The BLUGH: November 30, 2022
“Dietro ogni problema c’è un’opportunità. (Behind any problem, there is an opportunity).”
This BLUGH is all about Italy!!! If it’s on the brain, it’s in the BLUGH. Reasons Italy is on the brain:
A coworker just went on vacation there.
My sister is planning her own vacation to Italy.
I am on Book 3 of the Neapolitan Quartet.
Italy has also been a consistent part of my life in small but impactful ways:
When we were little, we use to go eat at an Italian restaurant called Orlando’s. They had a picture of Sophia Loren hanging in there and I always thought it was my mom and I thought it was perfectly natural that a restaurant in our town would have a picture of my beautiful mother hanging up.
When I was in middle school I saw the Emma Thompson’s Much Ado About Nothing (set in Messina on the Island of Sicily) and it blew me away and I thought that I would be a Beatrice one day (on stage or in real life somehow). Time would demonstrate that the primary Shakespeare character I embody is Puck. We all know it.
I have been lucky enough to go to Italy 3 times! Once on study abroad, once on a Euromagicalvacation with one of my best friends, NayNay, and once to fetch my sister who was working there. It was on that final trip that I discovered how fun socks can be.
When I go to coffee shops and they ask for my name, I tell them it is Justippina Sparlinghetti. Baristas love it when I do this!
☕LEARNING FROM THIS WEEK: I didn’t JUST learn this over the past week but I have come to understand my precious drip coffee is not the norm basically anywhere else. Here’s a guide to the multitude of options in Italy!☕
PRODUCT RECOMMENDATION
I was JUST talking to George Clooney about my BLUGH and he asked (begged) me to feature the Nespresso machine as my product recommendation. I was like, “George, no, it’s too big and expensive” and he was like, “mamma mia!! prego put it in there, amore!!!”. I rolled my eyes at his silliness (he can be so silly!!) and ultimately, caved. I LOVE my Nespresso and this machine is one of the better ones in my and George’s opinions.
✨
BOOK RECOMMENDATION
So this recommendation is for a line of books! The Milk Street cookbooks have changed my life and have made me love cooking. I think all are great but I own and and can personally vouch for:
Fast and Slow: for the Instant Pot user
Tuesday Nights: my fav
Cookish: easy! 6 ingredients or less
Tuesday Nights Mediterranean: for Italy 🤌
✨
✨
June 2014
Me, in Florence, modeling
Bottled water sold out across Florence and all of Italy when this photo was taken.