Little Heathens by Mary Armstrong Kalish

This memoir was published in 2007, but the author was in her 80's when she wrote it, and it harkens back to the Iowa of old. It takes place during the Great Depression, but on a farm, which is where my dad also rode out that era (he in New England), so things like starvation were not on the table--you grew and raised your food, and you foraged and preserved and were thrifty but you were not in danger of going hungry. I heard about this on the Parnassus Friday vlog of If You Haven't Read It. It Is New To You--which is a great source for books you would be unlikely to find otherwise, and it was available on ebook and I was traveling, so perfect timing. The book opens with the author's father being banished from their home by her grandparents for an undisclosed transgression, so she grew up fatherless and poor, but she managed to consider herself one of the lucky ones, which is a gift unto itself. The life she describes is very much like my visits to my great grandmother's house in the 1960's, where much of the day revolved around chores and the food was homemade, nothing fancy, but delicious. The butter stayed on the counter after it was churned, the jam was foraged wild strawberries, and the bread was made that morning. The stories I liked most were related to her grandmother and her talent with sewing--there is a movement afoot now within modern quilting to upcycle material, either from thrift stores or your own closet. The author's grandmother took collars off shirts and turned them over so the fraying was hidden and the shirt had a longer life. She also saved bits of thread to use when sewing--nothing wasted--which is a good lesson to learn. There is something lost of this era in the state right now, but maybe it can be recaptured, if and when women become full citizens again and have the right to make decisions about their bodies.

Scannabue Ristorante & Gastronomia, Turin, Italy

We ate here our very first day in the Piedmont region of Italy, and it was a great introduction to the food of the region. We had picked it because: 1) we had never been and 2) the wines are some of our favorites. The traditional foods from here--beyond the truffles, which will start to be in season now--are equally appealing it turns out. This is veal tonnato, or thinly sliced veal with a sauce made with canned tuna on top. This is a favorite of my spouses, and he was very happy with this version. The veal is cooked perfectly and then slice very thinly. While he was having this course I had skewers of squid that were breaded and grilled, and oh so tender. This is not a region with a coast, but it is only a couple hours from Genoa and the seafood we had while in Piedmont was quite good.

One of the region's pastas is agnolotti, which is one of my favorites, and this dish is also quite well known here, and was on almost every a la carte menu of restaurants we ate at, but this dish, the first time I had it, was the best. The filling is a combinationof veal, beef and pork, and was absolutely delicious in the same savory way that bolognese sauce is--which used the same three meats traditionally. I would recommend this restaurant not just for the food but also for the people watching. We were the only non-Italians at lunch, you definitely needed a reservation or risk being turned away, and we had a chance to immerse ourselves in the food and the people right away.

Italian Wine by Shelley Lindgren & Katie Leahy

Italy has a dizzying variety of wines and wine growing regions--it is divided into 20 regions, each with its own grape varieties, winegrowing and winemaking traditions, and food specialties, all of which evolved over 2,500+ years (and continue to evolve today). That is the story of Italy’s 20 current political regions, from Piemonte to Puglia. I got it out of the library in preparation for our trip to the Piedmonte region, and took a couple of pictures of pages within--there was just too much information to absorb, and I would do the exact same thing the next time I go. Anyone who loves Italian wine and food need some guidance in parsing this abundance, and this book is here to help. This is the first wine book in English to cover all of Italy since Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, which, while excellent, was written two decades ago. The book begins with short and engaging chapters on Italy’s wine and political history; geography, soils, and grapes; and Italian wine at the table. There’s also a useful guide to Italian wine law and labeling, including a decoding of the alphabet soup of appellation types (DOC/DOP/PDO, IGT/IGP/PGI, Vino da Tavola, etc.) Then the heart of the book: 20 chapters covering each of Italy’s regions in turn, from Abruzzo to Veneto. Each chapter starts with a scene-setting vignette, along with a sketch of the kinds of wines the region is known for now. Next come a short vinous history, an introduction to the geography and wines grown in each subregion, and a description of the most significant grape varieties. Each chapter closes with a page listing regional foods and some of the authors’ recommended wine producers. It is not a novel, it is a resource, and might be best gotten as an e-book so that you could have it in your back pocket as you travel the confusing wine regions of Italy.

Going Varsity in Mariachi (2025)

I watched this Feel Good documentary while on a transatlantic flight ans highly recommend it. In Texas, where football usually tends to dominate any discussion about spirited rivalries between high schools, over 100 public schools also field competitive mariachi teams in the hopes of winning the state championship. Most of the premier teams hail from the Rio Grande Valley — specifically, a closely connected group of towns along the US-Mexican border, and it is really great to see the school support such a culture bound tradition. There are differences in funding from school system to school system, and as is so often the case across sports and academia, not all teams are created equal. Mariachi Nuevo Santander from Roma High School in Roma, Texas traditionally bestrides the match-ups like a colossus, sporting flashy attire and impressive musicianship. But the directors have chosen to focus on the underdogs of Mariachi Oro from Edinburgh North High School, an under-financed institution in a low-income district that is in the process of rebuilding their mariachi band. It is more a film about what belonging and competing can do for young adults than it is abou the music, but the music is great. It ranges from such mariachi standards as “Mexico Lindo y Querido” and “Volver, Volver” to newer songs composed for the competitions, is so appealing that you can’t help wishing there were a lot more of it.