Robert just made February for his first ride of the year. Last
year it was January 27, one month earlier. This has been an unusually
cold, long and snowy winter for the Langhe. Nobody can remember
a winter like this. Still mild for Minnesota standards but cold for here.
Today was 60 degrees F and sunny. Lots of people out and about.

Treats from America
The longer you live as an expat, more and more "things" drop off your
gotta get from the USA list(Robert barely thinks about White Castle
anymore). However, the items that remain on the list become an even
bigger obsession. Our friend Cameron just returned from the States
with many treats for us!

What's an Aperitivo? Here in Piemonte the word becomes a verb meaning
let's meet for a drink. There are some noticeable differences from the American
version.
In Italy it is always at a bar/cafe; these terms are interchangeable, hours are
from about 5:30 to 8:00(so you have time to get home for dinner, they eat
late here).
The drink of choice is usually wine, here in Alba bubbles are very
popular; Champagne, Franciacorta, Prosecco or local sparkling wine.
Food is always served with your drink order and is always
included in the price.
The food is bite sized snacks whose quality can vary
that you eat with a toothpick or your fingers.
Very trendy bars will sometimes offer their snacks buffet style on the counter.
Here are some examples of the snacks "stuzzichini":

While Robert enjoys some great bubbles (and working very hard to compose
great photos) Chiaro along with our friends Weston and Elisa are cooking
vegi curry. They just returned from Burgundy with great treats to share: cheese,
mustard, and of course, wine. It was all fabulous, especially the wine.

The REAL thing !! another foodie moment

Our fist time trying this producer Michel Lafarge this wine was a reminder
that wines like this only come from a very small piece of real estate in the
world.

Who say's you can't get ethnic food in Italy? You just have to cook it yourself!