The first time I tried ordering lunch in Italy last summer, my rudimentary Italian failed me. I had no clue what to say. I pointed to dishes of food behind the glass case and the woman serving me zoomed in on my finger and tried to match it to a dish.
“Si?’ she asked, pointing to one dish.
“No,” I responded.
We bounced between our Si’s and No’s until I gave up. She spooned small portions of food into plastic containers, weighed them, and put them into a brown paper bag. The bag was light in my hand and I knew it would not fill our family-of-five famished bodies . We ate our ‘lunch’ as appetizers. Then, we walked to a restaurant for lunch-lunch.
One afternoon, I walked past the lunch-as-appetizer store and spotted Carpe Diem. Outside of this market, a ragged yellow awning covered baskets of colorful fruits and veggies. I picked up a long vine of cherry tomatoes and walked inside. On the left, there was a selection of cheese, pasta, and wine. On the right, there was a large pizza oven. Once again, I communicated with my fingers. I pointed to the pizza and held up two fingers.
“Due?”
“Si. Due.” I responded. The man making the pizza smiled and I smiled back.
I walked through a beaded door and waited outside where umbrellas shielded school-aged children rolling cigarettes. Twenty minutes later, a young woman brought two boxes out to me. I walked back to the hotel where my family leisurely ate pizza while seated on the patio overlooking the Adriatic sea.
Pizza with the Family
Although our vacation had ended, I was inspired to bring a part of it home with me. I’ve been making pizza on Friday nights for about one year now.
At first I made the dough with all purpose flour, but after watching videos of Italians making pizza at home, I learned about 00 flour. I ordered a bag from a specialty store and learned to make the dough twenty-four hours ahead. While I slept, the yeast kept the dough awake all night. As for the tomato sauce, I began making it a week in advance and leaving it to marinate in the fridge. Minutes before we are ready to eat, I turn the oven to 500 degrees. Within ten minutes, pizza number one is ready.
A few weeks ago, I was not feeling well and suggested we order pizza. Everyone looked at me as though I had suggested something illegal. “The dough and the tomato sauce is done. We can make it,” Zuri suggests.
From the couch, I hear the banter and laughter in the kitchen.
“That’s not how Mommy does it.”
“Well, I’m the chef today.”
“Don’t toss it so high, Daddy.”
My family was hard at work, trying to keep our pizza night ritual alive. The timer goes off and I make my way into the kitchen. Hubby opens the oven and the scent of dough, tomato and basil engulfs the kitchen. The cheese is still bubbling as we make our way out the screen-in porch.
Outside, the table is set with a white tablecloth and the gray and white napkins I selected for this very occasion. Empty plates are ready for pizza and glasses are ready to be filled with Sparkling Apple cider for the kids and wine for me and the hubster.
The day drifted, the night descended, and the candle light pronounced itself.
Whether you’re traveling afar, or as close as the backyard, I pray that each moment inspires you to do little things, with love.
I would love to know.
What have you been inspired to take back with you from a vacation?
Kadine Christie
