JACK BERNARD'S TRAVELS

Posted by jdbernard743

· May 20, 2015

#trendinginrome

If verb forms can have their moment, the gerund “trending” is definitely having its 15 minutes of fame. I see references to it everywhere. It’s not just Twitter that’s chattering about it. All the social media sites are full of it (no pun intended). There are trending global brands. Ralph Lauren, Gucci, and Versace are trending in Saigon. Banana Republic and Gap in Kuala Lumpur. In America the transgender population, cat videos, and selfies are trending. In food it’s slow cooking. And in Rome? What’s “trending” in Rome (#trendinginrome)? OMG, it’s Gluten-Free Pizza. What? No. Yes, it’s true. It must be a joke. Gluten-free pizza in Rome? Yup, not kidding. Here it is folks. Up close and personal.

After being turned away from a trendy (not trending) restaurant because we didn’t have a reservation, M and I started walking up Via dei Giubbonari toward the market square at Campo di Fiori. On the next corner, a block away, we spotted Voglia di Pizza (translation “craving for pizza”) a little pizza joint. Perfect. We were craving pizza and sat right down.

Only then did we notice the “Gluten Free” decal on the window. We were aghast at the remarkable discord. Gluten-free pizza in Rome? If there was ever a surprise trend this was it. First of a series? One of a kind? We’ll be watching. It will be interesting.

So when did celiac disease (#celiacdisease) reach its tipping point and become the disease of the decade? How in the world did it find its way to Rome the worldwide center of gluten? Could Romans really be worried about celiac disease or is this just a smart marketing ploy for American hypochondriacs? I’m highly suspicious.

I shouldn’t be so jaded. Of course there are people who can’t digest gluten and celiac disease is a reality for them. Novak Djokovic, the world’s number one tennis player, struggled with health issues for several years before switching to a gluten-free diet and then claiming the world number one ranking. It was real. I’ve known one or two others for whom the change to gluten-free was liberating, but I also know several trendsetters who bought into it and wear it like a badge of honor. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) puts the celiac population between .4 and 1%, but a walk down the aisle of your local supermarket would make you think it was taking over the country. I know it’s real but I believe it’s trending way beyond the celiac population.

So how was it – the pizza? Here’s the kicker; it was amazing. Last night’s pie might be the best pizza I’ve ever eaten – thin crackly crust with four cheeses and topped with arugula. Sensational. Complimented with a big, fresh salad of mixed greens, corn, celery, bright red plum tomatoes, and shaved carrots, and washed down with two glasses of white wine and a large bottle of sparkling water it was to die for. I don’t know what went into that crust, but it was memorable. I’m going back. Pronto! Molto bene!

Pizza, gluten free, gourmet, or down-and-dirty is trending everywhere. In Seattle, for instance, Tutta Bella, a local restaurant, is the Pacific Northwest’s first certified purveyor of Neapolitan thin crust pizza. The Associazione Verace Pizza Napolitana (VPN) in Naples sent some consiglieri in double-breasted suits to visit Seattle a couple of years ago and, poof, Tutta Bella’s pies were “certified”. I don’t know if remittances to Naples were part of the deal, but Tutta Bella is guaranteed certified. Capisce?

When I lived in New York I used to buy a slice or two from an Arab guy on York Avenue as I was returning to my apartment from a Pan Am trip. The slice was big and greasy and tasted delicious standing at the take-out window of his tiny shop. Like politics, maybe all pizza is local. I do know that pizza has come a long way since I bought my slice from the Arab on York Avenue.

Pizza’s long history makes good reading. The ancient Greeks had a flatbread that was similar, but the first mention of the word pizza was in 997A.D. according to Wikipedia. Pizza Margharita, the basic modern version, was created to honor the Queen Consort, Margherita of Savoy, in 1889 and incorporated the colors – red (tomatoes), white (mozzarella), and green (basil) – of the Italian flag.

The spread of pizza worldwide is equally interesting. Often, a first wave of Italian immigrants, eager to make a living, but with little capital, opened pizzerias. Since pizza is basically flour and water with a thin layer of sauce on top, it doesn’t require a large investment to get started. I watched it happen first hand in Berlin. I saw Italian immigrant entrepreneurs build their businesses and then watched the second generation open small upscale restaurants serving more complicated food with more expensive ingredients to an appreciative, well-heeled clientele.

