Treat Yourself

I'm going to use the guest towels this week. I want to feel like I'm on vacation. They're not the ones that say HIS and HERS, they're the ones that still feel fluffy like the ones you've already had (you, my American friends) for 10 years; the ones that you whirl in your Whirlpool. We dryerless folks in Italy (most don't have dryers, and those that do use them sparingly because of the cost) are used to towels that can almost stand. We seldom feel that fluffy towel feeling. I usually save my guest towels for guests, but this week I'm going to indulge.

And while I'm at it, I think I'll put that carafe I bought at Crate and Barrel on my nightstand; the one with the little glass that fits upsidedown on the top. It's not terribly convenient for a quick sip at 3am but it's a lot more romantic than my half liter plastic bottle.

This week I'm going to take the extra 10 minutes required to make the homemade tomato sauce I usually only make for visitors; fry a little onion, add a chopped carrot and mash up some fresh tomatoes. And for dessert I think I'll finally find the courage to use the Nestle's chocolate chips my friend sent for my birthday. I've been saving them for the right person, but I've just decided there's no one righter than me.

Sometimes I offer my guests a little downtime and they accept without feeling guilty. This week I'll treat myself to the same. I'll eat my breakfast cookies from a pretty dish instead of the cookie bag inside a plastic bag closed with a clothespin. That's the extra effort it takes to keep them fresh in case I don't get back to that house for a few weeks. And those two ice cream cones a day I promise all of my young visitors sounds like a pretty good idea, too.

Fortunately, some of the things that seem 'guesty' are already part of my daily routine; like driving on the scenic roads even when they aren't the most direct route. I use my china for frozen pizza, not for fancy feasts. And my fancy tea cups? For hot, green milk (that's what I call latte e menta). I drink my CocaZero from a crystal wine glass and eat cheesecake with a silver fork. I don't watch TV (I don't have one) because that's not something to do with guests unless you're suffering from Sundaynitis (my name for that feeling I get on Sunday night) and they're your best friends.

At the end of the week I might just decide to treat myself like a guest for the rest of my life. If I keep my future visitors happy with parmegiano, gelato and la bella vita maybe they won't even notice the crunchy towels.