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Category Archives: Dining

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 164: Carpe Romanus Potatobus

08 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Dining, Food, Travel

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bride, cheesburger, Dining, Food, Fries, honeymoon, Italy, Macdonald's, Mark Zuckerberg, Pantheon, Rain, Rome, Spanish Steps

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To be honest, when my husband and I read about FaceBook founder Mark Zuckerberg taking his newlywed bride to McDonald’s during their honeymoon in Rome, we were not impressed.

Why, oh why would anyone with a net worth of 35.1 billion opt for a McDonald’s coffee when there were a handful of cafes within arm’s length that were serving genuine espresso? Even myself, with a significantly lower net worth, am gladly willing to spend the five euros it takes to indulge in Italy’s finest ambrosia instead of coffee that I can easily get at home. Further, who would choose a cheeseburger over authentic Italian cuisine?

We had come across a McDonald’s during a trip to Rome in 2008. It was immediately opposite to the world’s oldest church, the Pantheon in the Piazza Della Rotunda. We had no desire whatsoever to venture in for a snack when we had sidewalk cafes at every turn.

After reading the article, I concluded that it would be highly unlikely that I would ever find myself at a MacDonald’s in Italy.

Well, as fate would have it, during our next trip to Rome, not only did I eat at MacDonald’s, I was also very grateful that I had the opportunity to do so.

It was a cold and rainy day that made us walk through a McDonald’s door next to the Spanish Steps during our visit to Rome in December 2012. Who would have thought that they would build a McDonald’s in one of the most prestigious shopping districts in the world?

Earlier that day, our taxi dropped us off at Piazza del Popolo at about 10:00 a.m. It never stopped raining. After about an hour we were drenched. That’s when my husband spotted the Golden Arches and suggested we warm up and get dry while having something to drink before continuing on our schedule.

Since it was only just past 11:30 a.m., we didn’t have an appetite for lunch. All we wanted was a warm, dry place to sit, collect our thoughts and regroup. Why spend sixty euros on a meal when you only need a drink and a quick bite?

Once we entered the establishment, we were pleasantly surprised at the restaurant’s chic textured interior of white, grey and ecru. It was huge. Had it not been for the lit up display menus, I would have never thought I was inside a McDonald’s. My daughter and I sat down at what looked like a marble table, and tried to take in the trendy atmosphere.

After a few moments my husband sat down with cokes and some fries.

The fries were incredible. They were hot, perfectly fried, and with no oily aftertaste. Even the salt was perfectly meted out.

The fries disappeared one by one as we poured over our collection of city maps trying to figure out how to continue on without getting drenched in the rain.

By the time we were ready to leave, we were warm, a little drier, energized and in better spirits.

The object lesson for me here was the importance of being open to situations as they present themselves.

Thanks to a very rainy day, I learned that all McDonald’s are not the same. Further, even though I had no desire to visit an American fast food chain in the heart of Rome, I learned that I can enjoy myself just about anywhere I find myself, as long as I make up my mind to do so.

My lesson learned in a golden nutshell:

Carpe Romanus Potatobus

Seize the fries.

My.Daily.Diversion ~ Post 78: Lunch With The Pope

07 Wednesday Jan 2015

Posted by duckykoren in Churches, Dining, Italy, popes, Religion, Travel, vatican rome

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coworker, Humour, Italy, pope, Rome, Salad, strawberry, Sunday School, Travel

One night at work I was having a lovely conversation with a coworker.

We were talking about one of my favourite subjects…

…Italy!

She told me that she had visited Rome many times as part of an entourage with her church’s youth group.

“Did you ever get to see the Pope?” I asked her.

She told me that she had seen two Popes.

The first was Pope John Paul I, she told me, and the second was Pope John-Paul II.

“Our youth group was even invited to a luncheon with Pope John PaulII” she said.

Imagine my pleasant surprise at her revelation.

“You had lunch with Pope?” I asked.

Grinning ear to ear, she nodded her head yes.

“You had lunch with Pope John Paul?” I asked her again wanting to be clear about this.

“Yes,” she proudly confirmed.

“Tell me,” I asked her as I was quite intrigued…

“What was it like to have lunch with the Pope?”

She thought for a moment before answering:

“Well, to be honest,” she began…

“I really didn’t care for the strawberry vinaigrette that they served with the salad.”