Now we’re on to gluten-free. I’ll be curious to see if it catches on. When I was making pasta for a living I had customers who wanted theirs made with egg-whites only. I complied but the market was small. I imagine gluten-free will have a similar small audience – especially in Italy. I’m not so certain about America. Remember it’s trending #foraglutenfreeamerica.

Pizza in Italy is like the hamburger in America. It’s a one of the basic food groups. And, like the hamburger it’s gone viral worldwide. There’s thick crust, thin crust, deep dish (Chicago-style), round, square, oblong, and triangular, and it comes in small, medium and large. It’s way beyond “trending.” It’s an establishment food item. Maybe gluten-free will catch on in Italy, but I can’t imagine Italians driving around town looking for a pizzeria that only serves gluten-free products.

For now, I’m leaving gluten-free behind and checking my Twitter, Facebook, and Tinder for new trends. Are you with me?

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Categories : Fashion/Lifestyle, Food/Restaurants, Travel, Uncategorized, Weather, Work and Adventure

Posted by jdbernard743

· May 18, 2015

· 1 Comment

Roman Eats… it’s not all pizza and pasta

There is a popular generalization about Italian cooking that assigns butter to the north, olive oil to the south, and lard to the middle regions of the country, but this doesn’t begin to do justice to its complexity. The generalization, I was told, had to do with an earlier time, before refrigeration, when it was more difficult to keep and work with butter in the southern regions. Differences in Italy’s regional cuisines might also be traced to geography or political differences since its geography includes alpine, maritime, and even desert regions and the country wasn’t unified politically until 1861. Whatever the reasons, this small country has an incredible diversity of culinary styles from German- influenced food in the Tirol to the food of Rome’s Jewish ghetto and the savory African influences of Sicily. A quick visit isn’t likely to raise your awareness of those vast differences in Italian food cultures either. One might be disappointed if that visit is to Tuscany where every menu looks identical and the bread is bland because it’s made without salt. On the other hand, in Emilia-Romagna dishes up the staples of world-famous Italian products – prosciutto from Parma, parmesan cheese from Reggiano and balsamic vinegar from Modena. A culinary journey through Italy is varied and tasty. I thought I knew something about Italian food; after all I once owned and ran a small Italian bistro. But, it turns out I didn’t know anything about Roman cuisine until my current stay in Rome. I wasn’t aware, for instance, that lightly fried vegetables – squash blossoms, cauliflower, broccoli, and zucchini – are a common antipasto offering. In addition, I had no clue as to the influence of Rome’s Jewish ghetto on its cuisine. Since M and I arrived, fried artichokes with their delicate, crunchy texture and carmelized sweetness have become one of our favorite side dishes at dinner.

Before we left Seattle, at the urging of my daughter, we watched Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode on eating in Rome. In the video he waxes on about cacio y pepe pasta, something I wasn’t familiar with in spite of the fact that for 8 years I made 10-15lbs of fresh pasta every day. When we arrived in Rome I had to have it. I couldn’t imagine what could be so seductive about a pasta dish whose only ingredients were pecorino cheese and black pepper. Now I understand. Cacio y pepe is deceptively simple, but when we started to look into its preparation we discovered there is an art to making it that includes warming the dish over the pot of pasta water, preserving some of the pasta water for later, adding the cheese to the warm bowl in small increments and stirring the water and cheese to obtain the right creamy texture. When it’s well prepared you would swear there is butter and heavy cream included but there is nothing but water, aged pecorino, and love in the mixture. It’s amazing. I’ve made it my go-to dish in Rome and I’m looking for differences. So far, the only differences are in quality. I’ve had one bad, one incredible, and several very good. At Baccanale 59, a small restaurant in the Prati district, it was served in a bowl made of lacy toasted Reggiano. There are two favorite pasta choices for cacio y pepe; the traditional is spaghetti-like tonnarelli sometimes called alla chitarra (named for the guitar-like tool used to cut its square shape), and rigatoni, the large, ridged, hollow, pasta. Both of them hold the sauce well, but the tonnarelli seems to be the preferred choice. Tonight the search for the perfect cacio y pepe is taking us to a bakery/deli/bar/restaurant called Roscioli’s, near the old Jewish ghetto. It’s where Bourdain found the Holy Grail of Roman pasta. As I’m learning about cacio y pepe I’m also learning that Romans prefer white wine to red and that Aperitivo is like Happy Hour in the US. One evening we ordered two glasses of wine at our local bar/café, and when they brought the wine they also brought a dish of potato chips, a cup of peanuts, some olives, and a platter with six small pastry-like hors d’ouevres. It was a meal. It apparently started in Milan but Rome has perfected it. Since our discovery, we often eat our big meal in the middle of the day and enjoy Aperitivo as a small meal late in the evening when it cools down. It’s the closest thing to a free lunch in Rome. Rome is full of attractions and surprises, feasts for the eyes and the tongue. I love having the time to learn about it and to explore its special tastes and unique flavors. I hope you will too.

