Posts tagged italian

A Pig Named Sumo

1 year ago

by Michael in Cooking, Culture

TweetPaolo and Marisa are, by all accounts, your typical everyday Italian farmers. That is, with one big exception: Their farm happens to be across the road from us… those crazy people that bring all of the Americans to town… Yes, Canadians, Australians and Brits, too.. but to them, [...]

My 5 Favorite Words in Italian

1 year ago

by Michael in Culture, language

TweetToday I received a tweet from Melanie (Twitter: @italofileblog) at Italofile Blog asking me if I would be part of a mass-effort of Italy-focused bloggers to each provide a list of their five favorite Italian words, along with a brief description citing why each was chosen. A bunch [...]

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You Want to Feed the Meal I Prepared… TO YOUR DOG?

1 year ago

by Michael in Cooking, Culinary, Culture, Food, Travel Tips

TweetOn day one of every cooking vacation we offer, there is a little talk with all of the newly arriving guests. We go over the things that they can expect, and should not expect. We discus the plans for the days ahead, and we go over some of the more common cultural faux-pas that [...]

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“Boh!?”… And Other Perfect Italian Words & Phrases That Don’t Translate Well

1 year ago

by Michael in Culture, language, Personal, Things that make me scratch my head

TweetWhen you split your life between two cultures with two languages, it is quite easy to get trapped in the wrong language from time to time. I sometimes find myself speaking one language, then suddenly a word or phrase pops out from the other. I don’t realize it until the person I am [...]

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Anglitaliano: English Words in Everyday Italian

1 year ago

by Michael in Culture, language, Things that make me scratch my head

TweetWe use a ton of Italian words in English. More than many might think. Just walk into a Starbucks, and you will probably walk out with something called a ‘LATTE‘ (Be careful asking for it in Italy, since all you will get is milk), and if it was a large, you will have asked for [...]

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In Search of the Perfect Espresso

1 year ago

by Michael in Coffee, Cooking, Culinary, Personal, Recipes, Travel Tips

TweetLike a fine wine or a great cigar, those who know their coffee are extremely discriminating. I count myself among them. Coffee is something I take very seriously.Technorati: VA2TJVJYZX67 Depending on the style of coffee, completely different factors come into play when determining [...]

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Rotolo Rose Recipe

2 years ago

by Michael in Cooking, Culinary, Recipes

TweetRotolo Rose An amazing rolled pasta with cheese, Besciamelle and prosciutto dish my mother-in-law in Italy used to make on Sundays every once in a while. When we knew Rotolo Rose was for lunch, nobody was ever late… period! Translation Rolled Pasta with Prosciutto, Besciamelle & [...]

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Italian… So lost in translation

3 years ago

by Michael in Let Me Vent, Personal

Tweet“My daughter speaks perfect English. After all, she spent a month in England with a native family”. That was the quote that caused me to simply give up, and it speaks volumes about Italian culture and the denial so many of them live in. It happened this past October. I was in a local [...]

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How do they get the flavor out of the food in the states?

5 years ago

by Michael in Cooking, Culinary, Culture, Food, Let Me Vent, Things that make me scratch my head, Travel Tips

TweetI’ve been back in Los Angeles for a week now, and last night we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner for the first time since I got back. This may not seem like a big deal, but for us it is always a tragedy. The restaurant was Pomodoro in Woodland Hills. I don’t want to say it [...]