The late, great, Italian singer-songwriter Giorgio Gaber understood perfectly well that left-right labels were about more than mere politics, as he satirised in Destra-Sinistra (Right – Left):
I blue-jeans che sono un segno di sinistra
con la giacca vanno verso destra,il concerto dello stadio
It’s gone too far, and somehow this exploding cult needs to be reined in. I’m talking about the way supporting football clubs, in particular those in the English Premiership, is becoming less a hobby and more a means by which people are beginning to identify themselves. The hysterical coverage of the game is one of […]
In Jorge Luis Borges’ short story The Lottery in Babylon, the lottery evolves from a simple game into a complex system of punishment and reward, in which every free man is entered automatically. It becomes a metaphor for fate, with a mysterious company drawing numbers to decide which citizens of Babylon should be happy, and which sad.
Late last week I received Haruki Murakami’s Kafka on the Beach and hope to post a review on the main Three Monkeys site in due course. When I was reflecting on how much I like Murakami’s work, I tried to remember what it was about my first encounter with his writing–reading the incredible Wind-up Bird […]
These are stewed baby onions with the sweet and sour variant. They are tasty and can accompany meats or cold cuts, and they take only 10 minutes to prepare, if you follow my example and cook them in your pressure cooker. What you need: 10 baby onions 30 gr. butterchopped parsley or coriander2 cups vegetable […]
A delicate salmon risotto with an alcoholic twist: you can make it with either brandy or vodka, but if you really want to spoil yourself, use half a bottle of champagne and drink the rest as aperitif! What you need (for four people) : 350 gr. rice200 gr. smoked wild salmon 1 lt vegetable brotholive […]
This delicate chickpeas dip is generally served with pita (middle-eastern bread) or any other non-levitated bread, such as piadina from Romagna for instance. It is the basis for a great appetiser or you can have it as a snack or light meal. It is not difficult to make per se. What's complicated is to find […]
In Italy we do take cooking seriously and at the same time we are definitely 'provincial', in the sense that we are, sometimes exaggeratedly, attached to our region or even town, so it will come to no surprise to you that the Ordine della Confraternita del Pesto [the Cavaliers of the brotherhood of pesto] has […]
Now, this should not be confused with the fish in Fish 'n' Chips. Without taking anything off the Anglo-Saxon speciality, here there is no heavy batter involved and in Italian restaurants this dish (frittura di pesce or fritto misto di mare) is normally served with fried vegetables and/or green leaves salad. You may fry many […]