Il 17 ottobre
Assisi
Italians begin their day with un caffe or un caffe latte and un dolci; perhaps another caffe and a snack during la pausa, but nothing too much until lunch. Il pranzo is, for many, a big meal, although with the arrival of “fast food” and there is “Italian fast food” (not just McDonald's), I know a lot of people who eat something small and quick for lunch and save their eating for la cena. In any event, it is la prima colazione that I would like to talk about. There are many commercials on TV that advertise various types of cakes and cookies to eat at breakfast; all, undoubtedly, with a substantial amount of sugar, but, certainly, something to “jump-start” the day with a burst of energy. I was particularly taken with a commercial for Nutella-Crema de Spalmare all Nocciole. The ad shows a family of four-il padre, la madre, e due bambini sitting at the breakfast table eating slices of bread topped with Nutella. All four are good-looking and the picture of perfect health and the message is that Nutella for breakfast makes the perfect nutritious way to start the day. Now, I checked the ingredients in this product; the largest component is sugar, followed by hazelnut oil (100% vegetable oil), chocolate, powdered skim milk, and some emulsifiers. For days it bothered me that such an ad existed...what happened to healthy eating of fruit and cereal for breakfast? So, I bought a jar last week and had some this morning on fette biscottate (crackers), instead of my usual butter and marmalade. And now I understand...this spread is great! And Nutella, with its fudge-like consistency and hints of chocolate and hazelnut, certainly has less fat than butter and the sugar...well, I like sugar.
By the way, a spoonful or two of Nutella makes a great snack when I 'm doing my homework and need something to keep me going...Wonder who invented this stuff?
Patricia still enjoys her Nutella sandwiches with a glass milk. We could not have some things at home, but Nutella is always on the rack!!!
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