Well! It's happened! The battalions have banded together and they're coming to get me. Not only have I seen my first live snake here today... I've seen my first two! And I feel sure that there are more coming. The job that I'm doing right now involves sticking my hands into the (thick!) vines and pulling some of the plants out from their roots. Guess who lives in the vines?
Thankfully Lorena was with me when we saw the first snake. She is also afraid of them but after a lifetime in Tuscany and years in the country-side she's learned to cope. When we saw it we just looked at each other with big eyes and it was clear that neither one of us was breathing. At least it's not just me. Then Lorena explained that the snake we saw wasn't a dangerous one. The dangerous ones move more slowly "so it would be easier for us to kill them," Lorena said. Yeah. OK. You know me well enough to picture me up against a snake. Who do you think would do the killing?
The second one actually fell down... you know how when snakes want to get from a higher step to a lower one they sometimes just throw their entire selves over the side of the higher step? BECAUSE THEY HAVE NO LEGS?! (Actually I sort of do that too when I'm tired, and what's my excuse?). That's what happened, about five inches in front of me. After that one I had to take a break. Lorena told me to sit down and listen to my heart, and try to understand where the fear was coming from. Lorena's a truly warm-hearted hippie. I think it's pretty clear where the fear comes from but I appreciate the fact that she's giving enough credit as a human being who can control my own insanity to think that it will go away if I "just think about it."
Special thanks to Ben Kaberon, who I g-chatted with after the "incidents," and who gave me some very interesting advice about facing my fears and just grabbing hold of the next one (snake) that I see. Thanks Kaberon. Don't worry, not enough people read this for you to feel embarrassed about those pearls of wisdom. I do wish you were here so that I could watch you take your own advice. And thanks to Michael Ann who I also g-chatted with after I saw the second snake.
The rest of you, if it wasn't 3:00 AM and 7:00 AM where you are, respectively, I would have been contacting you using whatever means I could think of. Clearly this is a code red. Actually I guess it's a code green, black, yellow, silver... they come in ALL DIFFERENT COLORS AND THEY ARE EVERYWHHHHHHERE. A fun thing to do could be to place bets on where and when the next one will surface. Maybe I'll see whether this blog has a gadget for that.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Usa the salta!
Someone should make a movie about a girl who travels to Italy and learns how to cook from an amazing, olive-tree climbing Italian woman. What could be better than watching someone cook pasta and other delicious Italian food for 2 1/2 hours? Oh yeah. Eating it. But seriously. It's a sure hit. Target audience: 20-something to 50-something year old women. Or just women in general. The men are probably falling asleep even reading this...
Tonight's blog is especially for my mom, who taught me how to cook and who's kitchen remains the most fun to spend time in. There are four people staying at the B&B tonight, two couples, so we were in the kitchen preparing and eating for about 3 hours. The nights when there are guests are my absolute favorites, because those are the nights in the kitchen. I found out, incidentally, that the local tourist agency recommends La Gavina to people looking for a place to stay, and that's why Lorena and Sergio often have tourist groups who have not reserved rooms. It's a very nice surprise.
Today I learned two things: 1. You should never put salt into water before it's already boiling because it slows down the boil. Always add salt after the water is already boiling, before adding the pasta (or other foods, but what else is there?) 2. When you chop/crush garlic, do it on top of a little pool of salt. It helps the flavor. I'm not sure why because there were a few Italian words in there I didn't quite get, but I trust Lorena and that's what she showed me. Mom, you're probably nodding your head because you already knew these things... I've watched the cooking channel with you for 26 years, including Giada De Laurentiis in all of her cleavage's glory, but somehow I've missed these two critically important factoids!
So, tonight we made something called "pici"- which is basically just thick spaghetti, and bears a striking resemblance to soba noodles. Anyway, of course, very tasty. Lorena also made fried artichokes and potatoes (aka french fries but fried tempura-style). So good. And I made the bruschetta! Three kinds - pesto, mushroom, and traditional tomato/basil. Also dessert - the same one we had last time, which was delicious yet again.
