The Journal of his Delights

I went to a brunch on Saturday and brought along my Brioche with Streusel to the affair. I’d forgotten the egg wash, so the three loaves didn’t look like much. Fortunately, the taste was just fine and they were decimated.

While I was there, I happened to remark to LiAnna that I thought this particular loaf would work well with Nutella. She said, “Yes, please. Bring one to work on Monday and the Campaigners will bow before you in gratitude.” Well, she didn’t say that exactly, but you get the idea.

I thought why not, and so I present a photo of tonight’s endeavor, Brioche with Chocolate Hazelnut:

It is simply the brioche dough recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day rolled flat and smeared with the chocolate hazelnut spread of your choice. Roll it up and let it sit for half an hour. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Make an wash of one egg beaten together with some brown sugar. Coat the loaf with the egg wash before sticking it into the oven for 15 minutes. It’s that easy.

From the Dhammapada, verse 151:

The brilliant carriages of kings wear
out and the body becomes old. But the
teachings of the wise never grow old,
they are passed on to the good.

From Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and philosopher:

To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!

We’re safely back in the states, and I would’ve mentioned it earlier except that I seemed to have brought an extra friend along with me, one that I met on the plane from Rome to Paris — the influenza virus. I’ve been out of commission for the past week with all my resources going to catching up on the work I left behind. Don’t fret however — our dear Mary has kindly graced us with a guest post describing the last two days in Italy. Enjoy!

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Mary writes:

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig. Yes, we are home again, although our bag seems to want another stint somewhere else. We were unable to locate it when we arrived. But, our last few days were memorable ones. We began to relax in Florence and could say, “Let’s go back to…” or “I want to eat at… again.” It was a nice feeling, ours for a few days.

We took a side trip to Siena, a town about an hour away by bus. It is a classic Tuscan town but we spent the day just exploring the small streets. The interesting thing for me was that 17 areas of the city are identified with an allegorical animal. We saw signs of the unicorn, elephant, ram, and dragon on signs, fountains, churches, and tapestry hanging outside. Each animal has a patron saint, a church where the saint is worshiped, and a festival.

The sunshine was welcomed as we sat in Piazza del Campo, the large shell-shaped area. It was 50 degrees as people were sitting here and there, faces to the sky. We discovered Pan Forte, a softly-baked concoction of chocolate, nuts, cognac, and dried fruit. It was better than any fruitcake on Earth and would last 7 months. How convenient!

The last day in Florence and the next to last day in Italy, was spent shopping. We went back to the Central Market. Samer managed a small wheel of pecorino and a disturbingly-large salami back in our carry on. The inspector in France asked about the wheel and when she found out it was cheese, she had a look of, “hmm, not bad, I would like to try it.” We found a wonderful little shop, Il Torchio, that makes its own Florentine, marbleized paper into journals. The bookmaker was friendly and spoke near-perfect English. We found a family-run restaurant, Trattoria Gabriello, for dinner and had tiramisu for the first time in Italy. It was a feel good place that brought families there. Perfect for our last night.

We said, “Goodbye,” to Florence and went on to Rome. It was a quick walk to our hotel and waited to meet Samer’s friend CC. We went back to Piazza Navona, the area where we first stayed. We wanted to eat again in that small alley cafe, Navona Notte, seen in the first photo of ours. The food and friendship were wonderful and we enjoyed our last moments in this ancient town. We saw the Trevi fountain at night and had a long lingering walk back. The most romantic, scenic, and gastronomic trip of my life had come to an end.

The bag arrived last night, three days later. It won’t tell me where it’s been. Hmmm.

Seriously, folks — it’s been three days of walking, walking, walking, interspersed by looking at art, eating delicious food, and then more walking.

Here are some tidbits found along the way:

• Lampredotto is the upper part of a cow’s stomach, and it’s super-delicious. There’s a cart in the Oltrarno neighborhood that does it mighty fine. They also make a mean hamburger.
• We went looking for Galileo’s house in Arctri but couldn’t find it. We took comfort, though, in knowing that we walked the same paths and streets that he did. What we did find is the Nicaraguan consulate. Not that we were looking for it, but we just sort of ran across it in the middle of nowhere in the hills surrounding Florence.
• Michelangelo’s David has huge hands. Really. The museum was also exhibiting photography by Robert Mapplethorpe, which was strangely appropriate company for the David — something about the shape and lines of the human form I think.
• Florence is packed with tourists, especially around the central area. The same is true of Rome, but because that city is larger, it somehow seems to dilute the effect. In Florence, because they’re all concentrated around the Duomo, the city’s main attraction, the effect is amplified.

