MID SUMMER NEWSLETTER
all the Italian F words you need to know this sweaty season
“Are you sure
That we are awake?
It seems to me
That yet we sleep, we dream.”
William Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 4, Sc. 1
Nothing says mid-summer newsletter than me writing this with a broken air conditioner. Not only has the tech been at my house for well over an hour, but the air conditioner still doesn’t have a solution. It’s 40c / 104 F degrees outside.
Am I awake or am writing this in a heat-induced fever dream? Who knows - with how crazy our world is, I do hope it’s a dream - hopefully more the Shakespearean comedy midsummer than the Florence Plugh Midsommar - if you catch my drift.
Anyways…
Happy August everyone!
There’s no better summer newsletter than one that kicks off on the real Italian summer - August, when Italians historically disappear from cities, restaurants close for ferie (holiday), and everyone hides in the hills or houses by the sea.
The reality is not everyone in Italy can exactly afford to disappear for a full month of vacation, but people still do their best. It’s just too damn hot.
And, celebrating Ferragosto is in Italian blood. The Ferragosto holiday technically is August 15th, however it has long symbolized the August vacation month. It’s a custom that I love dearly, evoking sweet childhood summer memories in the heat of August in Sabaudia - a special beach town you can explore more in this spicy newsletter.
Marie - my ‘third’ grandmother - was there with me each of those summers. August will never be the same without her. Yesterday (August 8th) was her birthday, and this newsletter is for her.
speaking of nostalgia…
Yesterday, the most Italian thing happened to me at the bakery. I wanted a classic loaf of old-school naturally leavened bread. The bread’s name? The little card read ‘nostalgia.’ So, I asked for un meta di nostalgia - a half of nostalgia.
I’ve never made an order so poetic.
I wrote about the fascinating history of Ferragosto for Massican - a Mediterrean-inspired winery based in California and founded by the ever-impressive Dan Petroski. Its funky (and sort of Fascist) history will shock you.
Ferragosto isn’t the only F in this newsletter
Here are some Italian f-bombs you should know about.
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