The Problem of The Soup When my friend Cristina asked me to spend a few days with her father, Antonio, the request came at the perfect moment. I was already thinking of extending my time in Italy and now I had a good reason to stay. Antonio, at 97, has in the past greeted […]
In the small village of Paterno, we meet Cristina, Luca and Babo Antonio. Cristina has prepared a feast for us: antipasti consisting of three kinds of tapenade, two kinds of Polenta, beans with homemade cinghiale sausages, mixed vegetables and a sunny desert. When we arrive at Anna’s Bed and Breakfast, Casa Thiele we are amazed […]
Last night, on what turned out to be American Thanksgiving, the African refugees cooked dinner in the Poggio Alla Croce community centre kitchen. Italians know very little of African food but after long discussions with the students, a shopping list was created. Two kilos of beef, okra, onions, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes, peanut butter and rice […]
On Saturday, July 1, the population of Poggio Alla Croce increased by 17 percent. Thirty African and Asian young male refugees arrived, and are now living in a refurbished hotel near the town square. The villagers were not consulted on this surge in their population and they are openly divided about the new residents. […]
Here’s a story I wrote in the ’90’s, after I moved from the city ( San Francisco) to the country (Orinda) How my life has changed! Now I’m divorced and prefer living in the country but I live in a different big city in a different country (Canada) most of the time. But more […]