Please note - it's not all so glam: I did spend an hour today shoveling chicken - um - waste... which we will use as fertilizer for the plants. In addition, Lorena has now lent me a pair of boots to wear while I'm
working near the olive trees so that when the snakes try to bite my feet I will be amply protected. So, let's review... the snakes, who I'm terrified of, will definitely be slithering around near my feet, but I don't have to worry about that anymore because now I have boots to protect me. Green boots. Those boots better be the boots of heros. They better release spikes on demand. I'll let you know how that goes after tomorrow. But anyway, the waste shoveling is definitely worth it when the pay-off is learning how to cook this way, and the snakes just... might be... I can't say more, lest I regret it. While I was walking today (I took a walk without getting tremendously lost! I only walked in the wrong direction for 10 minutes this time...) I was thinking about how maybe the snakes know that I've been saying all of these mean things about them, and maybe they're planning a retaliation. Sorry, snakes. Please don't eat me.
Anyway, basta pasta. Basta snakes. Now sleep. Tomorrow pasta, again.
Tonight's blog is especially for my mom, who taught me how to cook and who's kitchen remains the most fun to spend time in. There are four people staying at the B&B tonight, two couples, so we were in the kitchen preparing and eating for about 3 hours. The nights when there are guests are my absolute favorites, because those are the nights in the kitchen. I found out, incidentally, that the local tourist agency recommends La Gavina to people looking for a place to stay, and that's why Lorena and Sergio often have tourist groups who have not reserved rooms. It's a very nice surprise.
Today I learned two things: 1. You should never put salt into water before it's already boiling because it slows down the boil. Always add salt after the water is already boiling, before adding the pasta (or other foods, but what else is there?) 2. When you chop/crush garlic, do it on top of a little pool of salt. It helps the flavor. I'm not sure why because there were a few Italian words in there I didn't quite get, but I trust Lorena and that's what she showed me. Mom, you're probably nodding your head because you already knew these things... I've watched the cooking channel with you for 26 years, including Giada De Laurentiis in all of her cleavage's glory, but somehow I've missed these two critically important factoids!
So, tonight we made something called "pici"- which is basically just thick spaghetti, and bears a striking resemblance to soba noodles. Anyway, of course, very tasty. Lorena also made fried artichokes and potatoes (aka french fries but fried tempura-style). So good. And I made the bruschetta! Three kinds - pesto, mushroom, and traditional tomato/basil. Also dessert - the same one we had last time, which was delicious yet again.
Please note - it's not all so glam: I did spend an hour today shoveling chicken - um - waste... which we will use as fertilizer for the plants. In addition, Lorena has now lent me a pair of boots to wear while I'm
working near the olive trees so that when the snakes try to bite my feet I will be amply protected. So, let's review... the snakes, who I'm terrified of, will definitely be slithering around near my feet, but I don't have to worry about that anymore because now I have boots to protect me. Green boots. Those boots better be the boots of heros. They better release spikes on demand. I'll let you know how that goes after tomorrow. But anyway, the waste shoveling is definitely worth it when the pay-off is learning how to cook this way, and the snakes just... might be... I can't say more, lest I regret it. While I was walking today (I took a walk without getting tremendously lost! I only walked in the wrong direction for 10 minutes this time...) I was thinking about how maybe the snakes know that I've been saying all of these mean things about them, and maybe they're planning a retaliation. Sorry, snakes. Please don't eat me.
Anyway, basta pasta. Basta snakes. Now sleep. Tomorrow pasta, again.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Have confidence in the zipper!
You know that you're in Italy when you put your jeans on in the morning and don't even bother trying to close the button, you just have confidence that the zipper alone will keep your pants from ending up around your ankles in the middle of the Piazza del Campo. Viva la muffin-top!
