This week started off with a sort of cooking lesson at I Tatti, and Anna, the director's wife, was kind enough to invite me to join them. Several people couldn't make it, so it was just her, Andrea (an Italian-Australian Fellow), and myself, standing around the chef in the kitchen as he prepared lunch for the day--pasta with mushrooms, pancetta, and sausage with a side of artichoke souffle. We also got to peek at the pastry chef as he prepared fresh bread for morning tea (schiacciata), olive rolls for lunch, the dessert (castagnaccio--a chestnut flour cake with pine nuts, saltanas, and rosemary), and pans of shortbread cookies for afternoon tea. Like I said before, they eat really well at I Tatti! In some ways I am glad I don't eat lunch there--the food is pretty heavy, with lots and LOTS of olive oil (people have been complaining of gaining weight), but I would still love to taste it every now and then so I can try making it at home, with less oil! The little cooking observation was a nice treat in that sense, though I don't think there will be many more for me to attend.
Yesterday was a little nerve-wracking for me because I finally got myself to go in for a haircut. With short hair I typically get it cut every 2 months at Great Clips (or some other 'family cutters'), but it had been over 3 months since my last trim and the clump of hair on my head was looking pretty overgrown. There are no generic chain cutters here so I had to make an appointment at a salon, which I had never done before. Not speaking Italian made this hard enough to force myself to do, then I stressed myself out even more before going in. When I sat down I knew enough Italian to ask for 5cm off the front and back but being a salon I guess this wasn't specific enough, so I was made to flip through a book and point to a picture of what I wanted (other people were doing this too). The stylist was really nice and tried chatting with me but I was too nervous to understand and he gave up on trying to talk to me, which was embarrassing enough (I could hear him talking to another girl there that I don't understand). This was all traumatic enough, and in the end my haircut is a bit too different from what I usually go for, plus it is too short. At least it will be a long time before I need to go in for a cut again.
The rest of the day I was also stressed out and nervous over meeting Ivana Coluzzi and her family, visiting for the day from Rome to see a Rugby match. Seth found her on facebook about a year and a half ago, though they don't know how they are related. Both her family and Seth's are from Carpineto Romano, about 10miles from Rome, so there must be some sort of connection (unlike the name Landstrom, Coluzzi is not very common and we think there is only one family line). I was worried because she doesn't know English and I didn't feel like standing there looking like a dumb vegetable unable to say anything, but when we met for drinks last night she was very nice and understanding. She spoke very slowly and even reminded her 13 year old son, Lorenzo(!!), to slow down when he would get excited and start talking quickly. Her husband, Rafaele, spoke some English, which also helped take the edge off the nerves. All in all, it was great meeting some Coluzzis, and it will be fun to meet up with them again next time we are in Rome. Hopefully by then I will be able to say a few more things to them.
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