Welcome to Speedo land

Welcome to Speedo Land

Before I went to Sicily a couple of summer ago, I had mainly seen Speedos on professional swimmers and lifesavers. I remembered when I first saw the south Italian men, how I couldn’t stop staring, laughing and shaking my head. But now, I have to admit that I am used to it, it’s very entertaining. Every shape size and age squeezes themselves in to tiny Speedos, often with little pockets, built in belts and in see-through materials. Sometimes completely worn-out and pulled up to the waist, other times low on the hips and just wide enough to fit a horizontally placed penis. Great care is taken to ensure it is well placed and comfortable and this is done on the beach, in public with the hands down the pants…grabbing, tucking, moving, lifting and readjusting the package. Once satisfied with the result, one of the show-off poses is being struck:

 

Pose Nr 1, pelvis tilted somewhat forward, hands in the sides, but only with the fingertips touching the hips, matched with a carefree, uninterested look on the face.

 

Pose Nr 2, this is normally used whenever a camera is pulled out… hips slightly rotated and tilted forward, preferably with an open or cupped hand near the package to really emphasise the location, shape and size. If you got nice abs, this is when they are being squeezed to the max. As for the face, it’s the cool, sexy look that’s important in this pose.

 

 

Pose Nr 3, normally used in group photo sessions…in this pose it is important that the arms goes behind your friend/friends and the whole pelvic region and lower body is pushed forward and up in a bow. Facial expression is happy and friendly, showing you have many friends and like to party.

 

 

 

This how it’s done in Italy.  You still have time to practice before “beach 2011″!

Mushroom picking with guns in Sicily

One of my Sicilian adventures

My friend Turi from Osteria Nero D’Avola asked me if I wanted to go mushroom picking with him before the soil completely dries up the season is over. I liked the idea and told him to call me next time he was going. At 4am a couple of days later he calls me up and want to know if I feel like coming with him to pick some porcini mushrooms. For the first and only time here in my flat, mosquitoes had

stung me and I was lying in my bed wide-awake scratchng away. As I had only brought very light clothes and sandals on the flight here to Sicily (was still waiting for some boxes to arrive with more clothes etc) I showed up in flip-flops, jeans and a singlet at Porta Messina where he picked me up. I thought it would be ok: I have been roughing it before… walking barefoot in rainforests, wondering around butt naked in the snake infested Australian outback and climbing sharp cliffs in bikini.

In turns out that in many paces here, the bush is filled with thorns and needles, prickly plants and blackberry bushes. Turi gave me an army jacket to wear and a pair of shoes he had in his boot, about five numbers to big. I ended up putting my flip-flops inside the shoes and on our way we went.

 

 

We drove around the Sicilian countryside, the slopes of Etna, valleys and plains in search of mushrooms. All we found was dried up ones. The temperature difference between the cost and some areas high up on Etna was as much as 20 degrees.

We drove further in to the Sicilian wilderness, more than a days walk from the nearest village, when Turi started to tell me about wild boars and bandits.

 

 

 

It turns out that last time he was in this area he was attacked by a group of men that was standing in his way, with Rifles pointing straight at him. He exhilarated and drove straight towards them and through them. Then he and his friend had continued to look for mushrooms from the car window (instead of watching ahead)… which resulted in the car driving off the “road” (it’s by no means a road…sort of a preferred but very bumpy route through the woods) rolling round a couple of turns and then landing on the roof. It took them the whole day to get the car back on the track and then finally, without the driver door (that got ripped off in one of the attempts to get the car out of the ditch) they returned very late, or maybe it was the next day, to Taormina again.

I asked about the attack and Turi proceeded to tell me that in the same area, around the same time as all this took place 2 years ago, 25 cars were stolen during armed robberies and some people even went missing. The bandits would normally block the path, pretending they needed some type of help, steel parked cars or as in the case with my friend, a classic robbery. He told me he got scared and had not dared to go back since it all took place two years ago. I, like I think most people in my situation would have wondered… why, all of a sudden he felt it was ok to go there now…and with me!?

He told me that he thought it had calmed down a bit now since a Mafia boss was arrested recently in that area…and…proud like a kid dressed up in his first cowboy gear, he tells me that he brought a gun!? He took it out from under my seat and squeezed it in between his belly and his high-worn army pants.  A couple of minutes after he has pointed out the spot where he and his friend got attacked….we spot two Jeeps blocking our path and a third one driving up behind us. Three big and not very friendly looking guys gets out of the car in front. With no free escape routes and a very likely robbery scenario at hand, Turi wastes no time. He gets out of the car and start to talk about mushrooms with the guys, making sure they get a glimpse of his gun. To confuse them even more and to get some identification material I get out of the Jeep as well and ask if I can take a photo. They all look really startled, showing us all the big porcinis they have found, posing somewhat unwillingly for the camera (I quickly turned around to take out and hide the memory card…thinking that the photo can come in handy in case of an attack) and then proceeds to give us all their mushrooms before they drive off.

What a strange scenario.

 

 

..and that was just the beginning of a long and interesting day.

