Saturday, August 31, 2013

Legami d'Amicizia e Amore ...Ties of Friendship and Love (Italiano e English)

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My sister-in-law and dear friend!
Donna and I met through AFS.
Da un punto di vista soggettivo, insieme all' amore , l'amicizia è un atteggiamento nei confronti degli altri, caratterizzato da una rilevante carica emotiva e fondante la vita sociale del singolo.

From a subjective point of view, together with the ' love , friendship is an attitude towards others, characterized by a significant emotional and fundamental social life of the individual.

In quasi tutte le culture, l'amicizia viene intesa e percepita come un rapporto alla pari, basato sul rispetto, la stima, e la disponibilità reciproca.

My teacher friends that I work with!
In almost all cultures, friendship and understanding is perceived as an equal relationship based on respect, esteem and mutual availability.


My dear friend from Matera, Italy.

Di tutti quei beni che la saggezza procura per la completa felicità della vita, il più grande di tutti è l'acquisto dell'amicizia.

"Of all those goods that wisdom attorney for the complete happiness of life, the greatest of all is the purchase of friendship"


 

History:

The friendship has been considered at all times one of the fundamental human experiences, and has been sanctified by all religions .

Ad esempio i Greci portavano come esempio di amicizia portata alle estreme conseguenze quella fra Oreste e Pilade .

For example, the Greeks as an example of friendship taken to extremes that between Orestes and Pylades .


Aristotle distinguishes three types of friendship:

* amicizia basata sul piacere; friendship based on pleasure;
* amicizia basata sull'interesse; friendship based on the interest;
* amicizia basata sulla bontà. friendship based on goodness.

"Un amico è una persona con cui posso essere sincero: in sua presenza posso pensare ad alta voce."

"A friend is someone that I can be sincere in his presence I think aloud."

As we said a group of friends consists of two or more persons to be rewarded with feelings of camaraderie , exclusivity and mutual interest.

Ci sono varie "gradazioni" e "sfumature" nei modi di intendere questo sentimento, tanto che, nelle varie culture, ci sono da sempre stati diversi modi di intendere e manifestare l'amicizia.

There are several "grades" and "nuances" in ways to understand this feeling, so that, in different cultures, there have always been different ways of understanding and expressions of friendship.

Russia

In Russia it is customary to give a few people the status of friend, but what is lost in quantity is more than recovered in intensity.

Solo fra amici ci si chiama per nome (o col diminutivo) mentre fra semplici "conoscenti" ci si chiama usando il nome completo, a cui si aggiunge anche il patronimico.

Only among friends called us by name (or with the diminutive) between straightforward as "friends" call you using your full name, to which is added the patronymic.

Gli amici possono essere colleghi di lavoro da lungo tempo, vicini con cui si scambiano visite o inviti a pranzo , ecc.

Friends may be colleagues working for a long time, neighbors with whom they exchange visits or invitations to lunch , etc..

Il contatto fisico fra amici è considerato cosa del tutto normale anche fra persone dello stesso sesso, che si abbracciano, si baciano e camminano in pubblico a braccetto o mano nella mano, senza il minimo imbarazzo o connotazione di tipo sessuale .

Physical contact between friends is considered completely normal thing even among the same sex, that they embraced and kissed in public and walk arm in arm or hand in hand, without the slightest embarrassment or connotation sex .

Asia

Anche in Medio Oriente ed Asia centrale l'amicizia fra maschi, sebbene meno stretta che in Russia , tende ad essere particolarmente intima, e si accompagna con una grande quantità di effusioni fisiche di natura non sessuale, tenersi per mano, ecc.

Also in Middle East and Central Asia friendship between males, although less strict than in Russia tends to be very intimate, and is accompanied with a large amount of natural effusions of non-sexual nature, holding hands, etc..

Western

In Occidente i contatti fisici intimi hanno assunto nell'ultimo secolo una connotazione decisamente "sessuale", e praticarli fra amici è considerato un tabù , soprattutto fra maschi .

In the West, intimate physical contact took last century connotations very "sexual", and practice them with friends is considered a taboo , especially among males .

Tuttavia un modo appena accennato, quasi "rituale", di abbracciarsi e baciarsi può essere accettato, anche se solo in determinati contesti.

However, a way just mentioned, almost "ritual" of hugging and kissing is acceptable, though only in certain contexts.

Fanno eccezione i bambini, la cui amicizia può tradursi in manifestazioni di stretta intimità, che vengono soppresse successivamente per uniformarsi alle convenzioni sociali.

