I love me some fried chicken....

Living in Italy definitely has its perks and obviously so, Italian food is one of them. But I don't think any non-native Italian living here can deny the cravings we can get for anything other than Italian food. During the last 4 months here in Terni, the only "different" foods I could find were; mediocre Chinese (serving bits of fried seaweed as an appetizer...seriously?), kebabs, and McDonald's....until last weekend.

I was strolling around the centre with my friend Samantha when we happened to walk by this newly opened place that had a huge sign outside with pictures of....FRIED CHICKEN. I feel slightly ashamed to be admitting this, but I was so ecstatic I almost pee'd myself. Samantha looked at me like I was a crazy person, especially since she told me she has never tasted it. She's NEVER had fried chicken before. I immediately went into the restaurant and got myself a flyer. I was so pleased to find that not only did they have fried chicken, but they also had tandoori chicken wings, spicy chicken burgers, and onion rings! I felt guilty to be so excited at the sight of all this fast, fried food, but it was uncontrollable.

So last Sunday evening, I was conveniently "not in the mood to cook". I took out my handy flyer and passed it to Emanuele. I was once again surprised to hear another person say, "I've never tried fried chicken", but he was up for it. Hells yeah! I know, I know. Fried chicken doesn't really do a body good, but when you live far far away from home and you need something other than pizza, roasted chicken, veal cutlets, wild boar, artichokes, bruschetta, etc, etc, then.....

.....THE CHICKEN HUT is where it's at. Well, at least it is for me. For now.

Via Porta S Giovanni, Terni, 05100

ps. The spicy chicken wings did not disappoint.

xoT

A morning in Rome

Three hours in Rome yesterday to get some documents at the Embassy was definitely too short. But not too short to stroll past Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and share one small kiss with my man. Corny? Nope...just "Italian".

xoT

Winter in Terni

If winter in Terni means throwing on a coat, grabbing your girls and sippin' some wine outside while people watching on the patio on a Tuesday night in January (yeah, you heard me my Canadian buddies back home...OUTSIDE).....then I am all for it. Snow & ice? Don't miss em one bit.

xoT

Capodanno!

Happy New Year people! So it's 2012, holy crap time flies doesn't it? When I sit here and reflect on the last year, so much has happened. I wasn't even sure what to post about today since it's been so long, so I'll just start with the obvious....my first Italian New Year's Eve --or as they call it "capodanno". Capodanno is really the first of the new year, however it's commonly used to talk about what everyone is doing at midnight on December 31st.

Prior to my first capodanno in Terni, I was a little worried that our friends would want to get all dolled up and hit a club, but hallelujah, everyone wanted to avoid the crowds and overpriced entrance fees. So we did capodanno Ternano style --headed up the mountain to a house in the country! 15 people, wine, meats for grilling in the fireplace, wine, games, wine and fireworks...oh wait, and wine. I don't even know how I laughed so much only understanding less than half of the conversations going on that night, but I did. Maybe it had something to do with my adult friends playing hide and seek, or 10 of us doing the mambo train all throughout the house (including the bathroom)? It was the best way to end the year and the perfect way to kick off a new one here in Italia.

SALUTE!

first course, out of a gajillion!

AUGURI!!!

midnight snack
(sausage bruschetta cooked in the fire....
....and yes, that's Italian "Scattegories"!)

My first New Year's day without a winter coat!

dishwashing, country style

more sausage bruschetta

traditional midnight meal, lentils and pork

All I gotta say is, I have no clue how these Italian girls stay so damn thin when they eat like champs. Power to them.

Until next time!
xoT

Terni to Toronto

I recently returned to Toronto to visit my baby nephew who was born a few weeks ago. When I'm with him, I kind of forget that I now live in Italy. The love I feel for him is totally indescribable. I just want to kiss his cute little face every minute.

Since I'm only here for another 2 weeks, I probably won't be able to post for a little while. But for the few people who do follow my life in Italy and are curious, here's a quick recap:

I'm officially living in Terni (whoa).
I finally have a permesso di soggiorno (residence permit, phew).
I have fortunately found a job teaching English (another phew).
I have learned more Italian (including some words in Ternano! Che brutto!).
I have learned more Italian swear words (soccer match, obviously).
We finally got our kitchen (hallelujah!).
We finally bought a couch (but it won't arrive until 2012, boh!).
I finally baked my first crostata (Grazie a Samantha!).