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 20: The Trouble With Twirling

17 Monday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Cooking, Dining, Food, Horror, Life, Weddings

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Brides, Errors, Fate, Forks, Friends, gifts, Horror, Mistakes, Newlyweds, Salads, Silver, Silver Cutlery, Spagetti, Spoons, Stories, Twirling, Weddings

When I was a teenager, I remember arriving at a home for a babysitting appointment. The Mother who had requisitioned my services was in the kitchen packing away her silver cutlery.

I found it odd that she was wrapping each individual piece in tissue paper.

After explaining to me that the tissue helps negate tarnish, she told me this was the silver service set that she got when she was married.

Then with a heavy sigh, she recounted the following story to me as I pulled up a chair.

When she was still a newlywed bride, she and her husband invited their family and friends over to their home for dinner.

Deciding to keep the menu simple she served spaghetti with salad and rolls.

No worries, she thought.

In front of my eyes, this poor woman relived the horror that overtook her after dinner when she gathered up the cutlery.

Her spoons had been horribly scarred.

It had never occurred to her that twirling spaghetti with forks into silver spoons leaves indelible swirly scratches.

Mark my words…

As she ended the story she explained that she shares her experience whenever she can, in hopes that others would learn from her mistake.

Now, fast forward many years later, I am chatting with a good friend and bride to be.

As she discusses her pending wedding gifts, I relate the same story hoping she will benefit from the lesson of not using her silver cutlery when spaghetti is on the menu.

A month or so after her wedding, my friend now makes a startling confession to me.

As a newlywed bride she and her husband invited their family and friends over to their home for dinner.

Deciding to keep the menu simple she served spaghetti with salad and rolls.

No worries, she thought.

It was only as dinner was being served that her horror became complete when everyone began to twirl spaghetti with their forks into her brand new silver spoons.

“Why didn’t you stop them?” I asked her.

“It was too late,” she exasperatedly exhaled with a dismissive wave.

I immediately understood.

What purpose would be served of stopping everyone in mid-bite and asking them to relinquish their fully loaded forks and spoons?

My friend then ended the conversation with a shrug and a smile.

And I learned something valuable from my friend that day.

There are times when you just have to sit back and let fate have it’s way.

Of course, with some ingenuity you’ll be able to turn your tragedy into a good story somewhere down the road.

Kind of like this one.

My.Daily.Distraction ~ Post 16: BitterSweet

15 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by duckykoren in Alzheimer's, Dining, Family

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Alzheimer's, Brunch, Dining, Family, Grandfather, memories, Niagara On The Lake, Opa, Pillar And Post

This is a bittersweet story about the last meal that I shared with my Opa (Grandfather) Scherer.

The occasion was a family brunch arranged by my Mother who was visiting us from Vermont. She had picked up my Grandparents; Oma and Opa, in Toronto, and we all had reservations for the ‘Pillar and Post’ a popular restaurant in Niagara on the Lake.

Right after I arrived, I found him sitting off to the side and alone while Mother organized the seating arrangements. Being in a wheelchair, Opa’s movement was somewhat limiting.

I could not help myself when I first spotted him. Immediately, I threw my arms around him kissed and his cheeks.

Drawing back, I could see that he was confused.

“I’m sorry,” he said apologetically, “but I don’t remember your name.”

This revelation didn’t upset me. Each moment I could spend with him was a gift, whether or not he could remember my name.

“My name is Doris and I’m your grandaughter and I love you very much Opa,” I said looking him straight in the eye, while I rubbed his shoulder.

Everything was good. It was all good.

“Yes,” he said as his countenance brightened.

“Of course, ….Doris,” and with that his bright eyes drifted away.

Within a few moments, we were told that our tables were ready, and we began to take our seats in the dining area.

I was to be seated next to my Grandmother, and Opa, my Grandfather would be seated across the table from me.

As I sat down next to Oma, we began to merrily chat while Mother went off to the buffet to get Opa his breakfast.

After a few minutes, she returned and placed his breakfast in front of him and then invited Oma to come and get hers.

As Oma got up, Mother asked me to take a seat next to Opa and pay special attention to him while he ate to ensure that he doesn’t choke. I sat down in the chair next to him and began to tell him how wonderful it was to see him again.

He put down his fork and turned to look at me.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but I don’t remember your name.”

“Doris,” I said to him, putting my hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

“My name is Doris and I’m your grandaughter, and I love you very much.”

That’s all he really needed to know. Nothing else mattered.

Ah, …. Doris, “ he said as he began to turn his attention back to his breakfast…

“…Another one!”

15 years later, this bittersweet memory still makes me smile.

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