[ Jan.2019 ] One day in January, when the winter sale was already in the latter half, we were walking cheerfully towards my favourite brand’s outlet in Milan in Italy and I tripped and fell.
Both of my knees were badly hit and so painful that I could not stand up for a while.
After a few minutes, I got over the pain and we went to the shop.
Every year, I usually get something satisfying from this shop, but this year, I could not find anything that I felt like jumping at.
So we walked on to another outlet and again, it was fruitless.
I felt pain in my knees and I was cold and we started getting hungry.
When I started feeling miserable, we found a shop and a restaurant called Il Corbello, which was selling ham and salami from Tuscany.
It was so quiet that at first we could not tell if it was open or not, but once we got in, a pleasant member of staff came and welcomed us.
We ordered an assorted ham and salami, then the staff member asked “Can I choose what I like for you?”.
It seemed that there was no fixed menu.
The connoisseurs probably choose and order whatever they think you will like.
Each kind of ham and salami in this assortment they served had a special taste that was quite different from our usual ham and salami.
For example, the uncured ham tasted rich, more like the Spanish Serrano Ham.
The Proscuitto Cotto (cooked ham) had some herb in it.
There was a kind of salami with truffle, too.
They served two kinds of cheese and one of them had saffron in it.
On top of them, Bruschetta with truffle and liver was served, too.
Because they were so good, although we were planning to eat light, we ordered the dessert, too.
Mine was a piece of nut cake called Bacione da Firenze (a big kiss from Florence).
I was very satisfied with this restaurant which we had just stumbled upon.
Apparently, their ham a
nd salami are supplied to the Royal Family in the UK and the waiter showed us a newspaper article.
While we were eating, two young men in non-stylish shirts and ripped jeans came into the shop.
Each had two pieces of bread, which they had bought at a nearby bakery, and they asked the shop assistant to put some ham in to make a Panini.
They were discussing very seriously which ham should be in which bread.
They were saying something like “We can buy a Panini in any supermarket, but it is worth coming here and paying a little more to have a great Panini”.
It was a very Italian scene.
Those men were ordinary young people who did not look rich, but so particular about food.
I do not think this would never happen in London, where we live.
In fact, when we hear voices talking in Italian in London, most of the time, they are talking about food.
An attachment to food is a part of the heritage installed in the DNA of Italian people, I think.
The things we ate in this restaurant were really good and I felt that I could understand why people from Italy are so serious about food.
Thanks to them, my mood completely changed to the positive.
Eating well, becoming happy, I think €44 was a good bargain.
