Lebowski, American Psycho and City of God. I have heard that I need to see Oldboy – a Korean Gangster movie (too bad Netflix won’t work here).

“They can take our lives… but they can never take away… my LiebsterAward!”

8. Tea or coffee?

Finally, a softball. Coffee! Although, we’re becoming more partial to the Italian way of drinking it – cappuccino in the morning and espresso throughout the day. The one habit from the States we kept was a big cup of American coffee in the morning (to extend the morning coffee-drinking ritual) but it’s starting to taste a bit weak in comparison to the espresso used to make cappuccino.

Even Julia prefers coffee

9. What is your guilty pleasure?

Getting an obscene amount of food (see any of the above junk meals from McDonalds, Five Guys, Chipotle or a Chinese restaurant) and settling in for a new movie release on TV. I have loved doing this with Jen since college when I would get the food from our dining halls (on Jen’s meal plan – mine would be empty) and watch movies on VHS (as opposed to today’s more convenient, On Demand).

10. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

Not sure I fall into either of these categories. I don’t like to get up incredibly early and I don’t like to stay up too late. However, I’d have to lean more towards morning – I just seem to be a bit more productive before 10:00am.

11. What would be your dream job?

I would like to work for an Italian company that has operations in the US and would need me to manage their US branch. This would allow me to keep ties with Italy and live in the US. Additionally, I would like to develop residential and commercial properties and start a management company to oversee the real estate portfolio. Taking applications for business partners now…

Now Presenting the Liebster to…

B and J have a wonderful blog, Two DC that revolves around their life exploring a new city. The blog has a heavy food focus but also highlights many wonderful activities that they encounter in DC. They moved to DC in 2007 but I have to say…. I can’t comment on the future of the blog since they have just completed a cross country trip to their new home in the Bay Area. Hopefully there will be a Two Cali coming soon.

Our friend Amy has a great blog, One Preppy Cookie where she blogs about her life and her cookie business. Be warned – her pictures will make you hungry for dessert!

Elaine McCardel lives in Michigan but cooks wonderful Italian food, featured on The Italian Dish. Her images and recipes are both awe-inspiring to us. Can you say, blog-envy??

And Their Questions Are…

1) Are you a fan of social media and if so, do you prefer Facebook, Twitter, Pintrest, FourSquare, Linkedin, Tumbler, Instagram, etc?

2) What accomplishment are you most proud of?

3) What’s your favorite thing to cook?

4) Pick your favorite company – large or small, profit or non-profit and explain why.

5) What is your all-time favorite TV show?

6) What is the longest stint you’ve ever spent awake and why?

7) Where is your favorite beach?

8) Detail your dream vacation.

9) What is something that surprised you recently?

10) Mac or PC? iPhone or Galaxy?

11) Name your superpower – ability to fly, invisibility, immortality, telepathy, super speed or something else.

Food, Humor, Just a Little Different Here, Sipping Espresso, Wine

All Thing Are Just a Little Different… Part II

March 26, 2013 Greg

When we first moved here, we noticed that while many things are very much the same as the States… there are also many, many subtle (and not so subtle) differences. Early on, I did a quick post about things being different HERE but I didn’t go into many of the specifics.

Now that we’ve been here a while, it makes sense to go a bit deeper. You know, the kind of “hard-hitting journalism” you’ve come to expect here at Sipping Espresso. For this post we’ve focused on some of the differences that we find particularly charming, beneficial or just plain better. So here we go…

♠♣♥♦ ♠♣♥♦ ♠♣♥♦

RESTAURANTS

Let’s start with the food. If you’ve been a follower of this blog for a while (or read more than one post), you’ll notice that many things here are cuisine related. This in itself is something amazing, but not an entry. Regarding food/eating, I’m referring to:

Get it while it’s hot! In the States, it is polite to eat only when all the food has arrived at the table. This means most of your dishes have been baking under a heat lamp anywhere from 5 – 10 minutes while your buddy-with-no-taste-bud’s extra well-done steak continues to char. Here, the food arrives at the table just after it’s been cooked – and it’s meant to be enjoyed that way. You can eat when the food arrives – in fact, people might think your pazzo (crazy) if you sit and let your food get cold. Admittedly, this takes some getting used to – but it makes all the sense in the world.

