EPICURIOUS: THE BEAUTY OF DOING NOTHING
Having lived in the US for almost 20 years I know all about the taste of synthetic, engineered, hormone-injected, antibiotic-infused and preservative-laden food. Hence when I taste good food, I can most certainly tell.
Anytime I travel out of the US, the flavour of world cuisines and its authentic taste is a blessing I choose to enjoy, and Italian food is one such blessing. There is nothing that describes Italy like Il bel far niente — meaning the beauty of doing nothing, the art of doing nothing or the sweetness of doing nothing. Yes, that’s what the Italians know how to accomplish to perfection, and somehow take their tourists on the same ride.
Sitting under the Tuscan sun as I ate my pesto pasta, overlooking the green hills and the quintessentially Tuscan cypress trees, I understood the age-old Italian saying: this has to be the beauty of doing nothing, breathing in the blue sky and living the laid-back country lifestyle. This is how food is meant to be savoured. The bruschetta (pronounced brusketta) bread, soaked in olive oil and topped with tomatoes, is one of the best ways to enjoy summer. Capture the taste of this Italian classic, a perfect topping of tomato, olive oil, basil, salt and garlic on rustic bread; almost the taste of an Italian summer on toast.
Foccacia bread, pasta and antipasto rounded off with luscious tiramisu — this is how to romance the flavours of Italy
A day trip to the Cinque Terre in the Liguria region led me on a delightful journey of taste and sight. Cinque Terra is a string of five fishing villages sitting atop the Italian Riviera. Beautiful beyond belief, authentic beyond imagination and oh so unique, the first village welcomed me with the smell of fresh focaccia bread.