Yoji and the Foodies

I fully understand Garfield’s addiction to lasagna. It  is, after all, one of my favorite food. What’s shocking to me is that I have not had Lasagna in months, perhaps close to a year. This realization hit me while watching Golden Girls on Youtube. Blanche Deveraux eating lasagna from the pan (possibly Pyrex). It was enough to trigger uncontrollable craving.

French Baker’s lasagna is not as awesome as I would have liked it to be, but it did its part satisfying a craving. The garlic bread with parsley is superb though.

And in line with today’s Italian theme, I’d like to share the book that I didn’t expect to see in the bargain bin.

The Godfather Legacy

Every “The Godfather” junkie should have this book! (more so if you are into film-making).  I bought the Harry Potter because it’s the UK version and believe it or not, it’s my first Harry Potter book. I only borrowed from friends at the height of the franchise’s popularity.

The Godfather is my all time favorite movie. I was not yet born when the movie was shown in theaters, but I’ve read the book when I was in high school. I watched the movie in VHS, which my father rented in one of the now obsolete rental shops in the neighborhood. Apart from the violence and the enviable lifestyle of the mafia, the movie showed the eating habits of the Italians in general, and the mafia in particular. A mafiosi dipping bread in olive oil  struck me as odd yet fascinating. Back then, it was enough to make me cringe a little, an automatic reaction upon seeing something “strange”. I had the same reaction when I saw a commercial wherein the lady ate a spoonful of mayonnaise. That deserved a loud “Yuck!”

Of course, that was just my ignorance getting the better of me. I am now more  informed about the eating preferences of certain groups of people. In fact, 10 years after watching the movie, I find myself eating the very same thing – bread in olive oil. It was in Itallianni’s. A basket of bread was served while waiting for the main course. The waiter then mixed olive oil with balsamic vinegar. Shoppinjer then told me to dip the bread into the mixture then eat it. I had my reservations but it would be a sin not to do as told. When  I took a bite of the bread, I finally understood why Italians love dipping their bread in olive oil. It’s a perfect combination, pretty much like “dinuguan at puto”.

So, when Shoppinjer brought home a bottle of balsamic vinegar, I opened the special extra virgin olive oil I had stashed in the cupboard. Luckily, we have leftover herbed breadsticks.

Fantastico!!!