Don't Let the Peas Touch the Potatoes

Our first 5 days in Italy were spent as house guests of Italian friends. We tried very hard to assimilate into their daily routine and stay out of the way because they work very hard and we didn't want to make more work for them. Enzo is a macellaio – a butcher. He and his wife, Paola, own one of several butcher shops in their little town. It's the kind of place you might remember if you're of a certain age. A full service, old fashioned shop, where customers are greeted by name, exchange greetings with each other and with Enzo and Paola and share news about their respective families. Enzo knows his customers well and provides individualized service to each one.

The shop is open 5 ½ days a week from 8am till 8pm (closed Thursday afternoons). They close up at 1pm to go home, have lunch, take a little nap or do domestic chores. They return to work again at 4pm for another 4 hours. At 8pm, they return home for dinner. This schedule is a ritual and doesn't vary.

Paola has the routine down to a science. Each night, after dinner, she begins to cook the next meal...tomorrow's lunch; a sauce for pasta and cooked vegetables. Time is precious and when she gets home at 1pm, the sauce and veggies get heated while the pasta cooks. The meals have certain constancy. Lunch is always pasta with a side of vegetables. The sauce for the pasta varies, but there's always pasta. Then there are the vegetables; fresh veggies, requiring preparation...and bread and wine. Then fruit. Then coffee. Meat at lunch…never!

Following lunch, Enzo heads for the sofa or the garden, depending on the weather. There's always pruning, picking or watering that needs to be done. After all, they grow their own produce. Meanwhile, Paola begins preparing the evening meal. Usually some kind of meat or fish, cheese, salad, roasted or sautéed vegetables. Sometimes there's time for a little nap, before returning to work.

Whenever we stay with Enzo and Paola, we try to lighten the workload a little. We set the table, slice the bread, start the water for the pasta and insist on doing the clean-up. For these small efforts, we have the pleasure of their company, we practice speaking Italian, enjoy fabulous meals and learn how to live all'Italiani.

What I really want to talk about here is the rhythm of the meals. It's very interesting to me that each item in the meal is eaten in a specific order, alone on the plate. Italians do not fill their plates with all the food groups. One item at a time. First the pasta…only the pasta followed by the vegetables. If there is more than one kind of vegetable, each is eaten by itself. For example, at one meal, Paola served roasted peppers in olive oil, sautéed broccoletti and a green salad. Each vegetable had its own turn on the plate. You CAN eat bread with all the veggies. I asked Enzo why they didn't just put a little serving of each item on the plate at once. His answer was quite emphatic. Each item has its own distinct flavor, and if you want to taste each, you must not mix different foods in your mouth at the same time.

Well, I never thought of that, but then, most American food doesn't deserve such undivided attention. At the Italian table even the vegetables are deliciously prepared and merit a staring place in the meal...which is why the peas never touch the potatoes!