Yes, friends. Today, I ate myself into oblivion. And it... was... GLORIOUS. I spent the day in Siena. Emily and I left on the 7:25 AM bus. In retrospect, I'm not exactly sure why I did that. It's soooo early. But we did. I didn't return until 7:45 - so that gave me 12 concentrated hours to prepare for Sputnik. The thing is that for someone who can't eat wheat or a lot of other mainstream foods in the US, but can eat them all in Italy (i.e. someone like me), it's not a "oh, maybe I'll have a pastry once while I'm here." No, it's a "you bet your sweet bottom I'd like a pastry with that, and while you're in there why don't you give me two for later. And a few cookies for the road."And that is how I ended up eating what I think might amount to 4500 calories or more today.
Among other things there was definitely some Panforte - which all you CET ladies will remember I love. And you all hate it. So, more for me. And there is a LOT of panforte in Siena. So you can imagine... Panforte is a traditional Sienese cake (see Wiki link below...) -like thing but it is made with dried/candied fruit, almonds, and confectioners sugar, which are three of my top ten items for consumption. Plus, one hopes that the dried fruit can help her digest all of the rest of the food she's eating as an American in Siena, which includes, among yet other things: Ricciarelli, another traditional Sienese cookie (see Wiki link below...), made from almonds and confectioners sugar... kind of like really great macaroons. Enough said. And of course there's the pastries, pasta, the pizza, the gelato... etc. etc. etc...
In between my many food stops today, I spent my time sitting in the Piazza del Campo reading, thinking, and people watching. Being alone here can be lonely at times, but it definitely has it's pluses. One of the pluses is that in lieu of focusing my attention on a travel-buddy, I can concentrate completely on eavesdropping on strangers' conversations! The best ones are the conversations between these roving groups of Italian teenagers. I think I've mentioned before that these young people are monsters (Michael Ann, I know you'll back me up...). I was wrong, though. It turns out they're actually vampires. I think that the Twilight series has definitely hit Italy because they are all dressing, walking, and talking like vampires. What I mean is - for the men: sunglasses even in the shade, hair straight up but moussed just a little bit to the side so their entire heads look like one big cowlick, and generally angry expressions. The women are just really petite and skinny but what else is new, they're Italian, they're built to absorb wine and carbohydrates like perfect little machines. But recently I've noticed that they also slouch their shoulders and make themselves look a little bit more fragile and pathetic than can possibly be natural. Who know's what I'm talking about? I know you've seen the Twilight movies, and it's ok to admit it to yourself because presumably you're not reading this in a public setting... Anyway, in addition I listened to some awesome midwestern english conversations about how delicious the gelato is, and I pretended to understand some really juicy french conversations...
So, as ashamed (/secretly sooooooo proud) as I am to admit this, that's all I have to report for the day because literally what I did was eat, and then wait until an acceptable amount of time passed for me to feel like it was okay to make my next food stop. And clearly I planned strategically so as not to be seen too many times by too many people - After one person sees you making your fifth pit stop for something that you are clearly eating "subito," or immediately, it gets kind of embarrassing. I think that's actually why the streets in Italian hill-towns are designed like undecipherable mazes. I think it's less because of medieval/renaissance lifestyle and more because those charming urban planning pioneers made an ingenious, fore-sited decision in order to to protect future tourists from the indignities of being seen eating not a couple of nice treats in one day, but all of them. In one hour. And then on repeat.
Anyway, here's what I can tell you: Clothing can be altered. Thank goodness.
Yes, friends. Today, I ate myself into oblivion. And it... was... GLORIOUS. I spent the day in Siena. Emily and I left on the 7:25 AM bus. In retrospect, I'm not exactly sure why I did that. It's soooo early. But we did. I didn't return until 7:45 - so that gave me 12 concentrated hours to prepare for Sputnik. The thing is that for someone who can't eat wheat or a lot of other mainstream foods in the US, but can eat them all in Italy (i.e. someone like me), it's not a "oh, maybe I'll have a pastry once while I'm here." No, it's a "you bet your sweet bottom I'd like a pastry with that, and while you're in there why don't you give me two for later. And a few cookies for the road."And that is how I ended up eating what I think might amount to 4500 calories or more today.