Buon Appetito

Categories : Food/Restaurants, Personal/Family, Travel, Uncategorized, Work and Adventure

Posted by jdbernard743

· May 15, 2015

· 1 Comment

Slow Travel In Rome

Travel is enriching but, like chocolate mousse, sometimes it’s too rich to digest. It’s better in small delectable, melt in your mouth bites. Too much of a good thing diminishes the power to amaze. Rome is that way. It’s the chocolate mousse of European travel. So, pace yourself and think about taking small bites.

Italy is a feast for a lover of history. There are archeological digs, landmark buildings, walls, roads, and artifacts from different historical periods, painting, sculpture and architecture spanning millennia, a landscape that seduces, and a cuisine that delights. Rome, in particular, offers a rich diet of Etruscan, Roman, and Renaissance treasures that cry out to be tasted.

There is never enough time to see everything here, so pick some things you’re really interested in, read about them, and then go see them. Think in terms of cost/benefit. If you only have a few days, do you want to stand in line for 3 hours to be herded through the Vatican Museum for a furtive glimpse of the Sistine Chapel ceiling or might you rather be wandering through the Forum or sitting in the Coliseum imagining what it was like to be there 2000 years ago.

There are many good guidebooks to help the short stay visitor find his or her way through the maze of antiquities and explain the layers of civilization under their feet. So much to see, and you know you can’t see it all. What you will do? How will you approach it? If you take it slow and easy, you’ll see things with a fresh mind and rested eyes. You’ll enjoy it more and retain the memories longer. As an advocate, I believe the secret to meaningful international travel is a slow steady pace and small bites. Slow down, pay attention, and enjoy its quieter joys.

If foreign travel is new to you, think about what you want out of it. Do you want a broad-brush overview or do you have a particular interest, say Roman architecture or renaissance painting, you want to follow up on? Does people watching from a sidewalk caffe’ table sound more to your liking than museum hopping? Read up on your destination before you leave home, and it will help you make those decisions.

Almost every major city in the world now has something called the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. These double decker open top busses travel around the city, passing important sites and traversing the various neighborhoods. A ticket is good all day and allows you to get off at any stop and get back on when you’re ready to continue. Get off for lunch; go to a museum, shop, do whatever strikes your fancy. It’s a great way to get the overview. When I first saw the Hop-On Hop-Off I thought it was a hokey way to see a city. I’ve done a lot of traveling and always resisted doing the tourist thing, but Marilynn was new to it and persuaded me to go along. She was right. I highly recommend it on the first morning of Day One in any city you don’t already know well. From the top of the double decker you get a view of all the attractions, an audio tour in your native language, and a sense of the city’s layout. Don’t scoff. Do it! You’ll see what I mean.

That’s the overview. After Day One on the Hop-On Hop-Off you can narrow the focus and follow your specific interests – art, architecture, shopping, food, or just people watching. With time as your ally, you can mitigate a lot of the turmoil. Start early in the day and seek out one site to visit. Starting early has two advantages: most groups are slow to start so you’re beating the crowds, and, second, Rome can be hot so you beat the heat by getting an early start. It’s a twofer. Get up early, savor your cappuccino, and move out.

