Italian-American vs la cucina italiana

Cuisine; is it Italian or Italian-American?

When we lived in New Mexico and would visit family and friends in other states they would many times recommend a Mexican restaurant, which we would always decline. Mexican cuisine is not the same as New Mexican; which is a blend of Spanish, Mexican and Native American flavors. Tex-Mex is a whole different bowl of beans…pun intended.

Now that we have returned from Italy some people have suggested “Italian” restaurants and I have written before how “Italian” food in America does not resemble what you find in Italia. We were visiting Valerie’s cousin recently and one of our discussions was this dilemma. Celia has been in the restaurant business and she had a different approach to the cuisine…”Italian” in America is a whole different type of cuisine, Italian-American, which is not to be contrasted with the cuisine you find in Italy. Italian-American dishes may have some of the same names and ingredients as la cucina italiana but it isn’t the same.

I found this approach to the differences in cuisine to be less frustrating than being regularly disappointed that “Italian” in America is nothing like la cucina italiana. We can enjoy Italian-American as a different but enjoyable contrast. Just don’t ask me to cut my pasta!

Street art...Italian style.

Knockers

There are so many things about Italy and living in Italy that are fascinating that you can easily get caught up in the grandeur of the scenery, food, architecture and festivals. Many people will miss some of the simple details of Italy, one of my favorites being the door knockers that adorn old and new doors alike. You can find these in any town or city as you stroll the streets and rue, greeting guests to homes all across the peninsula.

They may be brass or steel, old or new, on both inhabited and vacant houses. You may find some of these in a ferramenta and others are obviously carefully crafted pieces of art…the original street art! The next time you are wandering the streets of a hilltop town keep your eyes open for some battente di portello.

These are a sampling of a few we have seen in our travels around Italy.

Pizza!

Pizza vero

Pizza in Italy is not the pizza that most Americans are familiar with. Think of a crust about the thickness of a tortilla with a thin layer of toppings, these toppings may or may not include a tomato based sauce. The basic pizza is pizza margherita which is simply a crust with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and basil; much as espresso is the base of all coffee drinks in Italy, pizza margherita is the base of most pizzas in Italy. Toppings are applied thinly allowing each to be tasted but not enough to overpower each other. The best pizzas are cooked in wood burning ovens where the pizzas are slid in on a wood platter and cook in just a few minutes – presto!


Pizza is also frequently eaten with a knife and fork, none of the triangular slices. Pieces are cut into narrow strips and folded upon themselves to be eaten. Pizza is served in pizzerias that are sit-down establishments generally open only for dinner while a pizza tavola serves pizza by the slice at a walk up counter and are usually open before lunch and dinner.

Pizza originated in Napoli as pizza margherita and is an Italian tradition that is not duplicated with what American’s call “pizza”. In my opinion the original pizza is soooo much better.

Vote results in Italy

The vote is in

This past week-end Italy had her final run-off elections for various offices around the country. This run-off was for those offices where a winner was not declared during the election held during the first week-end in June. Both the comune and Provincia of Ascoli Piceno had run-off elections pitting the far-right (fascist?) candidate against moderate or leftist candidates. In both instances the far-right candidate won.

You can see the results at the site for the newspaper Corriere della Sera where they also list the parties that supported each candidate. From our experience living in Italy I believe some of the groups who are listed for the Mayor, Castelli, and Provincial President, Celani, lean heavily towards fascist ideas. Not a good prospect for the country, especially those of us who are extracomunitari.

There was almost a 20% drop in voter turn-out for these run-off elections compared to the early June elections of close to 75%. Several articles have deemed this some of the lowest turn-out for an Italian election. During the last US presidential election the turn-out of just fewer than 60% was claimed as historically high.

Just before we left Italy the country was busy with preparations for the elections and several friends and family members were directly involved in politicking. It is interesting to see what the results of their efforts have been now that the final counts are in.

My new Gaggia

Caffé in America

I’ve said it before and nothing has changed…I am a coffee snob. I don’t shy from it, I embrace it. After living in Italy and having real caffé how can you not be?!

I knew when we came back to the US that finding a good caffé would be a struggle based on our previous visits. First, a so called “single espresso” is actually equivalent to two shots. I asked once for a single and the lady responded “such a shame I’ll just have to pour out the second one”. More is not always better! Many shops first make the espresso in a small metal pitcher then pour it into a cup, thus losing most of the crema. Oh yeah, did I mention they use paper cups?! Then you dish out around $2 for this mucky water. ARGH!

When we lived in New Mexico I had purchased an espresso machine from Capresso and it was satisfactory at that time, but now it just wasn’t producing a comparable caffé. I quickly began looking for a new machine when we arrived in Cleveland.

