COVID Reminiscing

[Baggers]

My late mother in laws family are originally Croatian, of course the boundaries all changed after WW2 and Trieste became part of Italy and its relevance as a Seaport declined but its very untouched and the locals are very loyal Triestini that hate change. Her late Father was from Tuscany but my wife identifies more with her mothers family.
We were due a trip as part of my retirement this year to Italy but Covid19 stuffed that up, glad you made it over in January and enjoyed your time.
re: Grappa.....bit too strong for yours truly especially the home made variety, nearly took my head off the 1st time and that was just inhaling the fumes. The Triestini like their own dialects and enjoy singing....after a few grappas they sing and I sleep....then they give me Coffee which has me buzzing all night its that strong. ?

Loving these stories and officially jealous reading all these exotic food stories - I've always had a love of Greek and Italian food but that developed after I left home. Going to school at Franganistan lunch time was ham, cheese and tomato rolls/sangers or a maggot bag with sauce. Followed by a snot block or jam doughnut and that was it. Home was typical Aussie tucker... 3 veg and meat. Yep, dullsville.

Fortunately I was introduced as a youngster to some amazing exotic food by my paternal grandfather. When we visited him in Sydney (Lane Cover) he'd put on an amazing spread for everyone. Amazing cook and an artist by trade who did landscape designs to make money. He was Danish and holy mackerel, when he dished up a feast it was really something - rollmops, pickled/smoked this, that and the other thing, raw meats, far out pastries but the weirdest thing I ever saw was the variety of cheeses. My grandfather loved this cheese that fair dinkum moved about on the plate... he'd pick pieces off it and squeeze the cheese out of it with his fingers straight into his mouth, what was 'it'... special maggots! Yep, big maggots that would eat the cheese then you'd squeeze the cheese out of the maggot and eat it, a delicacy apparently. All of this was followed by everyone over 12 having to skaal (scull) 3 successive shots of aquavit schnapps... first time I had alcohol (aged 14). I had my 3 shots... nothing for a few seconds, then someone held a blowtorch to my chest... then I stood up and fell over. That stuff is just about 50% alcohol by volume...