Viva, vedi, mangi ed ami
This is my motto in life it means: "Live, See, Eat and Love"- the Italian way. I am a full blooded Filipino and proud of it, but deep inside me I feel a strong attraction to anything Italian.
This small boot-like peninsula in the Mediterranean is full of so many things good and beautiful. It is no surprise that over its long and rugged history it has been invaded and ruled and owned by different foreign powers. It has a long and very brutal history of struggle, grandeur and then down-fall. Some say it has been owned and ruled for so many years by different races but its own people. This is why the contrast between Italy's 5 major regions is so stark that they would not be able to converse using their own dialects- although they say this contrast is much less now after World War II.
The geography of Italy is also very diverse- from the Alpine north, the Central valleys and the coastal shores of the Mediterranean. This creates a wonderful contrast in gastronomic experience as you hop from one region to the other. Like one of my office-mates (who is Italian) told me- people in the Northern part of Italy eat Polenta a lot and use it in so many different ways, but serve that to people in the South and they will tell you they do not it Polenta because to them it is food for the pigs.
This contrast is like heaven to a globe-trotting gastronome and is like a gold mine of knowledge for an aspiring cook like myself. This is why I love Italian cooking- it has so much to offer in such a simple way.
In this blog I will show you some of the Italian dishes that I have already prepared and will prepare in the future- consider this a window into an aspiring cook's life. Cooking is a passion for me, not just a hobby. It relaxes me, it keeps my mind away from the "serious" stuff in life because I am a man who believes that we Live to see, eat and love. This is my attempt at living that motto- hopefully soon I will be able to see Italy, to taste the Olive oil in Verona, the Parmigiano-Reggiano in Emilia-Romagna, the Risotto in Venice and Lombardy, the Bottarga in Sardinia, the white truffles in Alba, the Pane carasau in Sardinia with Su zurette, and the desserts in Venice.
I could go on and on and on about what I want to eat- but lets set that aside for another day, as for now lets get on with the cooking. I hope you will enjoy this blog and hopefully you also get inspired to take on the challenge of the kitchen.
This small boot-like peninsula in the Mediterranean is full of so many things good and beautiful. It is no surprise that over its long and rugged history it has been invaded and ruled and owned by different foreign powers. It has a long and very brutal history of struggle, grandeur and then down-fall. Some say it has been owned and ruled for so many years by different races but its own people. This is why the contrast between Italy's 5 major regions is so stark that they would not be able to converse using their own dialects- although they say this contrast is much less now after World War II.
The geography of Italy is also very diverse- from the Alpine north, the Central valleys and the coastal shores of the Mediterranean. This creates a wonderful contrast in gastronomic experience as you hop from one region to the other. Like one of my office-mates (who is Italian) told me- people in the Northern part of Italy eat Polenta a lot and use it in so many different ways, but serve that to people in the South and they will tell you they do not it Polenta because to them it is food for the pigs.
This contrast is like heaven to a globe-trotting gastronome and is like a gold mine of knowledge for an aspiring cook like myself. This is why I love Italian cooking- it has so much to offer in such a simple way.
In this blog I will show you some of the Italian dishes that I have already prepared and will prepare in the future- consider this a window into an aspiring cook's life. Cooking is a passion for me, not just a hobby. It relaxes me, it keeps my mind away from the "serious" stuff in life because I am a man who believes that we Live to see, eat and love. This is my attempt at living that motto- hopefully soon I will be able to see Italy, to taste the Olive oil in Verona, the Parmigiano-Reggiano in Emilia-Romagna, the Risotto in Venice and Lombardy, the Bottarga in Sardinia, the white truffles in Alba, the Pane carasau in Sardinia with Su zurette, and the desserts in Venice.
I could go on and on and on about what I want to eat- but lets set that aside for another day, as for now lets get on with the cooking. I hope you will enjoy this blog and hopefully you also get inspired to take on the challenge of the kitchen.
Comment (1)
January 24, 2010 at 8:42 AM
Oh my... you make Italy sound super exciting! I'm looking forward to your future post! =)
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