Italian Speakers in the Library

Something interesting happened last week during my Thriller Writing Course in the library: as we were discussing about, well, thrillers, an elderly man from the group a few tables away came and kindly asked us to be quieter, as they had difficulties to hear themselves. I thought we were fairly quiet, but anyway. We were very polite and told him we would be careful. We chit chatted briefly, and it turned out they are the Italian speaking group I blogged about in September 2024. So I took the opportunity to speak a few words of Italian, little I knew. The elderly gentleman was really impressed. Apparently I have a great pronunciation and accent. I even managed to converse with him in Italian, albeit it was a pretty basic chat. So I am thinking maybe I should meet that group, even though my Italian is basic. Practice makes perfect and I haven't practised in a long while.

The Fig Tree

I went to the town centre recently, and I passed by the fig tree. The one I mentioned before, time and again. It's not the only fig tree in town, but obviously fig trees are fairly rare, so I noticed this one easily. It's in one of my favourite spots in town, a narrow alleyway that barely anyone notices. The figs are still green, as you can see, I don't think they really truly mature in this country. I associate figs and fig trees with Italy, because the first time I ever ate fresh ones (and fresh from a tree) was during my time in Italy.

Beretta (Signature Weapon)

This post is a new entry in my Signature Weapons series, weapons you find in crime fiction and spy fiction and that are used or could be used as signature weapons by protagonists and/or antagonists. So today I am blogging about the Beretta, an Italian gun. I have seen the brand showing up in many crime stories, including a novel I read recently. It's part of the arsenal of the Carabinieri and other police forces around the world. Conversely, it's been used by the mob and still is, whether Italian or not. It's also often featured in the spy thrillers, or at least I have seen the Beretta showing up in the spy novels I read recently. You may not know, but it was the service weapon of a certain British agent (guess who) until it was replaced by another brand (guess which one). Anyway, I'm not sure if the Beretta is in fiction more often held by a good guy or a bad guy, either way it can be a signature weapon.

"My cat is named Odin"

 Oh the things you discover sometimes thanks to old friends. My Italian friend sent me this picture a few months ago and I wanted to share it here. This is the book she read to her two boys during the summer holidays: Il mio gatto si chiama Odino. Translated into English, the title would be "My cat is named Odin". The book is about a black cat with one eye. My long-time readers will remember that I once had a black cat with one eye, also called Odin. I guess I was not entirely original naming him. He was the best of cats and I miss him very much. So I think I need to brush up my Italian and get my hands on that book to read it.

KitKat Burglars

 Well, after stealing violins, now it seems that criminals come after chocolate. I read the news a few days ago: more than 12 tons of KitKat chocolate has been stolen in Italy. Twelve tons! Of yummy KitKat chocolates, their new F1 line bar. This is a despicable crime on so many levels. And just before Easter on top of it, which according to the article could cause shortage for customers. When I said it is despicable, I really mean it... Anyway, once the investigation is over and hopefully the thieves are behind bars (sorry for the bad pun), it might be a great starting point for a crime fiction story.

I missed the Winter Olympics

I noticed something yesterday evening: it was the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina and I missed it. I'm not talking about the closing ceremony. I mean the whole thing: openings, closing, everything in-between, except I think one type when my wife turned the tellie on and it was like skiing or something. I was completely oblivious to it. I generally am oblivious to Olympics. But still, these are the winter games, my favourite of the two. And I love Italy (although not Milan, not at all, been there once, didn't like it one bit, but that is for another post). So why? I'm not sure. But whatever the reason, I feel like I missed out. Did I?

Question existentielle (402)

 Une question existentielle m'est venue en tête hier, en pensant aux nombreuses villes qui se font appeler "la Venise du Nord". Non sérieusement, il y en a pas mal. D'où ma question:

-Quelle ville, s'il y en a une, mérite d'être appelée "la Venise du Nord" et pourquoi?

A Lamborghini in the wild

A few days ago, as Wolfie was in a friend's birthday party, my wife and I went to one of the local shops. We saw parked by a Lamborghini, which obviously was drawing all sorts of attention. It was the first time I have seen a Lamborghini, at least in the wild. It is an impressive car, but to be honest, I think it is a foolish purchase here in the UK, given the state of the roads here. It's not exactly meant for cars built for speed. The Lamborghini truly is a car designed to impress rather than be truly practical.

The Italy Badge

My wife has a Fitbit. I used to have one too, but it had a ridiculously short battery life and I could not sync it, so I stopped using it after a while. But anyway, yesterday she received from her Fitbit a special badge, an "Italy Badge". It means that she has now walked the equivalent of the lenght of Italy. Not sure since when. And sadly, it does not mean that we walked in Italy. I guess it's not the same as being there, but it's a nice milestone all the same. I want to go back to Italy, she wants to go there once, so it's on our list of holiday destinations. Until then, she has the badge.

Caffè Nero is here

 I blogged about it before and then again, but I heard the news from my wife yesterday: there is a Caffè Nero in our little town. I thought it was a good news at first, but then I thought again: we didn't always have good experiences there and last time we went into a Caffè Nero was pretty catastrophic. Also, it will be about the third big coffee chain that will have a franchise here. And that never fare wells for the small independent cafés we love. Not that I like coffee anyway, mind you, but I love the atmosphere of such places. So maybe, instead of going to Caffè Nero, we will encourage the long standing independent local businesses.