Among other things there was definitely some Panforte - which all you CET ladies will remember I love. And you all hate it. So, more for me. And there is a LOT of panforte in Siena. So you can imagine... Panforte is a traditional Sienese cake (see Wiki link below...) -like thing but it is made with dried/candied fruit, almonds, and confectioners sugar, which are three of my top ten items for consumption. Plus, one hopes that the dried fruit can help her digest all of the rest of the food she's eating as an American in Siena, which includes, among yet other things: Ricciarelli, another traditional Sienese cookie (see Wiki link below...), made from almonds and confectioners sugar... kind of like really great macaroons. Enough said. And of course there's the pastries, pasta, the pizza, the gelato... etc. etc. etc...
In between my many food stops today, I spent my time sitting in the Piazza del Campo reading, thinking, and people watching. Being alone here can be lonely at times, but it definitely has it's pluses. One of the pluses is that in lieu of focusing my attention on a travel-buddy, I can concentrate completely on eavesdropping on strangers' conversations! The best ones are the conversations between these roving groups of Italian teenagers. I think I've mentioned before that these young people are monsters (Michael Ann, I know you'll back me up...). I was wrong, though. It turns out they're actually vampires. I think that the Twilight series has definitely hit Italy because they are all dressing, walking, and talking like vampires. What I mean is - for the men: sunglasses even in the shade, hair straight up but moussed just a little bit to the side so their entire heads look like one big cowlick, and generally angry expressions. The women are just really petite and skinny but what else is new, they're Italian, they're built to absorb wine and carbohydrates like perfect little machines. But recently I've noticed that they also slouch their shoulders and make themselves look a little bit more fragile and pathetic than can possibly be natural. Who know's what I'm talking about? I know you've seen the Twilight movies, and it's ok to admit it to yourself because presumably you're not reading this in a public setting... Anyway, in addition I listened to some awesome midwestern english conversations about how delicious the gelato is, and I pretended to understand some really juicy french conversations...
So, as ashamed (/secretly sooooooo proud) as I am to admit this, that's all I have to report for the day because literally what I did was eat, and then wait until an acceptable amount of time passed for me to feel like it was okay to make my next food stop. And clearly I planned strategically so as not to be seen too many times by too many people - After one person sees you making your fifth pit stop for something that you are clearly eating "subito," or immediately, it gets kind of embarrassing. I think that's actually why the streets in Italian hill-towns are designed like undecipherable mazes. I think it's less because of medieval/renaissance lifestyle and more because those charming urban planning pioneers made an ingenious, fore-sited decision in order to to protect future tourists from the indignities of being seen eating not a couple of nice treats in one day, but all of them. In one hour. And then on repeat.
Anyway, here's what I can tell you: Clothing can be altered. Thank goodness.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mama mia! La Pasta!
Yes, we ate the ravioli tonight and it was marvelous! Lorena reported that I am a natural-born pasta maker (applause applause thank you very much) and I'm so pleased to have the compliment because I don't get the sense the she takes food matters lightly. Two of Lorena's Parisian friends are visiting and they ate dinner with us, and both of them speak English fluently (only one of the two speaks Italian). It was a little bit confusing, although admittedly also a little bit very nice, to once again be speaking just a bit of English at the dinner table.
Oddly, the most surprising thing that's happening during my time here is that I'm developing a real friendship with Emily. I can't explain clearly enough how few words she and I share - probably a handful, and maybe even ten. Our languages truly do not overlap, and the words we're able to communicate with are lavorare, stanca, dove, cuanto, come stai?, ayutare, molto bene, insieme and perhaps a few others. That's to work, tired, where, how much, how are you, to help, very good (because we both say we're good even if we're not --- it's simpler that way), and together. And Emily does not conjugate verbs, and to be fair when i conjugate them I usually accidently make groups singular, males female... the works. Nonetheless we're starting to understand each other based on context and facial expressions. OH. To complicate things, in Bulgaria when they say no, they nod their heads up and down as we do when we say yes in America, and they do the opposite when they say no. It took me a few days to figure that out and I'm sure that Emily wondered why I kept pouring her more water or dishing her more food when she was clearly declining. Not clearly enough! Today, while Emily and I worked together in the vineyards, I was surprised to realize that when I leave here she will be the one who it will be hardest to leave behind. Just about ten minutes after I thought this up, she expressed the same sentiment. She asked how long I would be staying, and when I told her three more weeks she expressed that it's very little time, and she said "Io e lei, insieme, molto bene." That means "you and I, together, very good." So, Emily and I are buds. I've never before had a friend who I really could not manage to talk to.
