It was easy this year, as usual, to overlook the Oscar nominees in the Best Foreign Language Film category. If you did, you will have missed a great movie, Lagaan, (Amazon UK| US) India’s nominee.Set in British-ruled India in 1893, it’s the story of a village oppressed by heavy taxation (“lagaan”). The local hero rashly accepts a bet… Continue reading Movie Review: Lagaan
Slow Food, Good Wine, Hot Baths
Last September I joined the Slow Foodassociation, dedicated to the appreciation and conservation of good food worldwide. We’ve been to three dinners so far, two of which emphasized wine, and one in which every dish somehow involved chocolate. The wine dinners also featured excellent food, and vice-versa. The international Slow Food association is divided into… Continue reading Slow Food, Good Wine, Hot Baths
Cars
Speaking of air pollution: What is it about cars, anyway? Personally, I’m not fond of them. Because I went to high school in India, I did not learn to drive at the usual American age of 16. By the time I did learn, I had already been involved in two spectacular accidents (someday I’ll tell… Continue reading Cars
Smog Days: Italy’s Pollution Problem
When I was a kid in Pittsburgh and Connecticut, waking up to find snow on the ground was always exciting, because it meant the possibility of a snow day – a day off from school due to dangerous road conditions. I’d crouch over the radio, holding my breath for the longed-for announcement that my school… Continue reading Smog Days: Italy’s Pollution Problem
Car Stories
I have never yet driven in Europe. We moved to Italy when our daughter was 15 months old. During a trip around the US when she was 3 or 4, we talked about what we would do on the next leg of the trip, when we got to California: “We’ll rent a car at the… Continue reading Car Stories