My apologies for not writing as frequently, it's just that nothing much has been going on. Well, by that I mean nothing exciting, but I have quite enjoyed the company of my relatives. In one word I would sum it up as simply lovely.
It is so nice to feel embraced by aunts and uncles whom I see every few years if I'm lucky, and whom, up until the past couple of years, I could barely communicate with. Mind you I am still far from fluent in Italian, but being able to give a sparse reply is already miles better than the silent uncertain nods or random vocabulary that they were used to receiving. I'm still not, and, I've accepted, will never be a chatterbox, but having some sort of dialogue is a taste of the extended family I've been craving to be a part of. Being geographically and linguistically separated made me an island far, far away. Now I'm walking or driving distance.
Monday
I saw my dad's older sister and her two youngest grandchildren, who are just as sweet and adorable as when I went on a cruise with them three years ago. The highlight of my visit was seeing a black and white picture of my dad when he was around four years old with his parents and older sisters. In the picture you mostly see his forehead since he is looking down to shield his eyes from the sun. His older sister, on the other hand, is squinting her eyes in a very obvious way. My aunt said that this is what the two of them did in lots of pictures from that time.
For dinner at home, I helped my aunt make grilled eggplant and zucchini which was then marinated in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, and salt.
Later on that night, sparked by seeing the old photo, my other aunt (whose house I'm living in) helped me find a bag full of old photos and letters in their attic, most of which were taken of or by my dad when he was in his thirties. It was like opening a treasure chest of memories that I had never known existed. I took my time identifying the relatives and family friends I knew and reading a couple of old letters. My dad has always enjoyed capturing moments on film, so many of the photographs my relatives have are thanks to him. (Now he films and edits home movies taken from family vacations and continues to give the gift of memory.)
Tuesday
My uncle picked me up and took me to Senago (in Milanese dialect, Senagh), the town where my dad was born and raised. A few of his cousins still live there. We stopped by the cemetery to visit the resting place of my grandparents whom unfortunately passed away long before I was born. I would have loved to have the chance to meet them! I often wonder what they were like, but I know they must have been amazing parents to have raised my dad and his siblings.
I then got a brief tour of two of Senago's three churches and then we went to my uncle's place where a delicious lunch was waiting for us, my aunt, and their two oldest grandchildren. The last time I had seen these two girls was probably around five years ago, so imagine my shock when one of the small girls I remembered was now a gorgeous teenager. Boy did that make me feel old.
Lunch comprised of a huge delicious piece of lasagne, prosciutto e melone (cantaloupe--blargh!), and meringue ice cream cake. I was stuffed. I then got to meet their pet turtle in the front yard named Dobby (so happy to know that Harry Potter is beloved by my cousins too!) and then got a full tour of my uncle's vegetable garden, which he spends 2-3 hours a day tending. He sent my younger cousin to pick some raspberries for me to bring home.
My uncle then took me to my dad's best friend's house. He, my dad, and my uncle all went to elementary school together so they've known each other for a bit over 70 years. And being of that generation, they all speak the Milanese dialect which is somewhat of a cross between Italian, French, and something else. It was fun testing my milanese and learning a few new words such as gesa (chiesa in Italian or "church"). A few times I had to ask my uncle to repeat what he said in Italian and I couldn't believe what a huge jump the definition was from what I had thought.
While at the house I was employed to remove an annoying on-screen keyboard that kept appearing on my dad's best friend's computer. Fifteen minutes later, I succeeded! The way these men use technology and ask questions is identical to my dad, so it was almost like a typical afternoon back home.
The three of us visited Senaghin, the oldest church of Senago, and then stopped by a nearby field where my dad's best friend has his honey farm. How much the honey would have come in handy for me in Florence!
It amazed me how easy it was for these men to bump into people they knew everywhere we went. I guess that's what happens when you've lived in a small town all of your life.
When I came home, my aunt had made a beautiful cake with the raspberries I received yesterday from my uncle's garden. It is as delicious as it looks!
Wednesday
My dad's younger brother drove me to his home where I saw my cousin and her 18-month old adorable toddler, who enjoyed taking things out of his toy box and then putting them all back in. My aunt made a delicious lunch of prosciutto, pasta with tomato sauce, melanzane alla parmigiana (baked eggplant with parmesan cheese), baked fennel, roast beef, and meat loaf. There were just three of us eating. I tried pacing myself but I was no match for the sheer quantity of it all. The eggplant and roast beef were my favourite.