Exceptions are children, whose friendship may lead to demonstrations of close intimacy, which are subsequently removed to conform to social conventions.


A friend is so by Laura Pausini:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_CuvXbq0Ac

Amico by Renato Zero:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsLEZkhvsD4&feature=fvw


Sunday, August 11, 2013

Don’t Judge a Restaurant by its Cover


To celebrate our anniversary we took a plane to Portland Maine. We rented a Ford Escape and drove through the coastline of Maine. The Burch and Pine trees led us to the Acadia National Park to start our adventures or shall I say tasting our way through the rocky coast of Maine and back down to Portland!

Part lll
Don’t Judge a Restaurant by its Cover!

We got off the plane and we were starved. We heard that Maine’s nightlife ends about 9 PM. We got our rental car, plugged in our gps and looked for a restaurant before the sun went down. It was 8:30 and we drove for miles. Our gps informed us that Schutty’s Restaurant was within a mile. We drove around in circles and we heard, “You have arrived!” We almost didn't stop because it just wasn't what we expected.

  
The little food trailer that we pulled up to was located to one side of a parking lot that was shared with a kayaking business and a church. 



It was a very neat, clean, inviting place, with seating at picnic tables with umbrellas. It was obvious that the owners took great care in the overall appearance of Schutty’s, as it was adorned with pretty flowering plants, as well as several tomato plants. There was plenty to choose from on the menu,
and we chose our first Lobster Roll. 





The rolls were grilled with butter and really enhanced the flavor of the lobster meat. The seafood was fresh caught and delivered the same day. Staff was extremely friendly, accommodating and service was prompt.


Later we learned that Schutty's Seafood was featured on WGME 13's "Road Trippin" with Dave Eid. 



Check out the sneak peek! It was awarded 5 stars by TripAdvisor...and do not judge a restaurant by its cover!

Copy and paste into your browser:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=270181176456833&set=vb.265355176939433&type=2&theater









Thursday, August 1, 2013

Tasting our way through the Rocky Coast of Maine - Part II


To celebrate our anniversary we took a plane to Portland Maine. We rented a Ford Escape and drove through the coastline of Maine. The Burch and Pine trees led us to the Acadia National Park to start our adventures or shall I say tasting our way through the rocky coast of Maine and back down to Portland! We met some wonderful local people and they made some recommendations where and what to eat to “wet our palates!”

Part II


The vibe at this prominent Maine bistro was simultaneously rustic and refined. The bistro encircled the exposed-brick walls and lustrous mahogany wood furniture.


Once we were seated, our server reviewed the menu and explained the three to five course meals. The larger course meals had smaller portions to sample more foods. Surprisingly for Maine, there was not a large amount of seafood on the menu, but the food was all locally grown – Farm to Table. We marveled over the choices and pondered the menu.  We were intrigued by the novel ingredients: Roasted squash soup with piccalilli, lemon and a marshmallow on top; truffle lobster “mac & cheese” with butter-poached Maine lobster with a cheese blend and shaved black truffle; bangs island mussels with cherry peppers and chive butter; artisanal cheese course with seasonal fruit compote, crostini and candied nuts; chilled cucumber soup with crème fraiche and lobster; roasted squab with broccoli, shallots and fole gras; etc… We opted to try the 5-course meal to sample the creative art forms from chef Corry who received many accolades such as "food and wine's" best new chef of 2007, and chef of the year (2011) from the Maine Restaurant Association.
 
First, the chef brought out one of his samples. It was delicious! Thank you hubby for saving one for me! The cravings began!

With great anticipation the food was evenly paced coming to the table:

Roasted Squash Soup
Mussels with cherry peppers and chive butter
 
Beet and goat cheese salad with a variety of pureed beets



Roasted crisp chicken with gnocchi and tomatoes
Artisanal cheese course
Chocolate and cherries

Steve and Michelle Corry, the proprietors of five fifty-five, arrived in Portland with a passionate vision and a wide-spread of experience in the restaurant industry.

Steve began his culinary career as a brew master at several breweries in Northern California. He attended the New England Culinary Institute in Burlington Vermont. When he graduated in 2001, he returned to California to work at Domaine Chandon in Napa Valley. Before he opened 555, he served as the sous chef at Grissini's Restaurant (part of white barn inn corporation).

Michelle is a graduate of Boston University with a bachelor's degree in hotel and restaurant administration. She has worked at numerous prestigious establishments, including the French Laundry in Napa, Arrows in Ogunquit, and the White Barn Inn in Kennebunk, Maine.

This scruptious meal alone was worth the trip to Portland ME!