Becoming Italian is no easy task. It encompasses many an ideal that stretches from how one dresses to matters of manners and composure. The most important of tasks to master is of course, cooking. It is helpful that I have always been a master in the fine art of eating, therefore cooking is just the prelude to my art and something I was more than happy to embrace. The Italians look to cooking not as a task to be accomplished, but as an act of love. It is love in a tangible, tastable sense. In North America, so many of us have either lost or never had this relationship with food- it is the elusive ingredient that every tourist who ever visits Italy cannot quite put their finger on. Fantastic views also add to the touristic dining experience; whether they be the Tuscan countryside or that handsome cameriere’s backside, Italians seem to have quite the knack for surrounding themselves with natural beauty. More on this topic later on, I would like to introduce the pasta I made yesterday. Yes, it deserves it’s own introduction thank you very much. The beauties you see before you are called casoncelli alla bergamasca (casonsei in bergamasco, the dialect of my fiance’s family) and they are a typical dish of the region where I will be living. This is a hearty dish for a Northern Italy autumn lunch as the pasta is served with butter, sage, and pancetta. It is my belief that Italian woman stay in shape because you expend as many calories kneading and rolling the pasta through the machine as you gain when you eat it. There is a saying in Italian that goes: ‘chi mangia bene, vive bene’, or those who eat well, live well. If that is the case, I am living well indeed.
Becoming Italian is no easy task. It encompasses many an ideal that stretches from how one dresses to matters of manners and composure. The most important of tasks to master is of course, cooking. It is helpful that I have always been a master in the fine art of eating, therefore cooking is just the prelude to my art and something I was more than happy to embrace. The Italians look to cooking not as a task to be accomplished, but as an act of love. It is love in a tangible, tastable sense. In North America, so many of us have either lost or never had this relationship with food- it is the elusive ingredient that every tourist who ever visits Italy cannot quite put their finger on. Fantastic views also add to the touristic dining experience; whether they be the Tuscan countryside or that handsome cameriere’s backside, Italians seem to have quite the knack for surrounding themselves with natural beauty. More on this topic later on, I would like to introduce the pasta I made yesterday. Yes, it deserves it’s own introduction thank you very much. The beauties you see before you are called casoncelli alla bergamasca (casonsei in bergamasco, the dialect of my fiance’s family) and they are a typical dish of the region where I will be living. This is a hearty dish for a Northern Italy autumn lunch as the pasta is served with butter, sage, and pancetta. It is my belief that Italian woman stay in shape because you expend as many calories kneading and rolling the pasta through the machine as you gain when you eat it. There is a saying in Italian that goes: ‘chi mangia bene, vive bene’, or those who eat well, live well. If that is the case, I am living well indeed. Diventare italiana non è facile. Include tante cose da come si veste a come si comporta. Il compito più importante che si deve fare è diventare un'esperto di cucinare. Mi ha aiutato il fatto che sono un’esperta nell’arte di mangiare, quindi cucinare è semplicemente la preparazione per la mia arte e adesso sono sempre contenta a farlo. Gli italiani amano cucinare, e non lo guardano come una sfida o un lavoro che devono per forza fare, invece diventa un gesto d’amore. È l’amore in un senso tangibile. In Nord America, quasi nessuno ha questo rapporto con gli alimenti. Sembra che sia l’ingrediente segreta che ogni turista non riesce mai a scoprire. Tornerò a quest’argomento dopo, adesso volevo presentarvi la pasta che ho fatto ieri. Sono così importanti che valgono un’introduzione. Questi si chiamano casoncelli alla bergamasca (in dialetto bergamasco “casonsei”) e sono tipici della regione in cui vivrò. Non è un piatto esattamente leggero perché per preparare il condimento, si usa il burro, la salvia, e la pancetta. Secondo me, le donne italiane stanno sempre in forma p erché nella preparazione di un piatto così, consumano più calorie che prendono dopo aver mangiato. In italiano, dicono che ‘chi mangia bene, vive bene’. Mi sa che sto vivendo benissimo. A dopo!
2 Comments
Janet
6/14/2014 08:54:23 am
Jas--you need to include recipes of this for people (me) who do not have the luxury of Italian inlaws.
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Jasmine
6/15/2014 07:29:26 am
Great idea, I will try to!
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(I suggest "Italian Men" or "wine" but that's just me!) Curator:Jasmine is a former pharmacist turned writer and wine drinker from Alberta, Canada living "the sweet life" in Bergamo, Italy.
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