A special meal in Florence

We have been in Florence for a week and I was waiting to write about something special. Well, the time has come--last night was special. Let me start by saying that while I know Tuscan food is supposed to be wonderful, our experience last time and this has been much more ordinary.

Starting with the bread. In NY, Tuscan defines good Italian bread. Our experience has been disappointing. They just don't have freshly made bread with a great crust. Most stores sell manufactured bread in plastic bags. Where they do have "freshly baked" bread it reminds me of the supermarket par-baked bread in NY. Also, the bread is made without salt (because 1,000 years ago, in a war with Pisa, salt was rationed and the Florentines decided to make their bread without salt as spite).

We've eaten mostly at little wine bars or at home. The typical fare is pasta and meat. A large pieces of grilled beef (up to a kilo) is a Tuscan specialty. In Europe that may be special, but to a New Yorker its pretty ordinary. The best meal we had until Sat. was Pizza at a Cafe near the Piazza Signoria. It was made with a thin crust and fresh tomatoes, Pecorino cheese and Boar Salami. It was fabulous. I could eat lunch there every day. From Chris: he's forgotten about the wonderful little wine bar just yards from our front door where the sausage, salami and pecorino are outstanding and provide just the kind of food that we love!

This Saturday night we finally went to a restaurant that was really special:

Cibreo

8 Via Andrea del Verrocchio

This is a small restaurant with a price-fixed menu. The waiter comes to your table to discuss it. There is no printed copy. Just the waiter who sits at your table and discusses what's available and your order. What makes this especially interesting is there is almost nothing on the menu you have ever heard of! They specialize in peasant dishes using unfamiliar ingredients. The picture is of my main course - stuffed chicken neck (like a sausage) and head with homemade mayonnaise. Chris had roasted pigeon stuffed with mustard fruits (in the background); both were delicious.

Our starters were a little more ordinary (we wanted to be sure we had something we could eat). Chris had Polenta with Asiago cheese and I had "pana pomadore" (pureed fresh tomatoes & bread with basil). We thought they worked well together.

The wine was a wonderful Chianti area 2004 Orano. I had never heard of it but they assured me Robert Parker had given it 98 points!

For dessert, we had a lemon tart that was delicious. They were upset we only ordered one dessert so they gave us an extra slice of flour-less chocolate cake. Coffee and a tisane followed--by the way, we've not had a bad cup of coffee here! A memorable meal, served by attentive, friendly staff--we would definitely go back and will try their smaller, less expensive cafe before we go home.

It is possible to see enough art!

It's possible to see enough art!

Florence was the birth of the Renaissance. Giotto, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Dante....and all of them have their workdisplayed in museums and churches. Unlike chocolate and Gelato, it's possible to see enough religious art! Christina took this picture of me waiting for her at the Bargello sculpture museum. I had quit about half way through - missing "some of the best" stuff according to her!

By the way, do you like my new Italian "Borsalino" hat?

WHAT'S COOKING?

Shoping for a meal in a country where you can't speak the language can be challenging and sometimes mean that you go without! Try navigating a local grocery not being able to read the labels or no pictures to give you a clue to what's inside. You might know the contents to be milk, but, is it whole, skim, sweet, cream or some new drink that you've never seen? Even to a relatively experienced and confident cook, this can be an overwhelming experience. Over the years we've had some funny purchases! I expected that it would be no different when we went to Italy.

This year, our landlady in Florence had invited us to take part in a cooking lesson. Great, I thought, this would be a way to get some first hand advice on shopping from an expert! We were two couples working with a chef and his assistant to make a mouthwatering menu that included a pasta course of 'gnudi' (literaly translated as 'naked' pasta) drizzled with sage butter, a turkey rollade baked in 'white beer', served on baked rounds of thinly sliced potatoes alongside a zucchini pie (no pastry) and a tiramisu to finish of. YUM!

Our table companions included our landlady, a Contessa who was educated at Wellsley in the 40's, a couple from Alaska (they had NO news on Sarah), and the first woman supreme court justice from Australia. Quite a diverse group providing conversation that was as interesting as the food was good. However, shopping tips or advice never came into the conversation so trying to find coffee filters at the grocery the next day became an exercise in creative expression and art--me drawing a picture and using pantomine to explain what I needed! It was, however, easier then how I described 'oxtail' to the butcher in France last year!