Gnocci Castelmagno and Papparadelle Cinghiale
This dish would lose texture/flavor quickly if allowed to get cold

Help decide for me! Most restaurants (from the ordinary to the high-end) feature a pre-fix lunch menu, or Menu del Giorno (Menu of the Day). They are usually between $10 – $12 and often feature a first course, a second course, a half-liter of wine, sparkling water and a coffee. Not a bad deal!

Menu of the Day at Il Solito Posto

Waiter – where’s the bill?! Since waiters are paid fair wages here, tipping is not necessary and usually only for service above and beyond. This should probably stand alone as an entry – but there’s an extra benefit. There is no pressure to “turn over” a table. If you want to sit and enjoy your espresso, your gelato or just your conversation – feel free to stay put. In fact, most places don’t even “drop the bill”. Rather, you get up when you are ready and pay on your way out.

Where’s the Burger King? You can ask in English or Italian – you’ll get the same confused look. Fast food joints are not prevalent, in fact – they’re almost nonexistent. McDonalds has made some headway in the past decade (to the pleasure of the younger generation and chagrin of the old-school), but they are few and far between. In fact, we find it humorous that if you see a sign for a McDonald’s – it is not just off the next exit. It’s probably the closest one and still 15 miles away. This has obvious health benefits on the country as a whole. Furthermore, it cultivates a healthy relationship with food. Food is meant to be healthy, fresh and enjoyed slowly.

Wine, wine and more wine! Unless you live in wine country, USA – you can’t imagine how nice it is to be surrounded by such love of wine. This means it is readily available, delicious and affordable. Our grocery stores have huge aisles dedicated only to wine, often on sale at deep discounts. Just the other day, when I was spending time with Franco and we stopped to talk to a group of his friends. I thought I understood someone to say that they were “waiting for it to rain wine” which didn’t make sense to me. I was sure I misunderstood until a truck pulled up. Franco explained that this truck came from Venito, loaded with wine for sale. These guys were literally buying 100 liter quantities to store in their homes. I’m presently trying to convince Franco to split 50 liters with me on the next truck that rolls into town!

Some wonderful Italian wines

Our favorite day – WINE MEGA SALE day!
Can you say, “kid in candy store”

FINANCE

This next section is finance related. While I’m getting crushed on the exchange from dollars to euro’s, and the Italians pay an incredibly high amount of taxes (you think you had it bad?!) – there are a few things that I love here as it relates to their finances.

The price is, what the price is! OK, the tax is in there somewhere – but restaurants, merchants, stores and everyone else marks a price and lo and beyond… it’s final! There are no extras, taxes or tips (see above) required. You don’t have to calculate the tax or wait for someone to do for you. You just pull out your fourteen euro’s and pay… fourteen euro’s (as opposed to $14.84). Now that’s a relief.

You can’t fool me! At home, we love the .99 cent trick. Or the $990 dollar trick. As in, “I only paid $8 bucks for this thing” when in reality it was $8.99 plus tax. I admit, it has a purpose – but it is a bit deceitful to consumers and can sometimes be annoying when figuring out what you are really paying. Instead of $9.99 – it will be marked as an honest $10. I find this very refreshing.

No €9.99 here!

How do you say Fort Knox in Italian?! Their security for banking is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. After I opened my account, I was given an online security key fob. This device generates one of my three pin codes I need to login online. You press the button and it generates a random code that you have limited time to enter, thus guaranteeing the utmost in online security. Furthermore, if you wish to make a purchase online – you can enter the amount you wish to authorize and even the merchant you plan to do business with. You will be given an randomly generated 16-digit number that can be entered one time (for the amount specified) as opposed to entering your actual card number. So internet thieves, go right ahead and steal my credit card number – it won’t be good ever again.

Can’t hack into my online account!

Stay away Western Union – I go where I want! Because the Euro is adopted as the central currency for the European Union, we can cross the border into France, Spain, Germany and many more without having to worry about changing bills and getting killed on commissions.* Incidentally, please use Western Union… for some stupid reason, I’m a stockholder.

I have more change than an 80 year old woman!

*I promised this would be a positive post – but I do have to add one additional note here. I’m not crazy about the actual currency itself (blame the E.U… not Italy). Their monopoly money consists of bills of different sizes and tons of coins (€1 coin, €2 coin, etc). This results in many bills falling on the floor as I rush through the checkout line and a pocket that sounds like a Mexican mariachi band as I chink-chink down the street.