Nero D´Avola, one of my favourite restaurants in Taormina

 

Nero D´Avola (Mentioned in the Micheline guide) is located near the Post Office and Porta Catania, next to Palazzo Duchi Di Santo Stefano, just down from the main road Corso Umberto. The atmosphere is relaxed and friendly, the food is fantastic and the wines have been carefully selected. Turi, the man behind (and in) the restaurant is a well of inspiration and knowledge; his passion and skill is remarkable and his enthusiasm is catchy. He is a bit of en eccentric… a very positive, passionate and knowledgeable one. Ask him about the origin, ingenious and making of his Sicilian specialties and you will get a story almost to good to be true…almost that is, because it is true. It is true that he gets up before sunrise to hunt rabbits and pick the finest mushrooms or wild asparagus depending on what the season has to offer. He goes to the fish market himself to pick out the best seafood and he drives out to small family run business in the country to get the best organic pasta, vegetables and meat. Turi is always on the lookout for organic local products of top quality and makes a point of sponsoring small local businesses.

 

He is a connoisseur of fine wines and has a big interest and experience of Sicilian wines…. especially from the Etna region. One evening in September last year I went with him to Passopiscare in Etna, for a unique opportunity to try the best wines, from ten different producers around Etna. I had the privilege of not only trying some fantastic wines but also to be personally introduced to all the vineyard owners. It was a great experience and I can warmly recommend a visit. My favourites out of the wines I tasted was Aietna Etna Rosso from Cantine Edomé www.cantinedome.com and Ero Nero D’Avola from www.villapetriolo.com

 

Turi is a sought after chef that frequently cooks for the rich and famous, royalty and people in power. He wears the same singlet and worn jeans or board shorts as when trekking on the slopes of Etna, as he does when he meets the rich and famous. He has cooked for the Swedish crown princess Victoria and got fans all over the world. Turi is frequently hired to cook for party’s in Dubai and now when I met him again in March, he just got back from a trip to Kenya with his customers; bringing boxes of typical Sicilian products with him.

A visit to Nero D’Avola will not only satisfy your taste buds, pallet and stomach; it will give you a rich experience of the genuine Sicily and will most likely awaken or strengthen your interest in the Sicilian cuisine. And if you really want to emerge yourself, get to the heart of Sicilian fine wining and dining and unravel the secrets of the menu; I can warmly recommend that you ask him to hold a cooking course or a wine, olive oil or cheese tasting session.

 

If you have a bar, restaurant, gourmet shop or a genuine interest in Sicilian food and wine you can ask Turi for advice…he’s like the organic gourmet ambassador of Sicily. Due to the restaurants popularity it is advisable to book in advance during the summer months.

 

If you just want a quiet romantic meal it’s best to not ask him that many questions….he loves to talk and can be very intense.

 

 

 

Restaurant: Osteria Nero D’Avola

Adress: Vicco Puches 8 (near Porta Catania), Taormina 98039

Email: osterianerodavola@alice.it

Phone: +39 339 401 0863

 

 

 

 

 

Turi’s olive oil and wine favourites are not surprisingly all from Sicily:

 

Product: Red Wine

Lable: Sciave 2005

Grape: Nero D’Avola, Eloro

Vinery: Riofavara

Area: Ispica (RG) di Massimo Padova Valledolmo, Sicily

Web: www.riofavara.it

 

Product: Red Wine

Lable: Quota 600 Etna Rossa 2006

Grape: Nerello mascalese and  cappuccio grapes

Vinery: Alberto Aiello Graci

Area: Passopisciaro, Castiglione di Sicilia (CT)

Web: www.graci.eu

 

 

Product: Red Wine

Lable: Grammonte 2002

Grape: Merlot

Vinery: Cottanera (the Cambria family)

Area: Castiglione di Sicilia (CT)

Web: www.cottanera.it

 

 

Product: Wine White

Lable: Shiarà

Grape: Cataratto Lucido

Vinery: Castellucci Miano

Area: Valledolmo, (PA), Sicily

Web: http://www.castelluccimiano.it/

 

Product: Wine White

Lable: Grappoli del Grillo

Grape: Grillo

Vinery: Marco De Bartoli

Area: Marsala, (TP) Sicily

http://www.marcodebartoli.com/home.html

 

Product: White Dessert

Lable: Moscato Di Siracusa

Vinery: Don Nuzzo

Area: Siracusa Sicily

 

Product: Extravergene Olio di Oliva

Lable: Merlino

Olive: Nocellara Etnea (at least 70%) with up to 30% Brandofino olives.

Producer: Marco De Bartoli

Area: Randazzo, Etna , Sicily

Web: www.oliomerlino.com

 

Product: Extravergene Olio di Oliva

Lable: Filicjuso

Olive: Nocellara Etnea and Brandofino olives.

Producer: Chiara Vigo

Area: Linguaglossa, Etna , Sicily

 

Product: Extravergene Olio di Oliva

Lable: Sallemi

Olive: Tonda Iblea

Producer: Roffoch Sallemi

Area: Gulfa, Siracusa

Web: www.oliomerlino.com