OK off to do my nightly pre-bed snake check, and then... dormire!
The Sienese Craters
Yesterday was Festa Delle Madre, mother's day. There's also a Festa Della Donne in Italy which celebrates womanhood, however there is only one father's day and no additional day to celebrate men. My mom always told me that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Feed him well and he'll treat you like a queen. In Italy women really know what to do with food, and the men celebrate them not once but twice a year. Plus, the women get to eat too! This is a great country.
Yesterday morning Doro and Cece were with us. We picked edible flowers from the garden (they're purple!) and helped Sergio cover the cherry trees to protect them from the birds. Doro of course conducted a lesson for me on which caterpillars and bugs I should touch and which ones I should "place to the side." I'll just take this opportunity to mention again that she's 6. And my role model. (My other role model is George Burns, and he died at 102. If we average those two ages that makes my amalgamated role model 54 which is almost normal, right?)
In the afternoon, Sergio and Lorena took me and Emily for a "little car trip." As my dad would say, we went on a Sunday afternoon noodle ride, a Friedman tradition! That just means that I got into the car without asking where we were going. I have a hard time knowing what would be considered rude here, so I just get into cars and go places. It turned out that we were driving through the Crete Senesi, which is an area just south of Siena where the landscape is like nothing I've ever seen before - I'll add a link to the wikipedia page below since I didn't have the chance to take any pictures. I thought that Crete Senesi meant "Sienese craters," because the terrain looks a little bit like what I imagine land hit by craters might look and also because my brain sometimes takes small vacations. In fact, it means "Sienese clays." Sergio explained that this area is where the clay for Sienese pottery comes from. A lot of the land in that area is pretty unworkable but people live there nonetheless in beautiful, castle-like villas. I'm not sure what they do when it rains because it definitely looked like a drizzle would make their houses slide down the slopes in their backyards, but I gather that they have somehow arranged for that not to happen. Along the way we stopped at Monte Olivieto Maggiorre where there is a famous and beautiful monastery with frescoes depiction the life of St. Benedict.
The next stop was at a town nearby, I don't recall the name because the town itself was nice but there was nothing specifically notable there and it was very small. HOWEVER, I did have my first gelato of the season during this stop. Sergio suggested it and bought it for me very sweetly. Gelato. Mmm.
After that stop we went to Lorena's mom's apartment for dinner. That was interesting: it turns out that Lorena's mom is only 82. Which is a surprise because I thought until now that Lorena and Sergio where in their 70s, but I was mistaken. Also, Lorena's mom is an excellent cook but she's very traditional and her food tastes nothing like Lorena's although Lorena told me that she learned everything about cooking from her mom. It was a very nice dinner, and when it was over we walked into town where there was a celebration for S. Isadoro with fireworks. We watched together and then returned home around 11.
Today I worked in the vineyards in the morning, and at noon Lorena asked if I wanted a pasta-making lesson! So, I learned how to mix dough for pasta, how to stretch it, and how to make tortellini and ravioli. Sooo cool.
Lunches are usually pretty quiet but not today. Today Lorena explained to me that she has a friend who owns a hotel in Sorrento, and her friend would like to sell the hotel and invest in a place in Latin America. She asked what I thought. I explained that I am the last person to be able to give that kind of advice but that her friend sounds like an interesting person. We started to talk all about life. Yes, an emotional conversation on the topics of life, living life, liberty, confidence, and love. It was a fantastic lesson in communicating in Italian because no matter how good my language was getting for everything farming related, it has been frustrating not to be able to communicate on a personal level. My thoughts and feelings don't revolve much around fennel or gardening tools. And although I've been happy to just be among people who are kind and seem to prioritize their values so respectably, I have found it challenging to be without the ability to connect on a deeper level. How many times can I tell Lorena that the food is delicious and everything smells terrific? It's nice to be able to talk about more complex issues. Among other things, Sergio and Lorena told me that when they decided to give up their lives in cities and buy La Gavina, they were without a lot of support from family and friends. People were sure that it would fail and that the two of them would starve. They were persistent, and they have managed very well.
