Italian Food and Food Culture – Types of Food

Italian Food and Food Culture – Types of Food

Growing up Italian-American, I though I knew Italian food pretty well, but each year that I live in Italy, I consider myself more and more “American”. The first thing to note about Italian food is how diverse it is. Some … (read more)

Gathering Chestnuts

Gathering Chestnuts

Daniele’s family gathers chestnuts every fall to enjoy in winter. They go to a forest-like park where they know chestnut trees grow and gather garbage bags worth of them. This fall Daniele, his father Giulio, and I went to gather … (read more)

Sauce versus Gravy

There are some Italian-American’s out there who have a thing for correcting people who say “sauce” and telling them it’s called “gravy”. It’s often accompanied by a (an even more grating) statement about how they say it that way because … (read more)

Back to the USA

I have finished another 3-month stay in Italy. This was June, July, and August in Rome with Daniele. Rome is feeling more like home than NJ right now, and I’m pretty sad to leave. At least I have enough to … (read more)

Trademark Infringement

Trademark Infringement

I have seen so many examples of trademark infringement while traveling that it inspired me to make a collection. Here are a few just from Italy.

Italians want Starbucks

Italy is one of the countries I know that does not have Starbucks. Or Pizza Hut for that matter. Why would they want those chains when their coffee and pizza are so good, right? I have run into a few … (read more)

Pesto Day

Pesto Day

Daniele’s Mother makes pesto a few times each summer, when her and Daniele’s basil is growing. This time I helped. We harvested all our basil in the morning and brought it over. Then theirs. It was a lot. Antonietta determined … (read more)