You Deserve A Break Today . . .

You see them posted along the SS1 in coastal towns miles east and west of Sanremo. At first you think, "there's one here, too?" then you realize it's just an ad for the “one and only” in Piazza Colombo. Once in Sanremo it's hard to miss, especially with a larger than life Ronald greeting visitors at the door! The first and famous one in Rome is, at least, respectfully hidden a few paces to the right of the Spanish Steps, but the one at the Pantheon is boldly opposite the great dome--to be fair, that location and dozens of others started out as a Burgy, the Italian answer to American Fast Food. Eventually, Burgy was "made an offer they couldn't refuse" by Ray Krok and his boys; all Burgy locations either succumbed or converted. Americans have their mafiosi too!

I ask, "why?" Why do Italians want American fast-food when they have some of the best fast-food and have had some of the best fast-food long before Ray and Ronald ever flipped their first burger? 

In Sanremo, just off the Piazza and just a few places beyond that “other place” is la Tavernetta the best focaccia in the world--sorry Liguria Bakery in North Beach, yours' used to be this good! You go in la Tavernetta. . . elbow your way to the counter. . .they ask you what you want and if you'll be eating it, "subito?". . . they hand it to you on a plate or piece of paper. . . you eat it. . .  usually you order more. . . you eat that. . . then you pay!  Fast-food?  It's even "Faster-food" than fast-food because you eat it before you pay.  Why take up all that time paying while the food is cooling off? And who wants to handle money before you eat with your hands?  Fast-food?  The Italian's have it down!  

Here it's Focaccia, Farinata, and Torta di Verdure, in la Sicilia it's Arancine and Cannoli. Each region has their special variety of fast-food and all of it can be consumed on your feet, and before reaching for your wallet!  Italy is fast-food heaven!

On the other hand . . . 

The next terrace over from ours is owned and occupied by Beppe and Marisa from Bra. Bra is located in Piemonte and is on our list of places to visit! Besides being a beautiful Baroque town, Bra distinguishes itself as being the headquarters of the "Slow Food" movement! In a nutshell (pun intended), Slow Food promotes excellent food and drink; grown, raised and prepared by traditional means in an effort to sustain food products threatened by convenience foods and industrialized farming. The movement has reintroduced varieties of vegetables, fruits, meats and cheeses our grandparents ate. If you've eaten "heritage tomatoes" you've eaten Slow Food.  It's beyond organic and it started here.  It's delicious but it takes time, lots and lots of time, like a good polenta! 

If you've made polenta, real polenta and not the kind that comes in tubes, you know it takes an ample amount of work. Boil the water with a fist-full of salt, whisk-in the corn meal then stir continuously for 45 minutes. Use a long wooden spoon to avoid the burns that bursting bubbles of polenta can cause. Pour it out and enjoy in countless ways! We, the Ghiorzi's,  pour our polenta out onto a board and let it harden, then, cut into squares, we layer it with sauce and cheese and put it in an oven to bake (polenta al forno). There are instant varieties of polenta and there is a "microwave method" I've used many times, but there's nothing like the slow-stirred kind. I think la polenta is proof that Slow Food is a good thing!

Italian food culture is complicated, it's a culture of contrasts. Fast-food vs. Slow Food; the two can live side by side as long as the ingredients are top notch. Ironically, Italian fast-food is often prepared with Slow Food ingredients and techniques--the only thing "fast" about it is how it's eaten! There's nothing like grabbing a piece of focaccia or an arancina and gobbling it up subito. . . and. . . there's nothing like savoring a slow-stirred polenta! Goodbye "microwave method" I'm in Italy now where we "eat first-pay later" and take our time when it matters most; "hand me the spoon Ma, it's my turn!"  Unless you have one of these . . . 

God bless Italian ingenuity. . . it's not about saving time it's about having more time to prepare more! Buon Appetito!