I have a low tolerance for guided tours and crowded venues, but if you’re time limited I understand that you might have to give in. If an attraction is important to you, the Sistine Chapel for instance, and your time is short a tour might be the easiest solution. I acknowledge that. My problem, and I own it, is that I have an aversion to being led around by a guide with an antenna-like aerial topped with a brightly colored flag.

Instead of Slow Travel In Rome I might have called this post Independent Travel, because slow travel presupposes independence and self-direction. It doesn’t necessarily demand it but it yearns for an extended stay time frame – more than 3 or 4 days – in a city. It’s a luxury but if it can be done it allows the visitor time to savor and absorb what he or she is seeing. If time is an issue, ask yourself again, what is it you want from the experience? I would rather see four sites in four days than 8-10 sites in the same four days. If you go for fewer attractions you’ll go home with a greater appreciation for Rome and its treasures than someone who tries to cram all the sites into the same time frame.

Slow Travel or Independent Travel is just that; if you have time for an extended stay look into renting an apartment, even if it’s just for a few days. VRBO and Airbnb.com offer apartments almost everywhere in the world and there are agents like slowtravel.com, Rome-Accommodation.com, and Perfectly Paris that do it on a smaller local scale.

Remember, you’re not leaving the planet when you leave home. Take at least one of your devices – laptop, iPad or smartphone – along on your adventure. They work anywhere and they’re amazingly useful. Wi-Fi is available in most locales, and it’s usually better abroad than in the US. My last blog post (It Pays To Stay Connected) lays out all the advantages and the how-to’s of staying connected abroad. It a huge advantage in terms of study, navigation, and communication.

Speaking of navigation, public transportation is good and inexpensive throughout Europe, especially in Rome. This is my bus pass. It cost 35 Euros for a calendar month and allows me unlimited rides on all the busses, trams, and the Metro. Rome has new modern busses and an extensive public transportation network. The Metro is not as extensive as its counterparts in Paris, London or New York, but the two lines that cross the city diagonally are fast, efficient, and connect with the bus network. Taxis are relatively inexpensive and Uber is operative. I haven’t tried it, but I did get an estimate at rush hour and it looked reasonable. I used it in Paris last year and was very happy with the result. Remember, though, Uber prices depend on traffic density and demand, so unlike taxis they are higher during peak periods.

The joys of Slow or Independent Travel are many, but the main advantages are having time to smell the flowers, watch the people, taste the incredible food, and still feel relatively rested.

Enjoy…

Categories : Art, Books, Fashion/Lifestyle, Food/Restaurants, Personal/Family, Travel, Uncategorized, Weather, Work and Adventure

Posted by jdbernard743

· May 11, 2015

· 2 Comments

It Pays To Stay Connected

Graham Greene said it best in The Third Man:

“In Italy, for thirty years under the Borgias, they had warfare, terror, murder, and bloodshed, but they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly love, they had five hundred years of democracy and peace – and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock.”

Greene was right. Italy is unruly and categorically different from its smoothly oiled, efficiently organized, neatly manicured Swiss neighbor. Yet, in spite of the chaos, inconvenience, confusion, corruption, and union strikes that disrupt some essential function nearly every day, it will charm you. It looks good, feels good, and above all it tastes good. Love it or hate it in the beginning, I guarantee that if you look for the good things and don’t expect perfection you will end up loving it.

Remember: slow travel is the key to a successful travel experience. Relax and take it all in.

Italy is worth the inconvenience and chaos, and while I’m not writing a guidebook or how to article I will share a couple of travel insights that might enhance your overseas experience. In fact, this is not exclusively about Italy; it’s just that I’m in Rome now and these tips are fresh in my mind. Wherever you’re going these things might be useful in planning your overseas trip. International travel has changed dramatically in the last few years, and it’s because of technology. Smart travelers are taking advantage of the change to give themselves an edge and make things easier while they’re on the road. If you’re on a guided tour this may not seem important, but I assure you it can enhance that experience too.

If and when you leave home your most important and valuable tech tool will be your smartphone. It’s not about making phone calls. You will be able to do that too, but the phone is really a toolkit for everything – communication (email and text), to research (history), navigation (GPS), and transportation (bus and Metro maps – even Uber).

A word to older travelers – learn how this technology works. Don’t tell me you’re too old. I’ve heard that too many times. If you are too old then you have no business traveling. International travel is a learning environment and it’s dangerous territory for those who are resistant to learning new things.