Postcards from Florence

Here in Florence there's about as many gelotto shops as there are Korean Nail salons in NYC. Every block has at least one or two and while most of you wouldn't think that to be a problem, consider the size of your hips after three weeks of indulgence. Resistance is NOT my middle name so just imagine what it's like for me seeing beautifully displayed heaps of colourful, mouthwatering confection. And the flavours--from regular chocolate vanilla and pastashio, to tiramisu, ambrosia fantasy, or how about chocolate with pepper, AND that doesn't even begin to describe how they're served! It's been tough, but in my first week I've managed only two visits and one didn't really count because I called it 'lunch'!

The fact is, guide books and regulars give testamony to their 'favourites', each claiming theirs to be the best. My thought is, that the only way to resolve this is to conduct a test beginning immediately and keep you all posted about the results! By the way, it's a fact that geloto, has FEWER calories and a lower fat content then ice cream--what a blessing that is!
Stay tuned,
Christina

A brief interlude in Amsterdam is just about right

Notes on Amsterdam

Four days in Amsterdam is just about right. We would be glad to have another chance to break another trip here. The museums are great but the food is boring. The people are just about perfect; proud of their city, friendly, helpful and fluent in English.

From the "Red Light" district, to the flower market, to the "Coffee shops" (euphemism for marijuana joints--few actually sell coffee!) and museums, we really enjoyed being there. It's a welcoming city with friendly people. It feels a lot like home. As foodies, this wasn't an exceptional experience. The Dutch are really into potatoes pancakes and fish. We did enjoy the smoked eel and tasted the cousin of gin 'gienevre' a tasty aperitif.

The Dutch spend a huge amount of time and money managing 'water' (they are substantially below sea level). They are clearly disparaging of our efforts in New Orleans (we apparently told them it was too expensive to do what they suggested). One of the other most surprising and disconcerting things about Amsterdam are ubiquitous presence of bicycles. There are more bikes per capita here than anywhere else. There are actually more bicycles than cars - and they don't give way to pedestrians! Many apparent "sidewalks" are actually bike paths! They come up on you silently and expect you to get out of the way. It's easier for a pedestrian to stop and dodge than the rider (I am sympathetic given my experience in the Berkshires). Most of the bikes are the oldest and most basic ones that I've ever seen. No gears, no hand breaks, mostly black and rusted. Apparently, about a 1,000 bikes a day are stolen!. Coincidentally, about that many used bikes become available for sale at the flea market. There's a bike for anyone in any situation--we even saw a 'party bike' with over a dozen peddlers sitting around a main table structure, working in unison to stay in motion. Child seats (some with windshields and handle bars) can be in front or in back or in the form of a wheelbarrow to hold more then one child. The Dutch seem to use bicycles as extensions of themselves, learning to ride almost as soon as they can walk! One resident told us that he believes that the reason people ride is because, and these were his words, "Dutch people are basically 'cheap' and if there's a way to save money, well, then that's the choice they make. In a city which is incredibly hospitable to those 'in the saddle', it's the most economical way to go. It's also a quicker and healthier way to get about.

Our visit included time at the Rijks and Van Gogh museums where we lingered in front of some of our favorite Rembrandts and Van Goghs; and discovered some new names. Also on our list was the Anne Frank House--a devastating experience. She was such a vibrant young girl and only died one month before liberation. The museum has been kept very simple. You just tour the empty house and hear excerpts from her diary and interviews with survivors. It's hard to bear especially when you come to her room where she'd pasted postcards and movie star pictures to make the room brighter.

Concluding our time with a morning in the country seemed like a good idea. We hired a guide who took us to the small island village of Marken where the houses are so close on three sides that it seems impossible not to be intimately connected to your neighbour. Walking along a narrow lane, I accidentally brushed against a bell which brought an elderly gentleman to the door looking to see who the 'strangers' were. Chris made friends admiring his 'house sign' which had a verse she was able to translate using her German skills. Marken looks like a town where time stood still. Life seems quiet, garden plots are immaculate and women in town are known for their exceptionally clean windows! Driving back to town, we stopped at the site of the old style windmills which explained just how the water levels were controlled in the early days. Today electric turbines do the job, but the countryside is now dotted with the modern version which generates power for the city.

