November 2016 Newsletter from Elizabeth Minchilli in Rome
november 2016 newsletter
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about change. How some things stay the same, while others are lost to progress. I think it’s been on my mind more than usual due to all the research I’ve been doing regarding traditional food artisans. I’ve been lucky enough to have spent the last few months visiting people who are still producing things like pasta, balsamic, grappa and tomato paste in extremely old fashioned and time honored ways.
But I’m in a dilemma because while I obviously support and want to protect everything that has to do with ancient ways of living and eating here in Italy, I also realize that time never stands still. And in fact the only reason that I am able to make a living doing this type of research is due to the fact that more and more people are interested in Italy. Which means more tourists. Which means change. While I can head out into the countryside in Umbria and time seems to stand still while iI watch a shepherd make cheese in the same way his family has for generations, when I head back to Rome it’s a completely different story. How do I balance the huge surge in tourism in Rome which is changing the very fabric of the city ,with my work which exposes lesser known parts of Italy to perhaps the same influx of curious travelers?
I don’t have any sort of answer to this. But it does worry me, and it’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. What do you think?
what's new
I’m very excited to welcome our group for the November Week in Rome Tour that starts in 2 weeks!. If you’re curious you can follow along on Instagram and Snapchat (eminchilli) for every delicious mouthful of our week. And if you’d like to join me and and Sophie I still have two spots open for the Week of March 12 2017 and 4 spots open for November 12, 2017. And although it seems like an impossibly far way time in the future, I’ve just posted the dates for our Weeks in 2018! Drop me an email if you'd like to find out more details.
I’m also thinking about planning a 2-day writing/communication bootcamp. We’d spend our time in the markets and food stores of Rome, then focus on how to capture our experiences in both word and image. I’ve been talking about doing something like this with a colleague who teaches writing here in Rome. What do you think? Anyone up for this? We’re thinking May or June. Send me an email if you are interested.
We've been doing a lot of Day Trips outside of Rome lately. And when I say 'we' I mean almost the entire Minchilli family. Sophie has been taking guests to visit her beloved goaties at a farm outside of Orvieto and even Domenico has gotten into the act, leading Italian Rustic tours to Umbria to explore rustic building techniques and decoration. Anyone interested in a tour of Rome's parks with Pico?
I’ve finally launched an official Facebook Page for my blog. Although I have my own personal account (which is open for everyone to follow) as well as a slew of other pages for my books and app, I’ve never had one just for the blog. But due to changes in the mysterious workings of social media, it seemed like a good idea to do this. So if you have a minute, please head over and ‘like’ it. Grazie!!
travels
My travels for researching my new book have continued non-stop. I headed to Trieste to explore coffee and ended up eating my weight in pork. Also? The best donut ever. You can visit my Facebook posting for more details of where I ate, but don't worry, the full story will be coming not only in my new book, but also on my app. (Eat Trieste will be appearing as one of my new, free apps, in the next year). One of the funnest things I’ve done in a long time was attend a day long class at the University of Coffee. Yes, I went back to school. And in 6 short hours got a very official looking degree in cappuccino making. (Although most o mine looked like this)
I think I should also get some sort of honorary degree in grappa consumption. I spent 2 days with the Nonino family in Friuli and - i’m pretty sure - should receive at the very least some sort of recognition for the amount of grappa I drank while still managing to stand up. Did you know that drinking grappa instead of wine with a meal is a thing? Yes, six course meals with six different paired grappas. I’m here to tell you that not only is it a thing, it’s a good thing. (at least when it’s good grappa).
Instead in Modena it was all about tortellini. I knew tortellini were a big part of life there, but when my taxi driver, unprompted, started talking about his mother’s tortellini within 2 minutes of my entering his car I knew it was hardcore. I not only learned the secrets of a good filling, but managed to form at least 10 little tortellini without making a complete fool of myself.
I also took a crash course in Aceto Balsamico. The real stuff. But I also learned a lot about the not-so-real stuff and what you should look out for when buying your own bottle.
And finally, I spent 5 days in London, visiting daughter number 2: Emma. Since she is working these days in Notting Hill I rented a darling Airbnb there (the only way to go in London these days IMHO). Although she had to work, we managed quite a few meals. We both LOVED Bao, and had a great meal at this Korean resaturant. We also had a fun night eating tapas here, and I came back loaded down with cinnamon buns from this place. One day I popped into this place for a great, fast, delicious Lebanese mezze lunch. And no trip to London is complete without totally pigging out on oysters.
videos
Sora Lella was the Nigella of the 50’s and 60’s in Rome. If you don’t know her you should. And this video is the perfect introduction.
And speaking of TV food personalities, this video just confused me.
It’s truffle season for just a little while longer. If you manage to get your hands on some truffles and want to treat yourself to some delicious pasta, here is how you can do it.
Although I live in Rome, my heart lives in Stars Hollow. If you recognize this reference, click though here. If not, then don’t bother. You’ll just think I’m crazy.
what I'm reading
6 Italian Food Bloggers in Rome to Follow (and yes, I’m included!)
Evidently the secret to a long life (and equally long sex life) is Italian rosemary. Who knew?
I think we should all send away for a “Save the Truffle’ t-shirt right now.
Am I the last person in the world to finally get around to reading this? (and loving it)
earthquake update
Sadly there was another series of Earthquakes. They were actually continuations of the last one. Thankfully there were no casualties this time around. There was, however, much continued damage to historic buildings and homes. Luckily both of our places, in Rome and Umbria, are fine. We did feel the quakes very strongly, which was scary. Many of you have asked where you can donate:
You can donate to the Italian Red Cross here.
You can donate to the Italian American relief Fund here.
And of course, does it go without saying? Don’t cancel your trip to Italy. The areas that are effected are very limited, and to damage local economies that depend on tourism, like Umbria and the Marche, would be counterproductive. These regions depend on tourism for a large part of their income. So please, do your part: book your trip now.
and finally....
Are you looking for a few Italian inspired dishes to add to your Thanksgiving? (and will we have something to be thankful for? Oh lord, I went the entire newsletter without mentioning the election. Last time. Obviously) Here are some of my favorite ways to use zucca (pumpkin or winter squash) this time of year.
Pumpkin and Beans
Butternut Squash Gnudi
Mashed Pumpkin
Pumpkin Risotto
Pumpkin Soup
Please vote! And if you can, convince others to vote as well. This is not a year to let things slide.
See you on the other side!!!!
x,Elizabeth
Are you coming to Rome? Make sure you've packed Eating Rome: Living the Good Life into your suitcase. (Or onto your kindle)
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