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I’ve got many more to go, but this already turned out to be longer than I realized. I feel it is a good time to break in the series and continue with a “All Things Are a Little Different… Parte Tre” (Part Three) soon. Ciao for now!

Humor, Just a Little Different Here, Sipping Espresso

Italians are HIPPIES?! Who knew?

February 22, 2013 Greg

OK… not quite your Grateful Dead listening, moccasin wearing, pot smoking, “make love-not war” type of hippies. More of the modern-day “green” kind. Which is a good thing. But let me tell you something…

IT SURE IS INCONVENIENT!

When we first moved here and were getting our run-down of the new rules of life, one of the first things we discovered was that everything gets recycled. You’re likely saying, “what’s the big deal? I recycle!” Sure, we did too. I was quite proud to carry my bottles, plastic and paper to the big blue bin next to the trash chute. Our building actually changed from having to separate paper from plastic into one big bin to make it more convenient. Now that’s the type of recycling I was used to.

But this… this is next-level recycling. Thinking about throwing that banana peel away? You’d better stop in your tracks! Planning on throwing away that package your kids toy came in? Stop right there! You were planning on seperating the paper label from the plastic cover and removing it from the cardboard backing, right?!

You see, everything needs to be separated. EVERYTHING. And there is no such thing as “Tuesday trash night” to put your refuse on the street. There is “glass night”. And “paper night”. And “compost night”, etc. So, you’d better budget some time to take a trip to the curb nearly every night and nearly every morning.

Think you’ll circumvent the system by going to the dump? Think again! We only have to separate into five piles at home – at the dump, it’s over double that figure.

Being OCD by nature, I went and got fresh new trash bins to color-cordinate my refuse. Little problem – the garbage men don’t like some of the bins I’ve selected and have twice taken my neighbors garbage while leaving mine. I’ll be sure to get it right soon enough!

Bins shown below (from left to right) umido (compost), rifiuti solidi (garbage), plastica (plastic), carta (paper) and bottiglie (bottles).

My clean new bins

Oh yeah, you’ll notice different color bags. Each type of trash also requires it’s own special bag. Below is what happens when you make a mistake on bag or type of bin – they leave your trash curbside and you take your trash back upstairs to wait until the next time it goes out.

Some of the trash came back upstairs with me

This is what happens after a snowstorm and no garbage is picked up

So, I don’t mean to “one-up you” here – but if you think you’re doing your part for Mother Nature, think again! We’re going GREEN over here in Italy. Of course, I imagine that we’re giving it all back and more touring around in that big diesel SUV I’m borrowing from my in-laws!

Food, Humor, Just a Little Different Here

Fact or Fiction?

February 8, 2013 Greg

We made a discovery recently about Italians that contradicted an earlier belief of ours. So it got us thinking… what other misconceptions do many Americans have about Italians? Let’s dig a little deeper and see what we discover. This is a collection of observations we’ve made since we’ve been here and we will likely have additions over time (and possibly corrections).

*Disclaimer - this post is meant to be fun and in no way itself, factual!  These are simply things that we have observed [and this is important] in this region.  One of the first things that we learned is that there are dramatic differences throughout the country - cultural, culinary, lingual... you name it!  So, while something may be fact or fiction based on what we've noticed; it's highly probably that it could be the opposite somewhere else.

FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE GARLIC…THE MORE THE BETTER!

While garlic is prevalent in many dishes, like most other things… they prefer it in moderation. In fact, what appears to us like a little amount of garlic in a dish is probably already far too much. Interesting Italian tidbit – eating raw garlic is good for you, but cooked garlic has no impact. Vampires beware, I’ve been gulping the stuff!

Answer – FICTION

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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS LOVE THEIR COFFEE?

Given the name of this blog, you most likely have already surmised that coffee is enjoyed several times throughout the day. However, the experience is very different than the US. Instead of going to any Starbucks in the morning and ordering a 20 oz coffee that you’ll guzzle in your car on the way to work, Italians prefer several small cups of espresso throughout the day. Sometimes with milk (con latte or a machiatto), sometimes very small (corto) and occasionally a bit bigger (lungo) – but always in an espresso cup and never “to go”. An enjoyable custom is visiting various “bars” throughout the day, ordering your coffee, chatting with your friends, plunking down your €1 and heading out only to return a few hours later. CAREFUL – one of us (and it wasn’t your author) learned a couple years ago that you NEVER order a cappuccino after a meal.

