Going off Track...

OK, who the hell is paying for Tom Cruise's need for the FBI? He owns, HOW many planes? He makes, HOW much money? So the poor tax payers have to pay to have him protected for going out in the open using his notariety and Hollywood face to push Scientology, and WHAM, look what we get to pay for!!!!!

High Quality Food Culture

I have so many things to write but these last two months have been busy trying to organize living quarters and now we are under the push of the holidays adding more to the plate. The other day talking to Golden Piglet we began to discuss the culture in Italy of high quality food, the fact there are so many strict rules regarding food production and the food industry. Recently there was a problem with pork from Ireland and all and any shipments to Italy were stopped, the issue is this, rarely do any of these problems originate in Italy. You never hear of bad beef or pork or lamb originating from Italy. Yes this country does have its problems with pollution getting into the water veins and affecting grazing land for buffalo milk but it is something that never leaves the country for later recall.

The United States does not have a strong FDA for the protection of human consumption regarding food production and thus every two or three months there is a ground meat recall, a spinach recall, etc.

Gang, the fact is this, one eats well and healthy here in bureaucracy-land Italy and the fact remains, simple cooking, simple food for honest, healthy meals. There are no coulis of this or that, or vellutato of this or that unless you are trying hard to make some fancy thing. Some say Italian cooking is boring or predictable, others try to jazz it up with fancy sauces and interpretations on a theme but in the end, the culture for the best using the least still wins the prize and when people pull their heads out of that dark place and see the light, they will realize all the most sophisticated kitchen equipment or kitchen for that matter does not make a better meal.

I have heard some say how boring eating in Italy is, every region having their specialties and traditions and the fact that it is hard to find things a little out of the ordinary. I ask those creatures, how is it then that Italians tend to be more appreciative of what they have than what they do not? They are happy to cook a good capon, or to make another fabulous broth from scratch...simple cooking, simple food, honest flavors. With that, I leave you all to your Christmas meal planning, searching for the ultimate meal for the holidays, looking for something new and missing the whole point of the kitchen.

Cheers and happy bubbles over the holidays to all.

Gotta Love the Left Over Queen!

I just thought you all should head over to the left over corner, where the queen of left overs has truly presented one of the best blogs I have seen in a while and not only her blog but her ideas for left overs! She mentioned our blog in finest-foodies-friday and when I read more about her I was happy to find a fellow Italian lover as well as, one who purports simplicity in the kitchen (she is also the one responsible for Foodies Blogroll.

Golden Piglet is a bit of a pain in the butt regarding left overs that is, they need to be consumed quickly for the mass of bacteria and molds that set up shop so quickly (he takes the fun out of my left overs being a microbiologist maniac). I have never been able to use left overs very well and now, Jenn has answered my prayers and even though the Piglet loves to eat so our left overs never make it far anyway, now I have a good reason to have left overs! :-) So, as you ponder what to do with what is in your pantry against what is in that Tupperware, go see what The Leftover Queen has to say. Thank you for Jenn for the nice review, we certainly appreciated it.

Coming Soon...

Snow White is working on a few posts, one about the cradle of history, one about Franciacorta (eat your hearts out French Champagne), the differences between ragù, King Porsenna and Chiusi with La Solita Zuppa, Pietra fetida, La Murrina seconds store in Milano, mini wine bricks just for starters.

The weather is nuts over here right now, snow at low levels, Zermatt getting wads of the stuff, Rome's Tiber ready to overflow it's banks, Tuscany practically a whole new lake and this all adds up to...yep you guessed it, eating because it is cold and making trips to the hottest pastry shops around.