The Way Things Were (Say Cheese, 13)

This is the only orange cheese I've seen in Italy.

If mozzarella is called mozzarella cheese and parmesan is called parmesan cheese, shouldn't this be called burger cheese instead of cheese burger?   Italian grocery stores always make me smile and no one even has to say "cheese."
















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."

The Way Things Were (Warm Greys, 12)

Just because the black and white world I live in has few greys doesn't mean everything is either hot or cold. Some things are warm....but not in Italy.

A warm spring day in Chicago is not hot.
And an Indian summer day isn't hot either.
Pools, lakes and seas aren't hot.  And neither are baby bottles.
All of those things are 'warm' in America, but in Italy they're caldo.  And caldo means hot.
The dictionary defines warm as caldo.  And it says that hot is caldo, too.

But some of the best things in life are warm.....socks, hugs, mittens, breezes, blankets, welcomes, slippers, sand, and apple pie.

I guess if I want Italians to start feeling the warms, it's time I start seeing the greys.
 

I took this in black and white and it seemed cold.

And then I tried it in color and was surprised to see the warm pavement.

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."

The Way Things Were (I'll Have a Beer, 11)

una birra media, rossa

Ordering a beer with my Italian friend in Chicago was never easy.  He simply said, "I'll have a beer."  When asked what kind, he could never answer.  I'd struggle to help the frustrated waiter, apologize for my friend and explain that you can't just order "a beer".  Not in the US anyway.  But in Italy that's just what you do.  La birra comes in three sizes: piccola, media and grande.  There's a slim chance the subject of dark or light will be mentioned, but it's slim.  "I'll have a medium beer, please."  I dare you to try it the next time you go out for a burger.










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."

The Way Things Were (Per Serving, 10)

My move to Italy has improved more than my language skills.  Whenever I'm on one of my I've-got-to-start-eating-better binges, I get the chance to brush up on my math skills, too.  It's not that I ever actually consumed what the inventors of the 'serving size' thought was the correct 'serving size', but I got used to their suggestions (and often multiplied by two or three).  It's a lot harder to figure things out when it's based on 100grams.  When a 750-gram bottle of something has 17 grams of fat per 100 grams it takes a little imagination and good math skills to figure out the damage. First, how much fat is in the whole bottle.  Then, visually divide the bottle into seven sections (or so), decide how many of those sections I'm going to eat and multiply it by 17.  Fortunately, I probably burn a few calories figuring it all out.  A friend just came back from Miami with a bag of Reese's Minis.  What a treat.  22 grams of fat per serving.  Serving size, one package. Just open it and eat.

I made two large bags of Reese's Miniatures from my July visitors last until the end of January.  I still had the tinfoil from the last cup in my pocket the day I was restocked.

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."