What a great day in northern Italy.

The sun is bright, the sky is blue, the fields are green.  My cat sits in the window dreaming of catching the flying  insects on the other side of the window.  A window that is closed because the cottonwood trees are losing that little snowflakes of cotton that are floating  in the air.  Those snowflakes and the dust cause my allergies to spike making it difficult to breathe while my eyes feel like someone threw minced jalapeños into them.  There is hope as on Wednesday it is predicted to feature rain, and this will clean the air somewhat.  One can only hope.  It was a good weekend.  Everyone seemed to be out and about enjoying the sunny weather.  We went through our volcanic hills and stopped at the other side to see a small castle.  Then for "pranzo" we had lunch at a fish restaurant.  It was a nice day.

   Here it is also poppy season. and for about 3 weeks poppy flowers are found in  the fields, along the roads and gardens.  I have a good feeling about poppies as back in the 1950's old veterans of World War I sold poppies to raise money for veterans in need of help.  These poppies were made of plastic and if you shopped at a supermarket you would be asked to buy a few.  I was in elementary school then and those veterans sure looked old.  Grey hair and wrinkles and looking at the world differently than kids see things.  20 years later I discovered that my father's uncle Raymond fought in France in WWI.  I eventually cornered Uncle Raymond to the the full scoop on his involvement.  I had never thought that he was a war hero.  On their return to America  each veteran was shown thankfulness from the government as army officials stopped each soldier disembarking  their  ship berthed in New York Harbor and took away all their souvenirs they had brought home from the war.  Some years later these veterans had to protest and march against the government to receive the money they had been promised for going to France.  Now you can see the reason for the sale of poppies.I had originally intended this blog to be about food, especially the customs here about eating food while walking about the city.  What I see here is that Italians do not snack while walking in their towns.  They would rather go to a bar, and sit while indulging.  In bars one can find ice cream bars, candy, small sandwiches, and chips to go with the various soda drinks.  In America we find people walking while eating popcorn, candy bars, chips, soft drinks, burgers, hot dogs, tacos, burritos, and corn dogs.  These can be purchased at markets, and shops that specialise in fast food.  

The American donut

Italy does not really have fast food shops.   McDonald's and Burger King have managed to make a go of it here, but that is about all to be found.  Starbucks waited many years before deciding to build a store in Milano.  I have been there and it looks very nice, with its New York atmosphere, shiny pipes sending hot coffee beans, display windows of mouth watering baked goods and large bathrooms needed by tourists who have been wandering for hours.  But here is the true reality, Starbucks purchased small uncomfortable stools and few tables making seat finding very difficult.  There is no "vibe" we find in America encouraging people to come in, sit with a large coffee and scroll, type, write, draw, relax and just "be".  They want you in and out in a jiffy.  

Lunchbox stuffer
Thanks Mom!
1953

In Spain one can find Starbucks and they don't seem to be interested in making you purchase and leave in a few minutes.  Even in European airports a person can feel welcome in comfortable seating while enjoying those expensive coffee drinks and pastries.  So my advice, don't visit Milano Starbucks, be Italian and use coffee bars owned by citizens not corporations.    

And then (drum roll, please) Doritos were invented.  The ultimate street walking snack flavored in Tex Mex, Chili, Regular, and Cheese.  Now found in most super markets in Italy.  We can also find Cheetos, Corn Nuts, various taco chips, and even several brands of barbecue potato chips.  All good for street walking Americans but not Italians.  In Dubai, of all places, we find a cookie shop.  It appears they appreciate cookies in Dubai.  This photo was taken in the MEGA Mall that has everything, even a ski slope.  Want to see that? Look at Anthony Bourdain's  video.                                                 I wonder if a cookie shop would survive here in Italy.  Or maybe a  shop featuring this scuptured looking yummy piece of heaven I ate in Russia.  My pal in Kazan introduced me to these.  I also tasted his country's great hot dogs BEST in the world, thank you Albert.

Like a broken record I could go on about many foods found here that are amazing.  I never thought about olives being very special, but Italian olive growers have it figured out.  My favorite is the big green ones, that taste almost nut flavored.  I was used to the empty black ones from a can. Not the same!.

The temptation to eat these fun foods is felt by almost everyone.  

The Tempter
The results of eating too much fun food can be seen in visiting and comparing two countries, America and Italy.  Come to Italy and see for yourself. discovering new tastes and their preparation is a great way to explore customs of foreign lands.  Make a plan and see the differences.
Ciao!