OK - this is important: Snake watch:
Nothing yet, but this morning Emily asked if there are snakes in the grapevines... She didn't know the word so she drew and 's' shape with her finger. Why are snakes so gross? I actually had a moment of feeling bad for them this morning because they have to live with themselves, but then I remembered that snakes are not people and they don't have to look at themselves in mirrors. Anyway, I haven't seen any snakes in the grapevines yet but I do think it's funny that Emily and I both seem to be checking under our beds for snakes before we go to sleep at night. That's right. Every night the covers come off before I climb in, I shake my pillowcases to see if anything will fall out, and I check the bathroom and the closets. And I live on the second floor.
Also, Sergio told me that the snakes are dangerous to Lana, the little dog (see her picture in the slide show on the upper right of this page). Apparently the little devils bite at dogs's noses when they are sniffing around the ground for food. Well, my new strategy is to carry around a bottle of water AND a machete everywhere I go. Snakes don't like water right? I figure if I see one, I'll squirt him first, then run, then if he catches up with me I'll throw the machete at him...
Yesterday morning Doro and Cece were with us. We picked edible flowers from the garden (they're purple!) and helped Sergio cover the cherry trees to protect them from the birds. Doro of course conducted a lesson for me on which caterpillars and bugs I should touch and which ones I should "place to the side." I'll just take this opportunity to mention again that she's 6. And my role model. (My other role model is George Burns, and he died at 102. If we average those two ages that makes my amalgamated role model 54 which is almost normal, right?)
In the afternoon, Sergio and Lorena took me and Emily for a "little car trip." As my dad would say, we went on a Sunday afternoon noodle ride, a Friedman tradition! That just means that I got into the car without asking where we were going. I have a hard time knowing what would be considered rude here, so I just get into cars and go places. It turned out that we were driving through the Crete Senesi, which is an area just south of Siena where the landscape is like nothing I've ever seen before - I'll add a link to the wikipedia page below since I didn't have the chance to take any pictures. I thought that Crete Senesi meant "Sienese craters," because the terrain looks a little bit like what I imagine land hit by craters might look and also because my brain sometimes takes small vacations. In fact, it means "Sienese clays." Sergio explained that this area is where the clay for Sienese pottery comes from. A lot of the land in that area is pretty unworkable but people live there nonetheless in beautiful, castle-like villas. I'm not sure what they do when it rains because it definitely looked like a drizzle would make their houses slide down the slopes in their backyards, but I gather that they have somehow arranged for that not to happen. Along the way we stopped at Monte Olivieto Maggiorre where there is a famous and beautiful monastery with frescoes depiction the life of St. Benedict.
The next stop was at a town nearby, I don't recall the name because the town itself was nice but there was nothing specifically notable there and it was very small. HOWEVER, I did have my first gelato of the season during this stop. Sergio suggested it and bought it for me very sweetly. Gelato. Mmm.
After that stop we went to Lorena's mom's apartment for dinner. That was interesting: it turns out that Lorena's mom is only 82. Which is a surprise because I thought until now that Lorena and Sergio where in their 70s, but I was mistaken. Also, Lorena's mom is an excellent cook but she's very traditional and her food tastes nothing like Lorena's although Lorena told me that she learned everything about cooking from her mom. It was a very nice dinner, and when it was over we walked into town where there was a celebration for S. Isadoro with fireworks. We watched together and then returned home around 11.
Today I worked in the vineyards in the morning, and at noon Lorena asked if I wanted a pasta-making lesson! So, I learned how to mix dough for pasta, how to stretch it, and how to make tortellini and ravioli. Sooo cool.