.....and my biggest accomplishment yet: I drove. Yes, I drove. I drove far. I drove in those ridiculous rotundas. I drove on the autostrada (highway). What's the big deal? Just ask my fellow expats in Italy how proud a North American expat should be for successfully driving a motorized vehicle in Italy. So yes, big-ups to me.

Now, please tell me how the heck I'm going to leave these cutie pies behind in two weeks:

xoT

La Dolce Vita Series: La Fedina

I've really been wanting to participate in the Dolce Vita series the last few weeks, but it's been difficult finding time. Between getting the worst fever I've ever had, job hunting, furnishing our home, etc. it's been exhausting since I've moved to Terni just over three weeks ago.

I have to say, it isn't easy adjusting to a new life in a new country. I definitely have my ups, but I can't deny that there are downs. I miss my family immensely, I miss my calling up my friends to go eat soup dumplings and fried rice, I miss sitting at a table with friends understanding the entire conversation, I miss being able to drive my car knowing what street I'm on, I miss being able to express myself without having to think about how to get the words out of my mouth....you get the picture right?

But at midnight on my birthday, something happened that made me put all those things that I miss aside and remember why moving here was worth missing my life back in Toronto. I was given the most beautiful gift I have ever received. La fedina. It's basically a "promise ring". In Italy, you might notice that many Italian couples who are not married, wear rings on their wedding ring fingers. This is la fedina. It is a symbol to show that they are committed to eachother and that they are in love. If the couple eventually gets married, at the ceremony, they exchange la fede --wedding band (hold your horses people, we ain't there....yet =P). 

 

Without getting into too much detail about this very intimate moment for us, all I can say right now is.... Sono fortunata --I am lucky.

xoT

Toronto, November 2009

Mangia!

This past Monday was my birthday. I've never really been a fan of celebrating my own birthday. I don't like all the attention and making a huge deal out of it. However, last weekend, I didn't really have a choice....and I have to admit, celebrating "Italian" style was fantastic. It was exactly what I would've wanted if I planned it myself. No fancy dinners, no crowded night clubs. No muss, no fuss. 

Friday night began with the usual aperitivo. I'm still learning how to stop myself from pigging out at aperitivo before dinner. Seriously, I don't know how Italians manage to control themselves by having only a few little bites here and there. By 8:30pm my stomach is having a full conversation with me. All I can do is eyeball the spread of mini salami sandwiches and breadsticks wrapped in prosciutto. After helping myself to a few bits and bites (and a couple extra before my last sip of spumante) we make our way to dinner. We had a table waiting for us at a charming little rustic restaurant literally in the middle of no where with about 16 of our closest friends. Maybe I should have held back at aperitivo? How was I to finish the enormous platter of antipasti, the mouth-watering gnocchetti with cinghiale and the assorted selection of roasted meats? To top it all off, a huge birthday cake (sporting the Canadian colours and all) stuffed with yes, Nutella. Thank God I wore pants with a stretchy waist!

Picture a bunch of loud Italians celebrating anything. That's exactly how the night was. Bottles and bottles of spumante & wine, never ending servings of food, friends singing and clanking on bottles with their forks and banging on the tables, chanting things about "To-rrrron-tooo" and making every effort to embarrass me. Forcing me to say a short speech in Italian topped the night.....it was absolutely fantastic.

mamma in the kitchen

Sunday was dinner with la famiglia. After spending a whole day at Ikea in Rome picking out kitchenware, it was a great way to relax and end the night. Honestly, I don't know how mamma Masci manages to whip up a 4 course meal without even breaking a sweat. The best part? Her tiramisu. It is to die for. (Wow, now that I'm realizing everything I ate this past weekend, I really need to hit the gym)





I feel so blessed to have such wonderful people around me. I'm a total stranger from another place, yet everyone embraces me as if I were their own. I was even showered with gifts which was totally unexpected. But for me, the best gift of all was the the company around me. It really couldn't get any better.

xoT