Somthing about Italy

Does anyone hate Italy? Silly question perhaps, and that is just my point.  I am always happy while I visited, doesn’t matter what the season or weather. Doesn’t matter if I am alone or with friends, business or pleasure, I love it all. What is the magic?

Italy in many ways not particularly rich countries in the sense of ritzy scenes and money, but I am happy just sit in the local Cafés sip a cup of espresso, enjoying wine with friend on the curb side, the feeling were always the same.

Then it was the food and their wine and cheese and salad and my beloved olive oil, hummmm, I am hungry just thinking about it. But we got all that anywhere, even in Shanghai. It is just not the same. Can’t be duplicated.

Every morning, I get up and run to the restaurant and fill my plate with cheeses, eggs, and sausages. That is before I went back for fruits. As you all know I love cheese but in China, the selection is very limited. With the habits how I buy cheese. I will spend my paycheck for it. With price aside. It was the limited selection that is frustrating. If I act more like Chinese, then I will not have that worry.

Then it was the wine and the language. Every word is poetry in the Italian language, every bottle is great plus the prices were reasonable. Particularly at this time of the year, Chardonnays (My choice) are all fresh and crisp and any vino russo were rich and smooth.

Majority of the time in Italy, I never bother to be fuzzy, just ordering table wine or house bottle, similarly in Shanghai, that is because majority of the restaurants had only limited selections. Unless I am dinning for the evening in Italy, particularly when my wealthy friends are picking up the tab, then baby you are in for the treat of your life. Ha ha. On the other hand try ordering table wine in little Italy, NY, the taste will send you spitting it out faster than you can swallow it.

The fun of traveling sometimes is the surprises. I was taught something new on my recent trip. My Italian colleagues introduced me to a fresh fish bar. I was not sure if that is an Italian tradition, or something new, but like everything else, Italian made it their own. When my colleagues invited me to go to a raw fish bar in Milan, I though they meant going for Sushi, little did I know we went to a place that look like the seafood department in a grocery store in the US, except the fish were so fresh, they were not even displayed on a bed of ice. The place is beautiful and very Euro chic.

After you order what you like, they prepare it into thin slices or chunks, then sauté it with olive oil and a little vignette, and of course what every secret ingredients they put in, it is a slide of heaven for your taste bud. Order a glass of sauvignon Blanc on the side. Heaven just landed on earth. The cost is less than McDonalds, sorry, had to bring you back to earth some how. Sorry about that. I will be back there again ate my heart out in two weeks. Just can’t stay away.

I had been introduced to some fried dough in Milan before. It was very unique too. These are kind of Tuscany country food, you do not get it in the US. You order what every the filling you like, it could be sauce, or Cheese or hummus etc. then of course your vino. When the bread came you just spread it and have a great time. I am so fortunate to have friends introduce the sampling. Friends often accused me that I am rather picky on where and what I wanted to eat, that is not an entirely true description of me. If there is anything unique I may try it but there is a limited. If you do not agree with me, I will put your name down for to sample pig blood cake cube, or dug tongue on your next visits.  

The most amazing thing I encounter on my recent trip, top any chart. Can you ever imagine on any given casual Italian meal, pasta is not included? That is the fact. When I ask why, my colleague told me that Italian is on a health kick, everyone is trying to loose weight and cut out pasta.

Please no, tell me this is not correct information. Cutting out pasta is not the answer. On any given happy hour in the bar in big cities, their spread of antipasto is so impressive. I can have a meal there alone before I had my dinner. So figure that out. Is cutting out pasta alone will get you loose weight? You be the judge.

Chance Encounter Milan.