At five months, human babies love the world and trust everybody in it. When I took her in for a routine pediatric checkup, my daughter Rossella smiled and gurgled and laughed, assuming that everyone in the world loved her, and nothing and no one would hurt her. The checkup required that a little blood be… Continue reading Dental Trauma
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Buying a Car in Italy – Are Car Salesmen the Same All Over?
On Monday Enrico brought home our new car, a Fiat Stilo. It took him a month of intensive research to eventually return to his first, instinctive choice – which is simply the next generation of the Fiat Tipo turbo diesel that served us (more or less faithfully) for 13 years, which was itself a replacement… Continue reading Buying a Car in Italy – Are Car Salesmen the Same All Over?
Raclette: Another Way to Eat Swiss Cheese
The Swiss are a nation of cheese eaters, and have ways of eating cheese that involve special appliances – but are very easy and tasty once you have the equipment. Raclette was traditionally a (large) half wheel of cheese placed with its open face near an open fire so it would start melting. The melty… Continue reading Raclette: Another Way to Eat Swiss Cheese
Conspicuous Consumption: An American Way of Life
So much of the American lifestyle revolves around consumption. Shopping in America is a form of entertainment, and sometimes an endurance sport. American homes are large, very large by most European standards, and crammed to the rafters with€¦ stuff. We have a lot of stuff in our home in Italy, and I’ve seen plenty of… Continue reading Conspicuous Consumption: An American Way of Life
The Perils of the Italian Quest for Fresh Wild Mushrooms
While out on a walk (which became a hike), I saw a couple of women heading into the woods with wicker baskets dangling from their backpacks – off to hunt for mushrooms. Italians, like hobbits, are very fond of mushrooms, especially the varieties which defy cultivation and can only be found in the wild (or… Continue reading The Perils of the Italian Quest for Fresh Wild Mushrooms