Travel: Dinner with mia familia in Napoli

I am very passionate about Italian food.
To the point that if you take me to an Italian restaurant outside of Italy,
I will tell you it is not 'real' Italian food.
My in-laws insist that that the family owned Italian restaurant
in their small midwest town is authentic because the owner is 'I-Talian'.
However both the pizza and pasta sauces are so sweet,
you could have fooled me with a jar of processed Prego sauce.
Both do not sit well with my palette or my years from growing up in southern Italy.
I am convinced that any Italians cooking in America cook for the American palette.
Any American-Italians that cook food are cooking 'American-Italian food'
which is not Italian food.
Which is great. Just do not confuse the two as one.
I am also a purist and I believe that you need certain ingredients like the
salty Mediterranean air to make anything truly authentic.
However I did find one place in Malibu, California that served the closest to the real thing.
I liked the food so much that I made sure to give my compliments personally to the chef.
He was Italian and I give him props for sticking with the pure tastes of Italy.

My husband has had to hear my views on Italian food since before we began dating.
We were in a traveling theatre group at our University and while on a trip
I held my foot down to our group for stopping at Olive Garden for dinner.
I will admit it: I am an 'Italian food' snob.
Ten years later my husband finally gets his first (and second and third...) taste
of this amazing food I have not stopped bringing up in conversation.
'You were right' he said.
Now he shares my burden.
The burden of all people who have lived or traveled to Italy
and have eaten their hearts out on the beautiful, mouth watering, delicious food.
When you live else where in the world and crave a pizza.
Not just any pizza but pizza from Italy.
Or for us we crave real Neapolitan pizza.
Any kind.
As my husband told my sons yesterday,
 'I've never had a pizza I did not like in Naples'.
It is comforting knowing I'm married to man who gets me
and who is equally passionate about Italian food.

The one story I used to tell him about often was eating at the houses of
Ada and Maria, two of the women at our Italian church on the coast of Bagnoli.
How the pasta was the best you would ever eat.
How you would be given seconds and thirds.
Followed by courses of salad, cheese, meat, and dessert.
You would eat past the point of being full, unable to tell your host 'no more'.
It would be amazing.
This past summer my husband got to finally experience that  with my church family.
I will admit I was busy eating and savouring each bite to document the food fully.
But below is a little glimpse into some of the best food and memories
that a girl who grew up in Italy could ask for and then some.
Enjoy.


The busy city of Napoli, Italia became my home twice in my life for a total of six years. 
The meal being prepared by Maria and Ada.
You will never leave hungry. Quite the opposite.   
Must continue to brush up on my Italian vocabulary to keep up in the passionate fast talking conversations.  
Delicious foods that were the ensemble to the main pasta course. 

*photographs belong to Bonnie Rose Photography © 2013 All rights reserved. | www.bonnie-rose.co.uk
**Please contact if you want to use any photographs or for more information regarding photographic services. 

8 comments:

  1. I am a new follower on BlogLovin from the Friends Connect hop I hope you will follow me back at
    http://butterflyintheattic.blogspot.com/2013/03/national-postcard-week-2013-postcard.html

    Have a very blessed day
    Colleen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for following Colleen! I try to share travel every Tuesday.

      x
      B.

      Delete
  2. Hey there, here from the blog hop and am now following you via Bloglovin'! I also liked your Facebook page. Feel free to visit me; you can find me here:

    Bloglovin'
    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3718883

    Facebook
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cropped-Stories/615495055132216

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you I will go check out your blog!

      x
      B.

      Delete
  3. sigh, take me to napoli! i will eat and eat and eat in pure gluttony right beside you! you need an eatin buddy right???

    ReplyDelete
  4. So jelly you went to Italy ^^ That has been my dream for the longest time, to spend like half a year in Italy!Thanks for hosting ^^!Dropping by from the GFC Blog Hop.

    New follower with GFC
    GabsG(BeautyMadness)
    http://beautymadn3ss.blogspot.com/
    http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4579613/beauty-madness

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You will definitely have to go to Italy, I used to live there and my heart is still there.
      x
      B.

      Delete

I love to interact with my readers and I try my best to respond back to all comments.

Cheers,
Bonnie Rose

Disqus for A Compass Rose

Linked Within

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...