Next time we see one another, I will still be softly smiling, content with the world, and mindful as an Indian guru. I just returned from the better part of a week in Italy. It’s great for the psyche.
The Cinque Terra is a string of five fishing villages, connected by a pathway that takes a healthy German about five hours to walk and me nearly four days. Through ancient vineyards and olive trees you march up and down the rugged paths. Grapes, olives, sea views, and 1000-year old walls give one pause to think. These villages have fished the Mediterranean for centuries, interrupted only when Turkish pirates came to pillage and plunder. Monterosso, where I hung out, is famous for its anchovies! You can watch a video of anchovy salting at the lab. It’s an artisan thing. Menus here read “Fish, fish, fish, vino, dessert.” The hillsides’ white and red grapes produce a hearty co-op wine. Some of that wine is made into grappa as well.
Reflecting on the meals I ate in these isolated little towns, it hit me: the local diet has evolved over ten centuries. I am eating the same ingredients as the people who terraced the hills and paved the paths. I may go on an anchovy-olive-octopus diet with local vino.
What am I thinking? My wife and son are vegetarians. I should probably just return to Italy frequently. Ciao!
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Hi Jay, I did exactly the same holiday two years ago (it was a walking holiday organised by an organisation called InnTravel) and it was wonderful.
I googled “blogs cross-cultural” and found an entry of yours from back in 2003 at the HEC school of business in Paris. Interesting observations, so I moved forward a few years and found you in Italy — my home for over 25 years.
The food culture here does go way back and defines Italians in a way that is difficult for an American to understand. There are also lots of “food rules” about what you can eat when, how and with what that Americans have a hard time accepting — we like to express personal choice through what we eat, when and how.
Sounds like you had a good trip!
I blog my way through life in Rome using cross-cultural tools to ultimately understand something about my own American culture through confrontation with another. As I explore ways to reach a larger public and turn towards cross-cultural consulting/training on-line, I will check in to yours — looks interesting.
a presto.