Feasting with Friends Means FUN!

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When you wake up after a fantastic evening spent with friends, vino & laughter, I must say it is a nice surprise to not feel hung over. However, when you can barely roll out of bed because you are still so full from the amazing Italian feast you devoured the night before, there really is no sense of complaint. I am delighted to say last night I was cooked one of the tastiest meals I have had here yet, by some very lovely people who turned my typical Wednesday evening in to a fun-filled delicious affair. I'll be the first to admit that sometimes I love going out for dinner simply because there is nothing more enjoyable than to eat a meal that you yourself did not lift a finger to cook. But the reality is, there is nothing better than a home-cooked feast, prepared by friends, family or loved ones. There is an unspoken intimacy to cooking with one another and in turn, savouring that delicious food over a great bottle of vino and conversation.

I guess it depends on your particular upbringing, whether you enjoyed family dinners once a week, or ever spent time with friends in the kitchen laughing and cooking together. For me this has always been a special event in the hecticness of daily life, and always a treasure to spend. I think alot of people in my generation are unfamiliar with the concept of "potluck" dinners, or simply dinner parties. This is something our parents perfected, and I wish that the tradition would in fact carry over to us to enjoy. I really forgot before last evening how a 'simple' night in with good company could be such a great way to spend a dull, rainy night in Venezia.

In true Italian style, this was no little dinner. The food was cooked quite simply, but of course when you have the best quality of ingredients and put in just a little TLC (tender love & care), the things you produce can be just that much more delicious than any extravagant meal. Our 'primo piatto' was fusilli in a sundried tomato and garlic sauce. Mouth-waterting. As any Italian would argue to the death, pasta much ALWAYS be cooked a la minuto e al dente. At the last moment, and slightly firm. It takes a little bit of getting used to of course but once you realize that it tastes better this way, mushy pasta just becomes a thing of the past! Even the sauce adheres better to the sticky noodles, instead of sliding right off the wet, over-done version of pasta haha. Allowing several minutes to digest between courses, again my mouth began salivating as the oven door opened and the succulent smell of roasting chicken wafted over to me. I sat there in a state of anticipation I can't quite describe, knowing that if I didn't sink my teeth in to that juicy drumstick soon I was going to lose my mind. And to accompany this 'secondo piatto' (second plate).. roasted zucchini and 'pancetta' (bacon). Again, simple, but my goodness I cannot tell you enough how frickin fantastic that meal was!

'Per dolce' for dessert, our lovely host Enrica had prepared a homemade strudel (yum, yum, YUM) but there was no way we were willing to tackle it at that moment. We all looked around at each other and had to laugh at the contented, full faces smiling back at one another. Another favorite Italian custom, rich, strong espresso post-dinner. I don't whether its a fact or placebo effect, but something about the kick of that potent caffiene takes the edge off of feeling like a gigantic stuffed turkey. It was at this point we realized we had also run out of vino, which is a definite no-no if you are about to start after dinner games: incoming Pictionary! So the ladies decided it was time to head out for a little stroll in search of some wine, and to ease the pain of digestion further. Now here is one of the things I love about Venice, even though you feel so full after dinner in that sense of "I never want to leave the house again", it actually really does help to get out and move around to curb those feelings. And the other fantastic part is you CAN go out and find some more wine, because no one has to worry about who will be the designated driver! There are no drunk driving worries when you can only access the entire city by foot. Quite genius really, my guess is the Venetians of old have always realized and appreciated this fact, maybe its also a small part of why tourists love coming here so much haha.

Chilly rain was drizzled down on our heads, but we in no way seemed to feel it, as the happy sensation of warmth, company and full bellies kept us motivated in our mission. Happened to be even easier than expected, only about a two minute walk brought us to our first open bar and of course, as is common here in Europe, wine can be sold by the bottle to take home for your own enjoyment! You don't even have to have it uncorked or pay any extra fee! One of the few things here you really cannot complain about. Our adventure a true success, we wandered back to the house to begin a long laughter-filled came of Italian Pictionary. I don't know when the last time you played this hilarious game was, but for me it has been many years. Some how it had actually slipped my memory how much fun it was to play board games with friends! I encountered more laughter last night than I would have even expected. With our bilingual host, we divided in to two teams: Canada + Italy (Sicilian) vs. Greece/Australia + Italy (Venetian). It was quite the international Pictionary match, let me tell you! Proud to say the Dynamic Taurus Duo managed to woop some butt! Enrica & I showed everyone that the power of intelligent women can endure seperate cultures, languages and obviously.. men! And the timing could not have been better, as I finally gave my watch a look and realized it was already close to 2:30 in the morning. I tell you, time really DOES fly when you're having fun!

The only downfall to the evening was that sadly, my new friend Enrica is moving to Korea in just two days to begin studying there. I am SO very excited for her, and as I myself am going through the same experience of "culture shock" right now I wish her all the best and good luck on this wild new adventure. It makes me sad in a way to feel like I meet these wonderful people only to have to say good-bye to them again so soon. But this is one of the "cons" to travelling. But "as every cloud has a silver lining", maybe these wonderful short-lived encounters also shed a positive light. Which is to appreciate the time we are given. Perhaps meeting people and sharing a wonderful evening of conversation becomes that much greater simply because it may never happen again, or if it does you are left wondering when. It is the act of savouring, soaking up every last drop of that moment or meeting before it disappears again right before your eyes. Who knows, maybe one day my travels will take me to Korea and Enrica & I can teach Pictionary to some fellow Korean peers. Or perhaps she will eventually make it to Canada and I will be able to reunite with my champion teammate in an intense Cranium match!

Enjoy those simple things in life. Enjoy the simply cooked, DELICIOUS food that someone has lovingly prepared for you. Do not always fulfill the desire to drink to the excess, just slowly sip your vino bianco before you and appreciate the effort a vintner went through to crush those grow, harvest and produce that glass of gold. Play a long forgotten childhood board game that you may never realize is still just as fun now as it ever was before! Take an average Wednesday and turn it in to a whole lot of fun, it's really not that hard.

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