Two People

This blog concentrates on two people living in different places, having different occupations, but sharing the same love that all Italians seem to possess. They are both humble, friendly and caring. Although they live hundreds of miles from one another, they both represent how much love Italian people have for one another.


Angela



We pull up to the Villa Refe in Linguaglossa. At this time we do the usual "Bon Giorno" and other salutations as Angela answers off the intercom. She tells us rooms are available and shows us around for a little bit.
A brief description:

• Short Grandmotherly type
• Has relatives in the USA
• Takes in Ferrell cats and dogs on a regular basis.
• Likes their guests to keep making babies.

Angela is our reference point in Linguaglossa. She tells us information on everything between cemetaries, Mount Etna, Jeep Tours and how to grow various herbs. She is a wealth of information: How useful this information is, I am not so sure. She makes a good cafe' con leche, as she has spent time in Latino countries. All in all, she is a grandma you would love to visit for 2 days tops.


Pino (pee - no) from Stromboli



What else can I say other than the fact that he is legendary. The guy makes gourmet meals while smoking a pipe. He looks like a retired, gray-haired drunken sailor. But what he does in the kitchen is something that dreams are made of.

He moved to Stromboli island more than ten years ago from Trieste - an Italian city in the northeast. Pino tells us about how his father took him fro Trieste to Stromboli when he was a child. Pino liked it so much that he said goodbye to his job up North and set sail south to the island. His dream was to open up a restaurant. Years later, Al Gechi is the restaurant that fulfills his dreams. You hike up a slight hill as the Burmese boy and the signs tell you where to go. When you get to the restaurant, you are overlooking the entire sea high on the island. No one could even paint a better picture.

So Pinot scampers out in his linen button-down, blue shorts and boat shoes and begins the conversation. There is no menu, no prices, only the conversation. A typical conversation goes like this.

Pino: "What would you like this evening?"
Us: "Um..."
Pino: "I have an antipasto..marinated swordfish..you would like?"
Us: "Um..ok"
Pino: "I also have linguini with tuna fish tonight. you would like?"
Us: "Um..ok"
Pino: "How about wine. You need wine. Red would be good, yes?"
Us: "Sure"
Pino: "Ok, I go to work now for you"

So Pino climbs down into his kitchen basement and goes to work. He and his family run the entire operation. He is married to a striking Burmese woman, most likely 20 years his younger. They have a son named Andrea, whose goal is to show peole the way, collect the bill, and play with his penis. We catch the boy red handed as he handles our check.

Pino met his wife while on his 3-year trip to Asia. He wanted to learn about Asian cooking. He admires Thai and Indian food. It shows in his dishes as you sometimes seem to taste some coriander and turmeric along with the usual basil, parsley and olive oil staples.

For desert, he gives us Gelato and watermelon. He gives me a piece of watermelon so big that it could feed a whole summer camp. We have all eaten well. There is no rush whatsoever as we have the table for the night. At some point, the wife is so busy that the Nanny comes and helps serve. Miles Davis comes on in the background as the sun sets. The place gets busy and they seem to forget about the check. It doesn't matter, we have nowhere to go. Finally, Pino comes out to give us the check. We pay and thank him for a thuroughly good meal. We see him the next day and buy him a eer. That is what Italians are at their best: warm, friendly, and thirsty. I say good luck to Mr. Pino. May good fortune come to him and his family.