Here are my smartphone guidelines:

First off: Don’t subscribe to your phone company’s “international plan.” It’s expensive and the only thing it gives you is the ability to call or text – no data. You definitely want data. Everything from the weather app to the GPS runs on data. You can get more and cheaper from a local provider in-country.

The only piece of hardware you need is an unlocked smartphone. If you have one you’re in great shape. If you’re an AT&T customer, under contract, you’re screwed. AT&T doesn’t allow you to unlock your phone until your contract runs its course. If you’re a Verizon customer the phone is locked domestically but unlocked internationally. Check with them to see how it works. If you don’t want to deal with your US carrier you can buy a cheap, reconditioned, unlocked phone on Amazon. Do it.

Software: you need a SIM card for your unlocked phone. SIM cards are the little identity devices inside the phone that store information about the phone and its user. In order to make calls, text, and access data you need a SIM card that works for the country you’re in. Don’t even consider buying one in the US. You’ll see ads advertising SIMs with functionality in 190 countries. They don’t work; period, end of discussion. Amazon and other sites will try to convince you that OneSIM, and other generic SIM cards will work, but they’re an invitation to aggravation and failure. Suck it up and pay the US provider’s high phone charges for a couple of days until you get a local SIM, or a prepaid phone.

The SIM card acquisition process isn’t always smooth. The best and most reliable place to buy a SIM is at a mobile phone company store. They usually speak English and if there’s a problem you can go back. It’s their problem too. I know, having made four trips to the Vodafone office in the last week, but I guarantee you that once you have an in-country smartphone in your hot little hand you will be glad you suffered whatever inconvenience it took to get it. The acquisition process might test your patience and ability to communicate across languages but it’s worth it.

Why go through all this? Resources. It is surprisingly helpful to have the resources a smartphone at your fingertips. Google Maps alone is worth whatever it costs. Last year in Paris our AT&T phones were enabled with international call and text packages but no wireless capability once we left the apartment’s in-house Wi-Fi. We discovered that Paris businesses are not as generous as their US counterparts in providing Wi-Fi for their customers. Everyone in France has a phone and a provider; I guess that’s their theory. Italy is better, but it’s inconvenient to ask a restaurant or café owner for a Wi-Fi password just to check your email. Even if you do ask you know that once you’re back on the street you have no coverage.

For me, the critical lesson about smartphones was learned last year on our final morning in Paris. The taxi we had pre-ordered failed to show. We had planned to use Uber as the back up, but because we were just outside the door of the apartment, we were without wireless capability. Without it the Uber app is useless. Uber depends on a wireless connection. It’s GPS reads the location of your device based on the app. We were up a creek and vowed not to be without Wi-Fi the next time we went overseas.

Spring forward. Yesterday Google Maps guided me through 5 or 6 miles of crooked, curving, unfamiliar Roman streets in order to get me home for a meeting with the Internet guy who was going to fix my Wi-Fi problem. He didn’t show, but that’s another Roman story. Still, I got home flawlessly because of Google Maps. That’s why you need a fully functional smartphone if you want to have a fully functional travel experience.

On my next travel prep blog I might tell about Italian washing machines and dryers.

Buona Notte

Categories : Fashion/Lifestyle, Travel, Uncategorized, Weather, Work and Adventure

Posted by jdbernard743

· May 7, 2015

· 1 Comment

Slow Down… Words to Live By

“Slow down, you move too fast

You got to make the morning last,

Just kicking down the cobblestones

Looking for fun and feelin’ groovy…

Got no deeds to do

No promises to keep.

I’m dappled and drowsy and ready for sleep.

Let the morning time drop all its petals on me.

Life, I love you,

All is groovy.”

Paul Simon got it right… and something made me dig into my unconscious for those words (59th Street Bridge Song) while sitting at a sidewalk caffe’ in Rome stressing out about the lack of a good Wifi connection.

Here’s the message I got; “You’re not in Rome for Italy’s state-of-the-art technology. You have that in Seattle. Stop it! Get over yourself. Get out.” I got it! I really am here to hang out, watch the people, catch local flavors, and “let the morning time drop all its petals on me.” Much as I love my devices – Macbooks, iPhones, Kindles and Jam Rewinds – they’re only important as supporting cast members.

