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citizenrich
路im not looking to start some lame ass xenophobic culture drama but I must come to terms with reality: Europeans are just generally better at life than Americans.
The part of a brooklyn where I raise my children is one of the few areas of the boro which hasn't been overrun with fixie riding hipster beardos. It's a relatively small neighborhood close to downtown Manhattan with equal parts old school mainline Protestants ("wasps") and wealthy southern Italians (what's left of the real mafia) rounded out by some seriously wealthy Greek Americans.
So, my Sicilian neighbors (my wife is full blood Sicilian) love to grow vegetables and some fruits in their backyards with seeds snuck in from the other side. The Greeks all own working olive groves back in their old country.
Long story, boring: each day, I get a knock on the door with brown bags full of mostly tomatoes and figs. And, wine. Endless amounts of wine. This would be the Sicilians.
My Greek neighbors bring me bottles of fresh olive oil scented with all different types of flowers each time one of their containers comes into New York harbor.
Each evening, before I go to work, we all sit out in alternating patios/backyards and stuff our faces full of Italian bread, tomatoes the color of blood, figs soaked in olive oil and really good wine from one of my neighbors vineyards in Italy. They also make something called "caponata", which you spread on the bread like butter. We eat fresh fennel for desert.
I've already gained like 10 pounds this summer but it's worth every ounce.
These people know how to have fun with food and wine.
The part of a brooklyn where I raise my children is one of the few areas of the boro which hasn't been overrun with fixie riding hipster beardos. It's a relatively small neighborhood close to downtown Manhattan with equal parts old school mainline Protestants ("wasps") and wealthy southern Italians (what's left of the real mafia) rounded out by some seriously wealthy Greek Americans.
So, my Sicilian neighbors (my wife is full blood Sicilian) love to grow vegetables and some fruits in their backyards with seeds snuck in from the other side. The Greeks all own working olive groves back in their old country.
Long story, boring: each day, I get a knock on the door with brown bags full of mostly tomatoes and figs. And, wine. Endless amounts of wine. This would be the Sicilians.
My Greek neighbors bring me bottles of fresh olive oil scented with all different types of flowers each time one of their containers comes into New York harbor.
Each evening, before I go to work, we all sit out in alternating patios/backyards and stuff our faces full of Italian bread, tomatoes the color of blood, figs soaked in olive oil and really good wine from one of my neighbors vineyards in Italy. They also make something called "caponata", which you spread on the bread like butter. We eat fresh fennel for desert.
I've already gained like 10 pounds this summer but it's worth every ounce.
These people know how to have fun with food and wine.
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