Answer – FACT

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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS HAVE TWO HOUR LUNCHES?!

Pranzo circa 2006 when we were here for Jens cousin’s wedding

Perhaps not two hours exactly, but pranzo (lunch) is an event that is not to be missed or rushed. In most households, pranzo is the most important meal of the deal – a wonderful moment to spend time with family. You’ll find most shops close around 12:00 and don’t re-open until after 2:00 in order to allow shopkeepers and workers time to make it home and eat. Many households will regularly serve pasta as a prima (first course), sometimes followed by a secondo (second course of fish or meat) and usually rounded out by a salad at the end. Of course, wonderful bread and cheese are present and many households will happily open a nice bottle of vino (wine) and finish with caffè (coffee). With a younger generation and big box stores ushering in new norms, pranzo may not have as much emphasis as it did in the past – but the act of eating an enjoyable lunch will always have a place in Italian culture.

*We have the benefit of wonderful cooks both upstairs and in our own home – we have enjoyed many wonderful two-hour lunches ourselves; even though my waist line isn’t too appreciative. Future posts on Claudia and Jen’s delicious cooking to come.

Answer – FACT

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FACT OR FICTION – “SPAGHETTI AND MEATBALLS” IS ALWAYS ON THE MENU?

No meatballs here

While pasta is very common (and spaghetti, a type of noodle is one of the most popular varities) – polpette (meatballs) are never served on top of spaghetti and oozing with marinara. In fact, the only time we’ve ever had polpette was a second meat course and they tasted very different than what we’re accustomed to.

Answer – FICTION

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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS DRINK TONS OF SAN PELLEGRINO SPARKLING WATER?

This was something Jen and I assumed, not necessarily something that is commonly thought of. Every time we have gone out to eat in the states with Italians, we order aqua frizzante (sparkling water) and 9 times out of 10 they would deliver San Pellegrino to the table. Given Jen’s Italian upbringing, we actually became quite accustomed to stocking the delicious “bubbly stuff” in our own home (thank you Costco for selling cases). So, naturally we assumed that the big player in the US market would dominate on their own turf. But the truth is – we haven’t seen a single bottle! Not at a restaurant, not at a friends home, not at the supermarket. It’s like they bottle almost exclusively for export! Don’t get me wrong… there is a bottle of frizzante at every table we’ve graced – just not San Pellegrino.

Interestingly enough, Illy and Lavazza (the two espresso brands most dominant in the US) are not only very prevalent in Italy – they are regarded as the best quality.

Answer – Fiction

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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIAN SUBS ARE BETTER IN ITALY?!

Well, this just seems like common sense. We’re in the mecca for the cured meats, wonderful cheeses and incredible bread that could make the world’s greatest submarine sandwich. We have access to carefully aged vinegar and the most delicious olive oil. The lettuce and tomatoes… well, OK – they’re pretty much the same. So, of course they should put them all together and give it the namesake of their own country, right?

I dare you to go into any restaurant and order an “Italian Sub”. You’ll get a look like you have three heads, because for some strange reason twelve inches of layer after layer of mixed meats, cheese, vegetables and oil smashed into a piece of bread doesn’t sound appealing to them at all. Weird – I’m getting hungry just typing!

Italians prefer to keep most things separate, so that they can taste each item. Sure, they have sandwiches (post on our sandwich adventure), but not of the “sub-sandwich” kind. In fact the place we went in Milano is quite rare. Most places simply put one type of meat on bread (salami or prosciutto or prosciutto cotto) sometimes accompanied by cheese and maybe some arugula.

Sorry Jared – we have no use for you here.

Answer – FICTION

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FACT OR FICTION – ITALIANS ARE VERY LOUD…YOU CAN HEAR THEM A GREAT WAYS AWAY?!

“I already TOOOOOLD you!!!!”

I feel as though I am credible to be able to write about this, as I have known a great many Italians over the years and been privy to many, many conversations. As it’s been explained to me… they’re not loud – they’re passionate! And they’re not always passionate – only when topics of conversation requires it. Like politics or religion…. or what to cook for lunch, or who’s right or wrong, or what the temperature is, or if the sky is actually blue, or if breathing is important, or whether the neighbors can hear them. That sort of thing.

Answer – FACT

Well, we hope you had as much fun learning about what’s Fact and what’s Fiction in this great country as we did creating the list. We’re hoping to learn a lot more so we can continue to add to the list.

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