Lunches are usually pretty quiet but not today. Today Lorena explained to me that she has a friend who owns a hotel in Sorrento, and her friend would like to sell the hotel and invest in a place in Latin America. She asked what I thought. I explained that I am the last person to be able to give that kind of advice but that her friend sounds like an interesting person. We started to talk all about life. Yes, an emotional conversation on the topics of life, living life, liberty, confidence, and love. It was a fantastic lesson in communicating in Italian because no matter how good my language was getting for everything farming related, it has been frustrating not to be able to communicate on a personal level. My thoughts and feelings don't revolve much around fennel or gardening tools. And although I've been happy to just be among people who are kind and seem to prioritize their values so respectably, I have found it challenging to be without the ability to connect on a deeper level. How many times can I tell Lorena that the food is delicious and everything smells terrific? It's nice to be able to talk about more complex issues. Among other things, Sergio and Lorena told me that when they decided to give up their lives in cities and buy La Gavina, they were without a lot of support from family and friends. People were sure that it would fail and that the two of them would starve. They were persistent, and they have managed very well.
OK - this is important: Snake watch:
Nothing yet, but this morning Emily asked if there are snakes in the grapevines... She didn't know the word so she drew and 's' shape with her finger. Why are snakes so gross? I actually had a moment of feeling bad for them this morning because they have to live with themselves, but then I remembered that snakes are not people and they don't have to look at themselves in mirrors. Anyway, I haven't seen any snakes in the grapevines yet but I do think it's funny that Emily and I both seem to be checking under our beds for snakes before we go to sleep at night. That's right. Every night the covers come off before I climb in, I shake my pillowcases to see if anything will fall out, and I check the bathroom and the closets. And I live on the second floor.
Also, Sergio told me that the snakes are dangerous to Lana, the little dog (see her picture in the slide show on the upper right of this page). Apparently the little devils bite at dogs's noses when they are sniffing around the ground for food. Well, my new strategy is to carry around a bottle of water AND a machete everywhere I go. Snakes don't like water right? I figure if I see one, I'll squirt him first, then run, then if he catches up with me I'll throw the machete at him...
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Festa delle madre!
Happy mothers day mom! I think it's mother's day in the US, and it definitely is here...
Tonight we're off to Lorena's mother's house for a party... ooh lala. Full report later!
Tonight we're off to Lorena's mother's house for a party... ooh lala. Full report later!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Me and the Snakes
Well... snakes on the brain. Yesterday, Lorena and I decided to have artichokes for lunch (pictures of Lorena, Sergio and Emily to follow... I've been told that the names are confusing. I will try to take photographs tomorrow.) Lorena told me that I could pick the artichokes, and subtly mentioned that I should "watch out for the snakes!" So, I asked if she was serious, and she said "yes, of course!" I can't believe it. We proceeded to have a whole conversation about it - there are two predominant species here. There are large ones, those are 'safe'. Yeah. Safe. That's what I'm worried about. Then there are small ones with diamond shaped heads, and vertical slits for eyes. Those are the 'less safe' ones. So, Lorena explained that's why we always wear long pants and watch where we put our hands, where we sit, etc. Silly me - I thought it was because there might be ticks. Lorena told me that I should walk around with a machete whenever I do weeding, gardening, etc. and move all the plants around before I do any serious work. Apparently this scares the snakes away. Yeeeeeeah right. The snakes are not afraid of me. They know I'm coming and they put their bibs on and grab the silverware. I just know it. From now on, I'm sticking with the chickens. They eat the snakes. Gutsy little fellows. At dinner Sergio told me that snakes signify change. I said that's nice, for me they only signify fear.
I had an interesting conversation with Sergio last night: I'm just about at the point where I can manage one on one conversations well, even with confidence. When there are two or more people talking to me, forget it. I need another week. Sergio told me about how they make olive oil and other products. I asked if they make wine and he said that for the past two years it has been too difficult because wild bores have been eating the grapevines. He said he finds them full, sleeping there. This year they're hoping for better luck. We also talked about the chickens, what it's like to raise them and eat them, and the geese. He said that it's difficult now with his grandchildren, who become very attached to the baby animals. He also explained that it's especially hard with geese, who apparently become domesticated when they are raised by people, and are a little bit like larger pets (ie cats, dogs, etc...). This obviously makes it harder to eat them!
