FLASHBACKS - 13 August 2011
13th August 2011
I am discovering there is a balancing act to blogging: If one is to keep up the momentum one must write and post regularly. At the same time, if one spends too much time writing, then not enough living is done and the writing becomes, for my taste, too internalized, risking boredom. Unless you are Proust, which I am not.
All this to say that the last week or so, aided by a lingering virus that robbed me of mind and body, has, with the exception of yesterday, become somewhat of a blur. But thank goodness for photographs...and for a husband who takes them! So if you don't mind, I'll just do elongated captions with the images.
On Sunday, 7th, I made a huge fritatta with18 eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes and veggies, all of which we had bought at the contadini's the day before.
By the way, we have just learned their beautiful names: Fortunato and Libera.
The large fritatta,
of which we ate two slices for breakfast, was in preparation for the arrival of my niece, Fiona, from England, as well as Giorgio and Ciro who have been extended family since they were our workshop assistants here back in the 90's. Giorgio, a photographer, now lives in Milan when not roaming the world. Ciro, also a photographer is based in Milan and Barcelona where his 5 year-old daughter, Anita, lives and whom he brought to visit with us.
It was a grand reunion, as Fiona, too, had been a workshop assistant and has her own relationships with these men. It was interesting, I'm sure, for all of us to see the ways in which we have changed and the ways in which we remain the same.
Monday was my birthday, hence the re-union, a day of hanging out, eating, reminiscing, laughing and eating some more.
The big event of the day was the birthday dinner at Gianni and Luana's where we were joined by Daniela and Gemmarosa. John, unfortunately had to stay home and man the computer in what he called "guerrilla warefare" with the stock market, the volatility of which seems to reflect the uncertainty of our times.
THE MENU AND ITS CHEFS
Joel:
Roasted eggplant with saffron lemon yogurt,
pine nuts and golden raisins.
...
Chopped summer salad of tomatoes, onion,
celery, green peppers and cucumber
...
Daniela:
Handmade spinach and ricotta-stuffed
ravioli in butter and sage sauce
...
Luana:
Ribolita, the famous Tuscan soup of vegetables
and cannelloni
...
The Village Butchers:
Thinly sliced roasted beef
dressed with oil and chopped arugula
...
A local baker:
The Birthday Cake
...
We will, in the name of discretion and courtesy, not mention the name of the chef or the famous French pastry chef he worked for, for many years. The reason for this is that the cake was a disaster...although proudly presented by the chef himself. It was made of chocolate, pear and cream, the thing itself sitting furiously on its plate looking as though it has been reassembled after hitting the fan, with perhaps a couple of the chef's fingers thrown in (maybe it was the maraschino cherries?) We all looked at it in silent horror, an explosion of stupendous proportion in the midst of which a single, tiny candle had almost entirely sunk - or slunk - beneath the surface. I did my duty and cut it into the slimmest slices possible and we each took a polite taste before the jokes began.
Luana fed it to the dogs the next day who have been strangely silent ever since.
But what's a birthday party without fun and without kids? And we had two of the most delightful girls who, after an initial standoff, provided the rest of the evening's entertainment as dear Gianni dressed them in outfit after outfit of ancient Tuscan clothing, each outfit more hilarious than the last.
My presents where perfect, from a CD of my favorite Italian Poet/Musician, Paolo Conte, to flowers, to the latest book by John Berger. My dear husband presented me with two exquisite pieces from Dolce Trami:
And Gianni outdid himself by giving me a truly glorious jacket by the Le Sorelle Fontanta (do look them up online) who designed for, among many famous women, my all time favorite, Audrey Hepburn.
But the true riches of the day were friends and family and calls and emails from all over the world. My favorite being a Skype call with my daughter who's happiness lit up the screen.
Other events of the week:
0. Anita learned to swim in the town pool!
1. Two trips to Siena and Pienza with Fiona
2. Farewell dinner for Fiona at Gianni and Luana's
3. Fiona takes the train to Pisa and on to the airport and England.
