Читать книгу Bill’s Italian Food - Bill Granger - Страница 4

‘These people really know how to live,’ I decide every time I visit Italy. Italians look as if they’re thoroughly enjoying life as stylish extras on the set of Roman Holiday. They don’t suck coffee from disposable sippy-cups on the bus; they lean against marble bars and drink tiny grown-up espressos. They don’t dash down takeaway burgers over computer keyboards; they unwrap paper parcels of spiced salami or creamy cheese in shaded parks. And, while much of the world hums with anxiety in rush-hour traffic, the Italians dress up for the daily passeggiata before zipping off on a shiny red Vespa to eat gelato with a glossy-haired Audrey Hepburn ... My imagination has run away with me, but Italians do seem to have made some great lifestyle choices – just don’t mention politics, please! Sitting down to eat well with family and friends takes high priority, yet no stress accompanies that expectation and there’s a refreshing lack of artifice about what is put on the table. This country is the home of the slow cooking movement, yet no Italian would waste time faffing around with already-perfect fresh ingredients (how they must sigh at our foams and deconstructions). The regional dishes are as old as the hills they come from, yet the freshness of the ingredients gives them modernity. Rich and poor, all are able to eat well in Italy. It’s this joy of life and respect for food that I resolve to take home with me every time I visit. Yes, the Italians really know how to live.