Confessions of an I-Phone addict.

Confessions of an I-Phone addict.

Hello, my name is Paul and I have a problem.

I've always been prone to trying new things: I get a new computer almost every year, I download the newest versions of favorite applications as soon as they're available (I haven't missed a new version of Quicken in 20 years!) and have seldom had a cell phone for more then a year. I 've tried every new phone and feature as they become available. Invariably they're a disappointment. High speed 3G? There's nothing to download and it eats up your battery. I had a 3G Nokia and it was so bad that it would die overnight if it wasn't plugged in. The internet interface was so clunky it took a minute to load before you could start to download. Then if you got a phone call you lost everything on the browser.

Cell phones are not accidentally bad. They're designed that way by telecom carriers who are schizophrenic about control. They want to advertise cool features but are afraid of losing control and force them to work through their proprietary networks and interfaces. They're designed to work for the carrier not the user. The phones generally work well to make phone calls or get messages; but stink for everything else. The problem with that is you don't need a $500 telephone (which they would like to sell you) to make phone calls. Microsoft colludes with this strategy by making the "smart phone" software clunky and focused on Windows. Blackberry's do a good job in the important, but relatively narrow, realm of email but that's all.

Apple broke the mold by forcing ATT to accept a newly designed phone that would be elegant in design and focused on usability. Everything is big and bright and easy to understand. Apple decided to sacrifice FEATURES to focus on usability. When you look up a phone number on the built-in directory it knows where you are and automatically brings up a map to show you where the address is and asks you if you would like to dial the number. Afterwards it will give you directions to get there from where you are. When you're looking at the internet it automatically re-sizes the page to highlight whatever item you tap on. If the phone rings when you're browsing it lets you answer the phone without losing what you're working on. You can also browse the internet or look up a contact without disconnecting your caller. There's message on the screen reminding you to go back to the call. As great as the phone is, it was still pretty limited in it's uses. After a while, you really don't need to look up addresses all that often or check weather or stock prices.

About a month ago Apple did it again. They introduced the Applications Store that allows you to download I-Phone-specific applications directly on your phone. Within a month there were at least 2,000 applications for the phone - almost all of them free or a dollar; almost none over $10.00. Many of them are devoted to a very small dedicated audience or are really stupid - but some are so elegant and useful it's amazing.

Some of my favorites:

Now Playing - Knows every theater near where you are and what's playing there. You can go either from the theater to the movie to the showtime or from the movie to where it is playing. Includes reviews from two sources. You can array all the movies playing in the area by rating and then find where it's playing. It even has the movie details and trailers. ALL FOR FREE!

Shopping List Manager - One of Chris' favorites. Allows you to maintain multiple shopping lists (Otis and NY!). Includes a dictionary of standard items sorted by store sections that you can add to. It also allows you to email a shopping list to your husband's phone while he's in the store.

MLB At Bat - Has all the baseball games for a three day period. For games underway it shows you the box-score, who's on base and and the status of the at-bat by pitch. Also has video clips of highlights of ongoing games. It ties into MLB and has all the key statistics by team and player. This was expensive at $5. There's nothing free from MLB.

Bloomberg - A great financial site. It has Financial headlines and news stories; On-line market info including Stocks, Commodities, Bonds and Currencies; stock prices (delayed) including charts and summary info. A real powerhouse of financial info when we're travelling. It's also free.
Weather - Current weather and forecasts for a number of locations. Let's us keep track of Toronto (mother), San Francisco (Scott), NY, Otis and Paris. All the essentials. Also free.

Games -A whole slew of games for any taste. Most free or a dollar.

Does it sound like I'm hooked??? You bet. Chris complains that I would be in withdrawal without my phone--she's right! At a recent dinner in Toronto, three I-phone users enthusiastically shared their 'favorite' features! It quickly became clear we were all equally 'in love' with this new technology. Someone pointed out that right there at the table we had our own little 'i-phone' addiction support group! Not a bad idea.

