Cooking with Giò: Pasta Venexià n
Nov 24, 2006 Instructions for Use, vita venexiàn
I know, I know, there is no such thing as Venetian pasta. I just mean to say that Venice is where (at Giovanni’s insistence) I learned to make pasta from grano duro and only the rossi (yolks) of the eggs.
I am in no way a cook or connoisseur, but I certainly do like to eat, and swoon regularly (accompanied by numerous umm’s and ahh’s that friends tease me about incessantly) over the sumptuous dishes that I’ve the good fortune to consume, in-house and fuori. My singular culinary claim to fame, however, is my pasta. I love making it, having learned from my favorite cooks, Mimma and Giuseppina, and I scramble to to whip it up whenever I have the occasion…and the time.
When I first told Giovanni about my enthusiasm for pasta-making, he scoffed. (Keep in mind, being Venetian and therefore skeptical by nature, combined with having certain bear-like tendencies, he scoffs at most things, especially when they’re proposed by un’Americana.) E come la fai? So how do you make it? I had a feeling this was a set-up, but I started to explain. “I start with Farina 00…”
…and that was as far as I got.
Five pantegane for every Venetian.
Nov 16, 2006 vita venexiàn
This is the sign that’s posted in the entryway to my apartment building, along with an article from the Gazzettino entitled, Cinque topi per ogni veneziano, Five mice for every Venetian. The written notice states:
Please always keep the door closed, because in the calle there are mice!
Rats, they mean — pantegane in Venetian. There are, in fact, and why not? An unlimited supply of refuse and secret passages for hiding out, living large, and making more pantegane. I recently spotted Spritz having is way with one of the smaller versions. The signora who lives above me couldn’t bear to see even a topo endure a slow, torturous, cat-induced demise; so she shoo-ed off Spritz, scooped up the mauled topo, and deposited him outside the iron cancello, presumably to recover and lead a long, scavenging Venetian rat-life.
There are topi in the calle because they are everywhere in Venice. The first one I saw years ago seriously startled me. Now, should I run into one (and I do, frequently, heading home anytime after dark, especially in summer), just for the heck of it, I try to see if I can make them scamper for cover. They rarely do, but end up instead challenging me to a game of chicken, hoisting themselves up on their hind-parts, regarding me curiously, as if to say (in Italian, of course), …You talkin’ ta me, are You talkin’ ta ME?
Occasionally I succeed in making an intern (who has not yet learned that the pantegane rule Venice) scurry out of sight, or disappear down into the nearest rio; but more often, they hold their ground and I’m the one who loses nerve. In fact, toward the end of this summer, I’ve just started saluting them casually, just as any other friend or conoscenza I might meet along the way home. Bastardi.
Blue(r) skies.
Nov 8, 2006 vita venexiàn
After following endless polls and campaign trails for the last few months, I tracked the election results via the NPR site and stream last night and this morning. As it stands, Democrats have at least 22 governorships, 9 state governments (controlling all three branches), 28-and-counting seats in the house for an easy majority, and are holding for Virginia and Montana results to see whether they’ll take the senate as well. Nancy Pelosi is looking at the House Speakership, the first woman ever in that post.
I thought this day might come eventually, I just didn’t know what it was going to take.
Here’s to the possibility for change, and that wisdom somehow becomes a value inside the beltway (no matter what the party affiliation). I suppose it will be up to us to remind them as well…Che pazienza che ci vuole.
(What has this to do with Venice? The answer would be an entire essay in itself, I’m afraid…)
Fenice tours are back.
Nov 2, 2006 Instructions for Use
Not long ago, the Gran Teatro La Fenice eliminated daily group tours and replaced them with audio-guided ones. However, it looks like group tours are back as well, basta to call HelloVenezia at +39 041 2424 in advance to get information on when tours might be available in your language. They are not daily, so at this writing, calling them (just select English) is the only way to reserve your place. You may be able to stop by a HelloVenezia location as well, if you’re already in town.
If you prefer an ad-hoc visit, the audio-guided tour lasts 45 minutes, and costs €7 per person., and is available any time the theatre itself is (see below). To get the most out of it, you could review the History of the Theatre section offered on the Fenice web site (in English) before you attend.
Please note: Although it’s no longer necessary to reserve, you must still verify the opening hours, which will vary depending on the season and events currently taking place in the theatre. Once again, this is easily done at HelloVenezia +39 041 2424 (English spoken), also a source for ACTV public transit information, the Biennale, the Fenice season and other cultural events, the Venicecard, and more.