I like the process of making caffé so I didn’t want an automatic machine and there are budgetary restraints to consider. After doing a lot of internet searching I had narrowed my choices to a handful of machines. Based on the quality of caffé available at coffee shops in America I had little confidence in on-line reviews, what I wanted was to actually try a couple of these machines but I found that the availability of machines at any stores in our area was very limited…mostly pod machines. Sorry but I never saw a true barista in Italy use a pod!


There are four main ingredients to making caffé: the machine, a grinder, fresh roasted quality beans and the barista. I eventually chose one of the Gaggia machines as it met all of my requirements with a commercial grade portafilter, controllable brew time, frother as well as designed and made in Italy. I ordered a burr grinder with the Gaggia and both arrived a few days ago. I bought some fresh roasted espresso beans and have since been working on my barista skills.

The first few cups left a lot to be desired but as I adjust the grind and tamping the results are improving. After one day I was beyond what I can get in any coffee shop, my goal is the liquid gold I came to love in Italia…sto provando!

Is this a Sign?

Adventures with Arnold

We drove our little Ford Fiesta around Italy for almost three years with no accidents, despite the well know antics of Italian drivers. We’ve not been so lucky since returning to the US.

When we left the US three years ago we placed our 1995 Ford Mustang with under 78,000 miles in Valerie’s sister’s garage in Cleveland. There “Arnold” sat peacefully, protected from the harsh upper Midwest elements. When we returned one of my first objectives was to get Arnold operational and arrange for insurance and new Ohio registration and tags.

After the long slumber Arnold fired right up with a new battery and I made a short trip around the block with no problems. Before I would venture any further I made sure we had insurance coverage, after sixteen years in the auto claims business I know the importance of that step. That was a fortunate step.

The next day I had to take the car to a dealer for a vehicle inspection, a quick and simple process at a dealer less than five minutes away. As I was leaving I saw a pick-up pulling a car carrier coming around a corner of the parking lot, I figured it would be better to stop and allow her plenty of maneuvering room. I guess not enough since she hit my left front with her right rear trailer wheel, completely removing everything on our car in front of the tire.



There were no problems with my coverage, despite the policy being effective less than ten hours before the accident, and the other driver had the same carrier. I did have problems getting the other driver’s adjuster to accept liability. (I’m parked, the other vehicle is moving – what’s the question?!) I know the process and the workings of claims departments so I figured my low priority claim had just fallen on the back burner…until I applied a little heat myself. Soon we had a rental car and Arnold was in the shop being repaired.

Last Monday we picked up the car and the repairs were top quality. We quickly finished the titling process and now have Ohio plates on the car (Valerie thinks they clash with the color). But that is not the end of the saga.

Last Friday, five days later, Valerie was in the car in a parking lot while I ran an errand in a store and to her dismay a car backed into the newly replaced front bumper. The damage is minor at the most but it was the fact that we just had it repaired. We decided not to pursue this minor scratch as it is more of a nuisance than anything else.

Now we are both a little jumpy as we drive somewhere and a car drifts a little in an adjoining lane or we slowly walk around the car after parking just to make sure.

Perhaps this is a sign we are not to be in Ohio…

Cattle cars in the sky

European low cost carriers

On the two occasions we have traveled to other parts of Europe while living in Italy we have flown on low-cost carriers, Europe’s version of Southwest Airlines. The first time we flew on Easy Jet to England and recently we took Ryan Air to Barcelona. Our goal on those two flights was location and price; however, both of those experiences were not pleasant, these carriers make Southwest Airlines feel like a first class carrier.

Ryan Air is very popular in Europe, especially with the British as they allow them to reach most of Europe rather inexpensively. Or at least it appears inexpensive. The advertised fares tend to be very low, sometimes as low as 20€ each way, that is until you add in all the additional fees. They charge to check any baggage, there is a fee to pay with a credit card and of course there are additional taxes.

Then you get the experience of the actual trip. The terminal areas are usually overcrowded with limited seating and boarding is a first come first served, many times lines forming at the gate an hour before boarding. Since they tend to fly into smaller airports boarding usually requires walking out to the plane on the tarmac to climb the stairs and with unassigned seating there is a dash for available seats.

Once you are on the plane the stripped down interior (no magazines, pillows or seat back pockets) gives new meaning to uncomfortable. Passengers scramble for seats and available overhead bin space to stuff their oversized carry-on bags, there is limited enforcement concerning baggage size. To add to the joy of your flight you have to pay for any refreshments; water and hot tea or coffee will cost you several euros. Periodically during the flight the attendants will pass through the cabin selling lottery tickets and other such items.

Departing the plane once you have landed is the reverse scramble you experience boarding, however we have not had problems with missing luggage.

These low coast carriers are a true example of the phrase “You get what you pay for”. If you are traveling in Europe and considering one of these be aware the experience is not for the faint hearted.