Wolfism about Caffè Nero

 I blogged a few days ago about the imminent opening of Caffè Nero, which I was quite looking forward to. My wife and my son don't share my interest in this coffee chain. And Wolfie reminded me why: last time we went to a Caffè Nero, we had a rather lacklustre experience. Bad enough for him to remember it. Too many people, barely anything to eat or drink behind the counter, dirty place, it truly was a terrible experience. As he explained himself in an hilarious Wolfism: "It was like: "Welcome to the King of Rubbishness!" So we might not go there any time soon, come to think of it.

Caffè Nero (coming soon)

I blogged back in February about the Caffè Nero that was going to open soon in our town's high street. Well, in six months or so, it hasn't opened yet, which is kind of baffling. That said, word of mouth said the opening is now imminent. It's official enough that there's posters announcing it. Some residents are cynical, because we already have plenty of coffee shops. It's not like we needed another. That said, I'm welcoming it, because I quite like the atmosphere in their shops. Also, the building it is going to be in has been empty for at least a year, so it's going to fill an empty space that looked pretty depressing. Anyway, I'll probably blog about my first visit there, so I'll keep you posted...

Fizzy Fest

 I blogged about a month ago about the Fizzy Fest, a of prosecco festival that will be held in the very English town of Marlow in mid-July And not just any prosecco festival, but "the prosecco superior festival". Sunds very posh and a bit snobby, but I'm all for it. Anyway, it has a cool promotional poster, it looks more like a gathering of educated English ladies of good families, but hey, they might let me in if I go there with my wife. And if not this year (we may have other engagements), then the next, because I suspect it will be a success.

Prosecco in Marlow

 The things you learn sometimes on the local news. SO I read yesterday that the small and very English town of Marlow (which is not very far from where we live) was going to host the first ever Prosecco Superiore festival in the UK. That's pretty cool. It's going to be called "Fizzy Fest" (not sure about the name, to be honest). I also learned in the article that the UK has the largest consumption of prosecco after Italy. It's news to me, but not surprising. I for one enjoy prosecco. I am not all that much into fizzy drinks, except beer, but prosecco is drinkable and generally much cheaper than champagne (although the one at this festival is most likely pricy, given that it is superior). So yeah, the Fizzy Fest has a website so I will check it from time to time and who knows, I might even attend. I am a Philistine when it comes to wine and bubbly wine, but I am curious and eager to learn.

Frittata

Mon père a fait une frittata et il m'a envoyé une photo. Je la partage parce que, ben, parce que je fais ça parfois. J'ai parfois mangé de la frittata, ma femme en a cuisiné parfois, mais j'ai une confession à faire sur le sujet: je ne savais pas que c'était italien. Sérieusement. Je suis honteux de l'avouer pour la postérité ici. Mais qu'à cela ne tienne, j'ai pensé qu'un repas bien méditerranéen, ça se présente bien ces temps-ci de l'année.

Take the Cannoli

 "Leave the gun. Take the cannoli."

You know where this quote comes from. Recently, WOlfie was asked in a homework to try Italian food. Could be anything: pasta, goat cheese, figs, olives, artichokes, etc. There was a list of suggestions, but I decided to be original and I bought two packs of cannoli. Because why the heck not. After all, it was an educational project. I had cannoli in the past, very rarely. Funny how the dessert is now associated with a classic movie.

Ciao Caffè Nero

Well, here's some good local news for a change: we learned that there will a Caffè Nero opening soon in the town centre. No, I am not a coffee drinker, but of all the coffee chains in the UK (not counting the independent coffee shops), Caffè Nero might actually be my favourite. I'm not sure why. Because it's pseudo Italian, perhaps? Because I always find something I really like there (see this post)? Also, it's oneof these underdog chains, not nearly as big as Costa or Starbucks. But mainly, I think I like Caffè Nero because I like the look and feel of their places, the general atmosphere. It just feels nice there. Anyway, many cafés have closed down in the near 20 years we have been living here, so I welcome a new one, even from a chain. So it is on our to visit list, whenever it opens and when there aren't too many customer cramming it.

Speaking Italian in the library

 I learned something recently: our local library hosts a group of Italian speakers every Tuesday afternoon. Sadly, this is the wrong day and the wrong time, as I am at work then. Which is a darn shame: I have been wanting to improve my Italian for years and this could be the right opportunity for it. I say improve, but mine is extremely limited, even though I have allegedly a great pronunciation (and a native accent, at least sometimes). Anyway, maybe I would be out of place there because I have little vocabulary and know barely anything of its grammar, but all the same, it would be a start. Not full immersion, but a start.

Simplified puttanesca

A few weeks ago, while I was alone at home, I cooked a spaghetti alla puttanesca, the first in a long time. I keep it simple: I don't add anchovies but sardines and I only put olives because I did not have capers. It was still delicious. I showed it to Wolfie via Facetime. As you may know, Wolfie loves olives just as much as I do. So he asked me to cook some for when he got back. So I made another batch of puttanesca, but without the sardines, so my vegetarian wife could eat it. And also because my son is not too keen on sardines. It was not as flavoursome, but he loved it anyway. Veggie Carrie, who is less fond of olives, less so. But all the same, it's a new family classic. Or father and son classic: simplified puttanesca. Although from what I read, this is pretty close to the original Neapolitan version, which is itself very simple.

A Boar's Head

 You know how much I enjoyed our last holiday in Belfast. Sometimes it's not the big tourist sights that catch my attention, but the small things. One evenening, we had dinner at the Italian restaurant Fratelli, which goes really heavy, for some reason, on boar's imagery. Better than that: they actually have a true stuffed boar's head near the entrance. I loved it. I don't know why, but I always loved taxidermy and this beast looks deliciously sinister. And alive. Anyway, what do you think?