#interview with the vampire#iwtv#amc tvl#sam reid#jacob anderson
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The boy and I made Elvis crepes this morning.
"What do I have in my fridge" quinoa: garlic-thyme sautéed walnuts, beets, spinach, arugula, and a hearty splash of balsamic. It's not half bad!
“Memories of Meals Past”
After reading this article from the NYT Mag’s Food issue, I got to thinking about my strongest food memories from my childhood, or even my adulthood. Pardon the sentimentality and such, but it’s pretty amazing how powerful smells and tastes are when it comes to evoking very specific times and locales. I love the way the submissions in this article capture that super strong link between palate and place.
One of my strongest food memories (and I think my sister would agree) is associated with my grandma’s rolls. She passed away last October, and, odd as it sounds, thinking about those rolls is one of easiest ways for me to evoke memories of her. I can picture the giant ceramic bowl she made the dough in, the cookie sheets of dough-knots (heh, sounds like doughnuts) covered in saran wrap while they rose, and, of course, the intoxicating smell of sweet, yeasty baking bread that filled my grandma and grandpa’s house while the kitchen was in a frenzy preparing for Christmas dinner. I would always lunge for those rolls before anything else, often loading up on more than one, feeling the thin, floury crust on the outside. I frequently ate them plain- not even with butter- because they were so inherently sweet and buttery and airy, they didn’t need it. And they were even good leftover- I would heat them up for breakfast or, after Thanksgiving, would make turkey sandwiches from them. That recipe stayed with us when my grandma left, but I don’t think we’ll ever be able to completely emulate hers.
Today's APHET Monday is this incredible video sent to me today by the lovely Mary. I don't know who this guy is, but he's doing great things and looks good doing them. Enjoy!
Ciao, amici
Here's the deal, people. I'm going to Bologna for four months. I can't believe nobody's done this before, but I thought it would be so great to document experiences on a web log! Because I am #hip and #Internetsavvy
Now I'm going to answer some questions I assume you all have.
Q: Why Bologna? Why not Turkey? (lol)
A: I'm studying Italian. I will be taking all my classes in Italian... mercy on my poor American soul.
Q: Okay, fine. But why not join the throngs of Duke students a Firenze? O Roma?
A: The program I'm doing is through Brown University and was particularly suited to my interests since it is so frighteningly immersive. Some other things that make Bologna special:
It is home to the oldest existing university in the world, the University of Bologna, founded in 1088. This is where I will be taking my classes
It is often referred to as the culinary capital of Italy. *Let the record show that I did NOT choose to study in Bologna BECAUSE of the food scene; rather, this was a pretty incredible and probably life-altering perk* Bologna and the region where it's located (Emilia Romagna) is home to mortadella (a sausage that has been twisted and altered and packaged up in Oscar Mayer packages in the US and, much to the chagrin of the Italians, I am sure, referred to as "bologna." There's the connection), parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, prosciutto, etc.
Q: What does bocconi gnammy mean?
A: It means nommy bites in Italian, as an homage to my existing blog. I will be blogging about my abroad experiences in general here, and will be reblogging the ones about food (I assume that will constitute a lot of them) to nommybites.
Q: Hey dummy, your header says "Dat Portico Lyf." What in the world is a portico?
A: Don't be mean, it's an architectural phenomenon that defines the city of Bologna. Basically, covered sidewalks. All over the darn place. Read about 'em here. And here's a photo for good measure:
Q: Are you going to arrive as a total loner and force your friendship upon unwilling and helpless Italians?
A: The latter part may still happen, but luckily I will be on the program with the one and only Mary! Wahoo! Friendship!
So, there you have it. I'm leaving Tuesday (connecting flight in London. Cheerio. Laura I'll wave to you), and will be gone until just before Natale. Keep an eye out (or don't. See if I care) for new posts!
Baci xxx
