Text 1647, 119 rader
Skriven 2008-01-31 14:01:44 av Glen Jamieson
     Kommentar till en text av Janis Kracht
Ärende: GOOD MEAT 80131
=======================
 -=> Quoting Janis Kracht to Glen Jamieson <=-

Hello Janis,

 >> But my sister told me today that she belongs to some type of "travel
 >> club" where flights are discounted, etc.  and she can give the tickets
 
 > That sounds great!  There are cheap flights and tours out there,
 > usually considerably cheaper for two or more people travelling together
 > and sharing accommodation.   If you apply for your passport now, and
 > plan on a trip in September/October, it should all work well.

 JK> That's true.. We may have to wait though.. after speaking to my Mom,
 JK> she's not doing too well.  She's living in an assisted living apartment
 JK> for retirees down south in the State of Florida near one of my sisters
 JK> -  she's 82 now.  I spent most of the phone call trying to convince her
 JK> to come and live with us. I can make sure she's eating.. she's lost a
 JK> lot of weight in that place and she tells me they serve all the wrong
 JK> foods for her diabetes (she was a nurse, so she knows what she should

The last couple of years of my mother's life was spent in a nursing
home, but a good one, only 10 minutes walk from my home, so I could see
her every day and take her out for lunch and a walk in the supermarket.
(She could use the s/market trolley as a walker, and so pretend she
didn't need one!)  That arrangement allowed me to keep in touch with
her care, and discuss any queries with the staff.  It cost nothing, as
her Australian age pension paid for it, plus a little spending money.
She had been a nurse, also.

 JK> be eating).  Well, we'll see.  It can't hurt to get the passports,
 JK> etc., just a little $$. 

Once you get that, you are free, and could also use it to go to the
Echo picnic if it was held in Canada.
 
 > I have eaten some glorious food in Italy, from Venice to Naples, but I
 > haven't yet got to Sicily and their specialities.  Something for the
 > future.

 JK> My Grandmother's family is from Naples.  It would be great to go and

Naples as a city is one of my most UN-favourite places in Italy.  A
shock after Rome, Florence, etc.  Have you heard about the recent
garbage strike there?  This has been going on for the last 10 years, as
the local Mafia control the garbage dumps, and charge lots for their
use.  Now there is no more space, and for 2 or 3 weeks there was no
collection, getting so bad the streets were almost blocked off with
piles of stinking garbage, some of which was burned, making the smell
and pollution worse.  I think it has now improved, as the government
(last week's, that is) got the army in to remove stuff. When I was
there in 2006 it was also fairly dirty and smelly, but the food was
some of the best in Italy, and cheap. Gariboldi Square, by the main
railway station has a number of "hole in the wall" eateries, mostly run
by illegal migrants from Northern Africa.  In one of them, full of
talkative, swarthy men, I had the best moussaka, ever, while my niece,
who was travelling with me, got a baby octopus stew to die for!  (See
below)  (Her fiancee, an ethnic Chinese who had grown up in USA was
frightened off by the ambience, and bought a sandwich and Coke from a
less threatening place.  After travelling with us for a while, and
noticing that we didn't drop dead after eating at such places, he
lightened up and learnt to enjoy strange food and surroundings.

 JK> see the city..  My dad's family is from Sicily.. we still laugh about
 JK> the stories my mom and dad told us about how Grandpa met my dad on the
 JK> front porch with a shot gun, not wanting a "SICILIAN" dating his
 JK> daughter :) Well, you can see how far Grandpa got with those threats
 <bg>. 

My son, here, was dating a girl for a while who had a Sicilian father.
I was never allowed to meet her parents, as that was a stage of
commitment that my son was not ready for.  (g)  The father had a
collection of guns (all licensed).  Your dad was a very brave man!  :)

 > Title: Sicilian Eggplant Caponata

 JK> I love capanata <smile>.  It was a "standard" antipasto for every
 JK> holiday meal in our house.  That and anchovies, and marinated red
 JK> peppers <grin>. 

Lovely, lovely food!

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
 
      Title: Baby Octopus In Tomato Basil Sauce
 Categories: Newsgroups, May.rec
      Yield: 4 Servings
 
  1 1/2 lb Baby octopus
           ;cut in bit size chunks
      1 lg Chopped onion
      4    Cloves of garlic
           ;chopped
      1 lb Roma tomatoes
           ;to 1.5lb,
           ;coarsely chopped
    1/2 c  Pine nuts
    1/2 c  Fresh chopped basil leave
    150 ml Dry White wine
           Olive oil
 
  Heat 2 or 3 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan and add the onions. When
  softened, add the garlic and saute for a couple of minutes and then
  add the tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes and add the octopus and the
  pine nuts. Cook on high heat for a couple of minutes and then add the
  wine and cover. Cook on low heat until the octopus is done -usually
  in 10 or 15 minutes. Add basil, salt and pepper to taste. Serve over
  noodles or rice.
  
  Al Waitz riplips@usa.net
  
  From: "Al Waitz" <riplips@usa.Net>
 
MMMMM
 

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