Top Ten Reasons...

For those of you who’ve known Trofie Wife long enough to remember her Top 10 lists of high school, I present to you the latest installation, after what I’m sure was a long-lamented absence:

Top Ten Things I Do in Italy That I Don’t Normally Do

10. Make the bed (I must admit that it’s so much cozier to get back into at night or during naptime)

9. Get dressed up to go to the grocery store

8. Complain about poor lighting (likely Martello’s influence)

7. Deal with real estate brokers (viva la Craig’s List!)

6. Join Facebook and voluntarily video chat

5. Clear my inbox daily and reply with great haste

4. Go to sleep (or at least climb into bed with reading material) at a decent hour

3. Eat breakfast quickly, at a table

2. Schlep only one or two bags (daily average in NYC: three)

[That’s it. These lists never did make it all the way to 10…]

And in other news, last Friday I finally made it over to the video store on the way back home from the grocery store. It was there that I noted by far the most slothful opening hours that I’ve yet to see in Italy (and that’s saying a lot). The video store is only open 2 1/2 hours each day!! From 5 to 7:30 p.m. and only Monday through Saturday! Now, for the cinematic-seeking public, there is a 24-hour rental machine available outside the store that allows locals to rent recent mediocre American and Italian films whenever their hearts desire. Maybe we’ll try it sometime. Or just stick to the ancient TV…

I also spent the early evening hours making my first Italian challah bread, courtesy of the lovely Italian Jewish cookbook that our friends Adam and Rachel gave us (which was also responsible for the evening’s succulent saffron rice and slightly-soggy Jewish-style artichokes). In my attempt to halve the recipe (and convert from American to metric measures using the conversions in the back of the used Berlitz I picked up at Housing Works), the sweet and salty factors didn’t turn out quite right, but nevertheless, Martello commented on the loaf’s excellent texture. I’ll be sure to attempt again, but the book’s recipe for bagels is my latest temptation. Trofie Wife will, of course, be certain to share the outcome of that great experiment…

Baci e gelato,

Martello e Trofie Wife