So—yes, Jack—slow down, take a deep breath and relax. Travel isn’t a race, or a job, or an obligation; it’s a privilege. I’ve been more privileged than most. I’ve been on the road for more than 50 years, and long ago decided I had seen most of the museums, monuments, ruins, churches, and historical sights I needed to see in order to complete that part of my education. I’m not suggesting they be ignored. They give us a sense of history and our place in it. I had to see them too. It would be crazy to visit Paris for the first time and skip the Louvre or Rome and miss the Coliseum, but once you’ve taken in those attractions I think the real education is on the back roads, streets and sidewalks of the world. I think of my personal travel biography in three phases. Phase One is the historical context. Where do I fit in to it? How does this apply to me? What does it mean today? Now I’m on to Phases Two and Three, and drinking in what the world is like in view of that history.

I still have a passion for adventure despite the rigors of modern day travel. I spent 30 years flying people to interesting and exotic places. I had a great time – but it was a different time. I still get on airplanes and they take me where I want to go, but they’re just conveyances now. The romance of air travel is gone. Now it’s simply a means to an end. Hours of stale recirculated air, cramped legroom, dirty lavatories, and processed food (if any) are not fun.

So, Phase One of my travel bio was full of sights and attractions; then, thirty years ago, I moved on to Phase Two – sailboats and bicycles – a little closer to the ground (or water). First came the sailboats, a luxurious, indulgent, and sometimes scary way to skirt the coasts of Spain, and Sweden, or wander between between Ibiza and Mallorca, or cruise the Florida Keys, the Virgin Islands, Tahiti, or the Bahamas. After that came bicycle trips through the interiors of France, Italy, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, the UK and Vietnam. There is no better way to see the world or meet its people than to move slowly through it – on foot, on a bike, or on a boat. Smell what it smells like. Feel what it feels like. Taste it. Feel helpless. Experience what it’s like to need and rely on a stranger for directions. Be vulnerable. There is a different quality to the experience. It brings humility but over time it feeds a growing confidence and appreciation for other people and their ways. It helps us feel connected to the world in the bigger sense.

Now it’s on to Phase Three – the extended stay. Five years ago my wife and I initiated ours. We still ride our bikes around in the US, but we no longer take long overseas bike trips. We never took guided tours (except in Vietnam), but that’s personal and I realize they do make things easier, especially when time is of the essence. But on our last European bike trip we found that shipping the was prohibitively expensive. After riding around Holland and Belgium we shipped them home from Amsterdam, and the airline charged us $150 per bike. Round trip that adds $600 to the cost of the trip. Too much. It was time for us to move to Phase Three. Besides, we were ready. We’ve aged up to the extended stay.

The extended stay is a relaxed way to stay close to the ground but focus on the local rather than passing through it. It’s all about hanging out. We practiced it in Vietnam, Cambodia, and South Africa. Last year we rented an apartment in Paris for two months. This year we’re doing the same thing in Rome. Total indulgence. We arrived six days ago and haven’t been further than 10 blocks from our apartment. But… in those six days we’ve made friends at a couple of local Go-To places. There’s Novecentotredice, a trendy caffeteria/gelateria around the corner from our apartment where the sensational lattes, fresh squeezed orange juice and pastries are served by the owner’s daughter every morning. From its outside tables we watch the Romans come and go.

Then, for dinner it’s Il Colibri, a cosy Roman restaurant two doors down from our apartment. We’ve eaten there three times in six days. It’s crazy with so many restaurants to choose from, but it’s hard to think of going anywhere else when the miraculously fresh bufala mozzarella with San Daniele prosciutto and the fried artichoke are like nothing we’ve ever tasted. But… I did have devastatingly good cacio y pepe pasta at another place last weekend. Thanks, Anthony Bourdain.

So, it’s OK to slow down. After all, “slow cooking” is a major trend in the culinary world these days. “Slow down, you move too fast/Got to make the morning last.” Great advice. Try it. I’m positive you’ll like it.

Categories : Fashion/Lifestyle, Food/Restaurants, Personal/Family, Travel, Uncategorized, Weather, Work and Adventure