Lucinda Holdforth - True Pleasures

Book description -

The latest from acclaimed Canadian writer Richards (Nights Below Station Street; Mercy Among the Children) offers an uneven but beautifully mournful portrait of life in the unforgiving landscape of postwar New Brunswick. Mary Jameson, the widow of a lumber magnate, hopes to stymie the prophecy she receives from a fortune-teller—that her oldest son will be powerful and her younger son will bring glory upon the family, but they will be the end of the family. When Will Jameson, the brash older brother, suffers a fatal logging accident, and Owen, the intellectual younger son, returns a wounded hero from WWII, it seems the prophecy may come true. Owen assumes leadership of the family business, but faced with stiff competition, he sends men to fell timber deep in hazardous terrain. Logging troubles, combined with Owen's military service with Reggie Glidden, Will's best friend, and a romantic entanglement with Reggie's wife, touches off a devastating sequence of events. The book's most resonant moments spring from Richards's account of Jameson's loggers. Though undercut in places by a thick colloquialism, Richards's work at its best approaches the poetic nuances of Greek tragedy.

David Adams Richards - The Friends of Meagher Fortune

Book description -

The latest from acclaimed Canadian writer Richards (Nights Below Station Street; Mercy Among the Children) offers an uneven but beautifully mournful portrait of life in the unforgiving landscape of postwar New Brunswick. Mary Jameson, the widow of a lumber magnate, hopes to stymie the prophecy she receives from a fortune-teller—that her oldest son will be powerful and her younger son will bring glory upon the family, but they will be the end of the family. When Will Jameson, the brash older brother, suffers a fatal logging accident, and Owen, the intellectual younger son, returns a wounded hero from WWII, it seems the prophecy may come true. Owen assumes leadership of the family business, but faced with stiff competition, he sends men to fell timber deep in hazardous terrain. Logging troubles, combined with Owen's military service with Reggie Glidden, Will's best friend, and a romantic entanglement with Reggie's wife, touches off a devastating sequence of events. The book's most resonant moments spring from Richards's account of Jameson's loggers. Though undercut in places by a thick colloquialism, Richards's work at its best approaches the poetic nuances of Greek tragedy

Tom Perotta - The Abstinence Teacher

Book description -

Campbell Scott's soft but edgy voice, earnest but with a sarcastic undertone, is a supremely apt fit for Perrotta's skewering of modern society. He is equally convincingly whether playing Ruth, a divorced mother and sex-education teacher whose community is becoming increasingly religious, to her transparent disgust, or Tim, Ruth's daughter's soccer coach and a born-again Christian who is dismayed to find himself slipping back to his old drug addict habits. Scott's tone shifts just slightly to distinguish between the deadpan humor of Ruth's gay friend Randall and the pious lack of humor of an abstinence consultant brought in to reform Ruth. The evenness of Scott's voice is a reminder of how similar everyone is on a certain basic level, and it makes for a greater impact when he does raise the volume or change his accent. Though Ruth and Tim oppose each other over religion, their love lives are both damaged, and Scott's quiet, intimate delivery brings out the wounded yet stubbornly hopeful side of both of them. This is an effective, smart and sharp production.

Ian Rankin - Doors Open

Book description -

Ian Rankin - Exit Music

Book description

Insp. John Rebus has just 10 days to solve the apparently motiveless murder of Alexander Todorov, an expatriate Russian poet, before he reaches 60 and mandatory retirement in Edgar-winner Rankin's rewarding 17th novel to feature the Edinburgh detective (after The Naming of the Dead). When the dogged Rebus and Det. Sgt. Siobhan Clarke look into the crime, they find an array of baffling conspiracies involving Russian businessmen, Scottish bankers and local politicians pushing for an independent Scotland. A second murder, of a man who'd taped one of Todorov's poetry readings, ensures the case gets extra resources, and Rebus's own interest is whetted by the possible involvement of Edinburgh crime boss Big Ger Cafferty. Clever, insightful prose more than compensates for the byzantine plot. There's an appropriately wistful tone to this final entry in the series. Fans will miss Rebus and wonder what on earth he'll do in retirement.