After lunch I asked my aunt how she met my uncle and the story was so serendipitous that I knew I'd have to share it with you. She had just gotten her driver's license and decided to take her car out for a spin with her girlfriend. They decided to go to a park but upon exiting didn't know which road to take home, so she pulled over and waited for someone to come by. Shortly after my uncle and his cousin saw these two gorgeous ladies, stopped, and told them that they would all go dancing. My aunt decided to agree so that she could follow their car until the point where she knew how to go home, so the whole way her and her friend were laughing hysterically. Since they were in a convertible, my uncle must have thought something was up, so when they stopped at a train-crossing he went out of the car and asked my aunt if she had been lost earlier. They didn't end up going dancing but my aunt had mentioned where she worked, and a week later my uncle showed up outside of her office. They got married exactly a year after they met.
We all agreed that love like this doesn't happen anymore, that back then times were different and more innocent. Last year I wrote that timing was everything but it would be stupid not to add that Fate must have a part in this grand story of Life too. How different their lives would have been if my uncle hadn't conceded to his cousin's pleas to go out that night or if my aunt hadn't pulled over her car!
Later on we flipped through photo albums, one featuring more beautiful pictures taken by my dad, and then we did some grocery shopping and stopped by a cousin's workplace for a gelato break. Only in Italy.
Thursday
I walked to my dad's youngest sister's house for lunch with her and her family. My cousins are now in their late thirties and they work as carpenters, continuing my uncle's business of manufacturing furniture frames. My aunt is an awesome cook (most of my aunts are!) and she made pasta with a sauce that she calls San Bernardo, comprising of panna (cooking cream), mushrooms, pancetta, and parsley. YUM-ZORZ. She remembered how much I loved it three years ago and made it again for me today.
We also had deep-fried zucchini flowers (picked from her garden) and involtini (rolled veal). Luckily I was given a say in my portion size so I didn't overeat, but one of my cousins said I ate too little (umm, no!) and asked if I was on a diet. If I was on a diet, which I certainly am not, I assure you that the amount I ate would probably have been a day (or two)'s worth of calories. Assuming that we are talking about stereotypical Los Angeles "food-is-bad" diets. I happily explained that I live to eat and do not eat to live.
For dessert we had a macedonia (fruit salad) and thank Jebus it was a melon- and pineapple-less one! As soon as I saw it I told my aunt how relieved I was. (For a brief history and list of my food preferences, mostly having to do with fruit, see here.) There were blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, and peaches, oh my.
When the boys all cleared out, my aunt and I leafed through her wedding album. She got married when she was 18 and had her first kid at 20. I asked how she met my uncle and it was also by pure accident. She had decided to leave her hometown and move in with her oldest sister and then was "courted" by my uncle after they met in a café. Storybook closed. She then took me on a successful shopping trip to a mall nearby complete with a chocolate frappé.
Friday
Pretty much a write-off due to laziness. I think I watched some Modern Family (yes, it was only yesterday and I have already forgotten). My aunt cooked her usual delicious and abundantly portioned meals. I don't know how it is humanly possible to gain back all the fat that I had turned into muscle over the course of 2010--oh, but it's possible alright. I am not swimsuit ready for Sardegna at all!
At night I came across the TV show Mettiamoci all'Opera, a one-night singing contest on RAI Uno for semi-professional opera singers. They started with 8 contestants consisting of pairs of light sopranos, tenors, lyric sopranos, and baritones. Each pair sang the same aria back to back and one was immediately voted off by the audience. Then the remaining four contestants sang Disney songs in Italian, complemented by backup dancers, and one was eliminated. Three sang classical pop songs and after one was eliminated, the two finalists, a baritone and tenor, each sang a chosen aria. The neapolitan baritone ended up winning. Baritones seem to be getting a lot of spotlight these days.
Saturday
I had a long-overdue Skype date with Nicky which lasted into the wee hours of Pacific Standard Time. Then it was yoga, a lunch with too many desserts (such a thing is possible), a nap in front of the finale of Italia's Next Top Model, my first (and likely last) episode of Appuntamento al buio ("Dating in the Dark"), and my first (and also likely last) use of the treadmill this week.
My aunt and I made one of my favourite and often-overlooked Italian desserts: salame di cioccolato or "chocolate salami" (it's just called that because the pattern and shape resembles salami, it by no means contains pork or any pig byproducts!). I sampled a few slices after dinner and it may quite possibly be the best version I have ever tasted.
And this is why I could never live in Italy. There is so much good food that one cannot say "no" to.
Today's word of the day is sorso or "sip" (noun). Or, if you'd prefer, the Milanese word gesa [JAY-za] for "church".
PS. I haven't forgotten my promise of more Florence guides. I'll get on this when I come back from Sardegna in a bit over a week. The lists are ready but the descriptions and details are not!
PPS. Tomorrow is Father's Day, so HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, GIAGI!!! Te vöri ben!
i love that story of your aunt deciding to follow your uncle in the car. so cute!
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