Lorna at Vicenza

Actually, I should have said "terracotta" rather than ceramic.

These kind of pots can be used both on the gas flame hob and inside the oven. They're great for simmering things away slowly on the cooker or casseroles and stews etc. in the oven.

HADENOUGHPIZZA

I finally found Lenor in our Acqua e Sapone on saturday .. it seems to be working its way north !

jonwel

Also known as "coccio". They're great, I agree! My wife would never use a metal saucepan for making ragù.

duffer

Went to the US Army base in Vicenza today. It's got a shopping mall inside and it felt like I was in America. Everything was priced in US dollars with no sales taxes so a lot cheaper than elsewhere in Italy.

And a lot of junk food available - the really bad stuff that tastes great and that's almost impossible to find in Italy

Lorna at Vicenza

How did you manage to get in there?
Have you been making friends with soldiers?
Did you buy loads of junk then?

duffer

No I don't like men in uniform. I've made friends with a mother of one of the kids in Brando's swimming classes who just happens to be friends with the best friend of the OH. She's married to a marine but has a pass which also allows for 2 guests and as many children as possible. So we went bowling with the kids!! Of course I also stocked up on Reese's Pieces and peanut butter cups. There's so much stuff it was too difficult to choose but I will go back soon. It's also good for electronic stuff, sports gear and children's clothing.

Lorna at Vicenza

Sounds like a good day.

I went in there a few times many, many years ago - I was friends with an officer there.

I did some shopping, had lunch in the officer's club. Once went to the cinema there and another time to the 4th July party.
I remember buying bacon and a sliced loaf. There was no sliced bread in Italy apart from that horrible square, dry stuff for toasted sandwiches.

duffer

Bacon?! I will be better prepared next time and make a list. The cinema sounds great, they have all the latest films out in the States. Did you know another 4000 families are coming over to the base within the next 1-2 years?

37100

Heard that on the news. They showed the new base. All those Americans.

Happy Easter. Need to get cooking-food. Hubby said we should have gone to a restaurant. Now he say's it!

MarkRD

I would never go near such a place on principle .. . what are they doing here' Why do we need more?

Lorna at Vicenza

Yeah I knew.
An architect I know wanted to put in for the building of the new "USA Village" and I helped him with the hundreds of pages of building specs.
You should have seen what they demand.
Even the size of the toilet roll holder was specified. It has to be bigger than the standard ones we have. They must have bigger toilet rolls than us - for their bigger arses perhaps

Not that I want to live with a bunch of Americans but any one of us would have been more than delighted with those houses. Each one had to have wireless and cable in each room. Each one had to have built in 'closets' and a plug for every metre of kitchen counter tops. Each house had to have a utility room, fitted kitchen with space left in it for an American big range/cooker and fridge freezer. Each 3 bedroom house had to have a family bathroom upstairs and a washroom and toilet downstairs. Under floor heating and air conditioning.

I could go and on.

MarkRD

Please don't.

HADENOUGHPIZZA

enrol ?

MarkRD

..that too.

duffer

Well you know that the Italians will literally bend over for anyone, they've done it in a big way for the Yanks.

The people I met there were generally nice, lots of American students working on the base and studying at the college there.

I would say it's good for the Italian economy but all the goods and services I saw were American, they even sell the big American gas-guzzling cars there, all at American dollar prices, without any tax. So I suppose it's the local restaurants and bars that benefit the most out of the local businesses. And the hookers!

BTW I've already finished a bag each of Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cups!