We continue to have a good time, and have taken to strolling around the city in the evenings once the press of tourists has died down. We’ve posted another slide show of our wanderings — it includes all of our photographs from Florence, Arcetri, and Siena to date. To view it, please click here.

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P.S. That first picture of the Duomo is the view from our window.

Instead of writing this post on the train from Rome to Florence, Mary and I spent the entire time chatting with the couple sitting next to us, a couple of New Yorkers visiting family in Italy. The time flew by as the verdant countryside passed by the window. They showed us pictures of their travels. I showed them pictures of nuns. And somehow the conversation turned towards Top Gear and the hosts of the show larking about.

It was pouring down rain when we arrived in Florence, and the streets were mad with tourists running around with their umbrellas. It felt like an adventure just getting to the hotel, but our room quickly turned into a little haven and then we were out on the street again, ready to wander the city. We had lunch in a cute little place, what felt like the Italian equivalent of a diner. Mary had tortellini and I had a pork chop. A little more wandering, back to the hotel to rest, then more wandering, and then we topped off the day with the most glorious meal yet. No pictures, I’m sorry to say, but the food was just fantastic.

We started with a pecorino cheese with honey and thyme, which just about sent me to heaven. Mary followed with Ribollita, a Tuscan peasant soup — very earthy and quite delicious. I followed the antipasti with a risotto of black cabbage and sausage. It was surprisingly delicate. Then the secondi arrived, wild boar with a red wine sauce (almost a gravy) and roasted potatoes. The boar was very light, and the sauce balanced it, gave it some heft.

I felt sorry for the American woman next to me who was reluctant to try the food on its own terms. She had to control the entire meal. The salad this way, the vegetables that way, and all of it without any oil. You’re in Italy for god’s sake — how can you eat without olive oil permeating everything. *sigh*

Fortunately, the company at my table was flawless. And Mary and I left happy and quite full.

A slide show of our wanderings in Rome, Day 2 is now available, and you can find it by clicking here.

P.S. If you’re ever in Florence, try the Ristorante la Maremma.

Yes, that’s right — I’m writing this post from Italy, where I’m on holiday with my sweetie Mary.

If there’s ever been a sign that the Journal has been in need of an update, this is it. All I can say is that I’ve been preoccupied with a personal project that’s take an year to complete, not to mention a romance with the greatest girl ever. It’s been an interesting year, and I can definitely say things are on a upswing. And lucky boy that I am, I’m spending ten days in Italy, split between Rome and Florence.

Mary and I have spent the last couple of days in Rome, walking our feet off. We hit the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, and Spanish Steps all on the first day. The second day (today), we visited a humongous flea market in Trastavere and then wandered around the city, up around the area around Bourghese Villa. Along the way, we enjoyed some amazing food. Pasta, pastries, gelato, steak — yum! My feet hurt, but my heart and stomach are happy.

There’s been a lot to see and experience, and I’ll try and do it proper justice, writing a longer post on the train to Florence tomorrow. In the meantime, I can point you to a slide show of photographs, which you can find by clicking here.

Before I sign off though, I also want to point out my favorite photograph of the trip so far:

This one is from me:

“With awareness comes responsibility.”

I don’t talk about video games much — there’s so much coverage of the industry in other places. And truthfully, I’d rather be playing a game than talking about it.

Sure I’ve cut back in recent years, but that doesn’t mean my inner geek doesn’t still revel in the stuff. Or get excited by projects…

Ladies and gentlemen, observe the following trailer for Borderlands. It is sooo frickin’ hot.

I can’t wait to get my hands on this one. First-person shooter? Roleplaying game? Post-apocalyptic setting? Woo yeah!

P.S. Hello Hollywood… meet the games industry…

Every once in a while, I come across a song that sticks in my head. This is one of those songs.

Apparently, “venn” is Norwegian for “friend”, and the song itself is the equivalent of “We Are the World”, except for the tsunami that struck Southeast Asia in 2004. Many thanks for the find to Mary, whose proving to be a good venn indeed.