The Way Things Were (Coffee Pots, 2)

3 Italian coffee pots

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. 3 pots to heat water or milk for tea or chocolate.

It takes a village. When the internet guy or the man who delivers your firewood comes, you use the tiny coffee pot. When the piano tuner brings a friend, you use the middle one.  And if you have a few friends for dinner, you pull out the big one (and you might even have to make two pots or a combo of the big one and the middle one).  I'm not a coffee drinker, but in America I only remember one.  You simply adjusted the coffee and water combinations (I think).  And then there was the tall seventies green one only used for graduation parties in the garage and baby showers.  I think that one was called a percolator.


The Beginning of The Way Things Were
Call me what you will, but I call myself an emigrant....an emigrant who should stop talking about her homeland every day.  (Expat has too many rich, white person connotations and immigrant is what my Italian friends call me.)  Many years ago, my foreign (expat) friends in Chicago continually pointed out the differences between life in their countries and life in Chicago.  I might be mistaken, but their use of the word 'different' often sounded a bit like 'better'. 

Not long after moving to Italy (about three hours) I started doing the same thing.  It has finally dawned on me that if my friends in Italy think like I used to think (if it's better in your country why don't you go home?) it might be wise to keep my American mouth shut in Italy and share my thoughts with the other side of the world.  Hereafter, when I notice something different, be it better or just different, I'll (try to) hold my tongue and add it to my list of The Way Things Were.

My goal is to keep it simple with a few words and a photo,  giving the readers the choice of better...or just different.   With more reflection I'll probably realize that some of the "betters" are here and some of the "betters" are there.  In the end maybe they really are just "differences."