Today Lorena showed me how to clean up around the grapevines, and it's extremely hard work. I have to nap for one hour every time I work for two. Doro and Cece are back for another visit - They took me on a walk to their house, which turns out to be about 15 feet down the road. Should have known. These families stick together. Doro led the way, explaining that sometimes there are snakes on the road. I let her lead. She's 6. I'm 26. She's brave. I'm not.
For food we've been eating the same basic products for a week since we never waste leftovers, but Lorena is extremely creative and every time we eat it's as if we're having something entirely new. We ate lasagna which Lorena and I made using the leftover pasta from thursday night's guests' meal. We used ricotta mixed with a variety of greens as a filling, and we topped it with a salsa which we made using the leftover asparagus soup, a little bit of flour, olive oil, and salt. It was delicious. Lorena also asked me whether I like wine, and when I said yes she announced that moving forward we'll have some at every meal. Lorena doesn't ask me anymore what I like eating and what I don't. She has seen enough to know that I like everything.
Emily and I have become so comfortable together even though we don't share enough words to really communicate. She helped me in the vineyards this afternoon, and periodically we took breaks and sat together silently. It's very tranquil here, and it's nice to be alone. But it's nicer to have her company.
So - the snakes. I will persevere. Only because it's worth it. It's a good thing I didn't really know about them before I booked my return flights. I'm going to walk tall, and carry a machete wherever I go. And if any snake wants to pick a fight with me - I'll just run. If it catches up, I'll fight it with the machete. Although it will probably just eat the machete. And then me.
Goodnight serpents of Tuscany, you little devils!
I had an interesting conversation with Sergio last night: I'm just about at the point where I can manage one on one conversations well, even with confidence. When there are two or more people talking to me, forget it. I need another week. Sergio told me about how they make olive oil and other products. I asked if they make wine and he said that for the past two years it has been too difficult because wild bores have been eating the grapevines. He said he finds them full, sleeping there. This year they're hoping for better luck. We also talked about the chickens, what it's like to raise them and eat them, and the geese. He said that it's difficult now with his grandchildren, who become very attached to the baby animals. He also explained that it's especially hard with geese, who apparently become domesticated when they are raised by people, and are a little bit like larger pets (ie cats, dogs, etc...). This obviously makes it harder to eat them!
Today Lorena showed me how to clean up around the grapevines, and it's extremely hard work. I have to nap for one hour every time I work for two. Doro and Cece are back for another visit - They took me on a walk to their house, which turns out to be about 15 feet down the road. Should have known. These families stick together. Doro led the way, explaining that sometimes there are snakes on the road. I let her lead. She's 6. I'm 26. She's brave. I'm not.
For food we've been eating the same basic products for a week since we never waste leftovers, but Lorena is extremely creative and every time we eat it's as if we're having something entirely new. We ate lasagna which Lorena and I made using the leftover pasta from thursday night's guests' meal. We used ricotta mixed with a variety of greens as a filling, and we topped it with a salsa which we made using the leftover asparagus soup, a little bit of flour, olive oil, and salt. It was delicious. Lorena also asked me whether I like wine, and when I said yes she announced that moving forward we'll have some at every meal. Lorena doesn't ask me anymore what I like eating and what I don't. She has seen enough to know that I like everything.
Emily and I have become so comfortable together even though we don't share enough words to really communicate. She helped me in the vineyards this afternoon, and periodically we took breaks and sat together silently. It's very tranquil here, and it's nice to be alone. But it's nicer to have her company.
So - the snakes. I will persevere. Only because it's worth it. It's a good thing I didn't really know about them before I booked my return flights. I'm going to walk tall, and carry a machete wherever I go. And if any snake wants to pick a fight with me - I'll just run. If it catches up, I'll fight it with the machete. Although it will probably just eat the machete. And then me.
Goodnight serpents of Tuscany, you little devils!
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