Per il Giorno: November 2009

...is odd. First of all, I don't agree with the holiday itself. Thanksgiving day is based on a bunch of lies. However! The holiday encourages family gatherings and forces people to think about things they're thankful for - even I forget to be thankful for the joys in life sometimes - a reminder is good.

Second of all, even though Thanksgiving pushes people to spend tons of money on shit they don't need (decorations, cards, early xmas presents, unhealthy food), it still fuels the economy, which means it helps people's jobs. Of course, the treatment of turkeys in mass factories makes me want to vomit and denounce the entire holiday - but it does spark debate on vegetarians and animal treatment, which is good.

Third of all, some families are probably better left apart. When people don't get along, it makes 'gathering' comparable to visiting the dentist. However! Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that forces people to set aside their differences and make up, which is good.

Therefore! I'm officially a walking contradiction. Maybe spending Thanksgiving in Italy, for the second time, is making me miss the good things about Turkey Day but also making me realize the bad things as well.

How does the North-South argument creep it's way into every country, town or territory? More so than East-West, North-South implies differences surpassing accent cadences and seasonal produce choices. The North-South argument involves local pride and local pride sits right under family values on the list of most important things in life. When people don't have a sense of pride about their home town, whether they originated there or not, they seem to be missing a sense of confidence in their character.

The invisible pressure of Northern or Southern Italian pride can be detected the second your white sneakers hit the cobble stone pavement from the airport or train station. When I stepped foot in Venice for the first time 18 months ago, I was shocked to discover a bustling city of fast moving people. Where were the Tuscan hillsides and shmoozing Italian men relaxing on street corners? They were South of me, along with my intelligence.

After all this time however, the most South I've ever ventured is Rome. Not that I'm complaining, but I see many travels of Southern Italy in my far future. Since I suffer from this predicament on a daily basis, finding out about the South coming to the North in the form of a food festival was paradiso to my eager traveling soul; I was jumping up and down in my knee high Italian boots.

The festival took place in Piazza Bra, a stone's throw from our apartment. Once nighttime quieted the Veronese streets, we headed out in search of a couple things: gourmet cheese, hand picked olives, tasty wines and free sips of flavored liquors. I could hear the rustic southern Italian music from our porch because the band was extremely loud, but after sampling wine and liquors, I found myself listening to it as if I bought the CD a week ago.

The tents were simple white constructions with handmade signs. Various food or bottles of wine, liquor and oils were on display like pieces of art. And everyone, I mean everyone, spoke louder than the band played and in accents typical of Italian cartoon characters on old Warners Brothers shows. (See video at end.)