Hacked!!!

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know that my email was hacked into. (I know this because for the first time in 10 years my password did not work. Also when I regained access to my email I found that various messages in my Inbox had been read, mainly ones attached to Ebay, Amazon, and Discover Card. They also contacted some of these site to get information.)

Everything has now been restored and if you received any strange messages from me dated January 23 to January 29, please disregard them. My advice to you is to make your passwords difficult to figure out. Mine was pretty hard (no birthdays, past places I have lived, names of family members or pets and they still got in.) Hope it never happens to you.

Because of the hacking I have removed my email address from my profile, for a while anyway. I have very much enjoyed all the emails I have received due to the blog, from people who are now friends. I am sorry to have to do this but I am a little freaked out. Still comments will be very welcome.

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Watch Those Apron Strings

My last post was about marriage. This article is about annulment and it made me chuckle.

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To Marry or not to Marry

During the past two years in Torino, I have met many couples both Italian and mixed. The majority of the couples happen to be American women married to Italian men but I have also made the acquaintance of many Italian couples married and not married. Many Italian men and women live at home until they are 30+ years old and only move out when they have found someone, usually a girlfriend or boyfriend to move in and share expenses with. Nothing is wrong with this scenario in my mind as many of my friends in the States also live with their boyfriends or girlfriends. I have lived with a boyfriend or two also and even thought it was a good way to get to know someone before deciding whether we were compatible for the long haul.

In Italy, many couples who live together buy houses together, have children together whilst considering and calling themselves husband and wife. What makes a man a husband and what makes a woman a wife? Do unmarried couples deserve the same rights as married ones? If no, why not? If yes, then what would legally separate married and unmarried couples?

In many U.S. states after a couple has lived together "for a while" they are considered to common law husband and wife. Maybe Italy also operates under "common law" marriages as well.

I personally have wanted a child for many years but would never allow myself to get pregnant without being married. Maybe it’s because when I was a teenager my dad told me if I did, I would no longer be his daughter if I did. Maybe it's because if I did eventually have a child with a man, I wanted a bit more insurance that he would not walk out on me and our family without thinking twice about it. Maybe it’s because I have always wanted to be married. Am I saying a married man will think twice before leaving his family and a man who is not married won't? No, absolutely not! However, in my mind all the trouble it takes to get married, divorced and dealing with child custody makes ME think twice before I think about telling my husband, "I'm outta here." I would hope that he would do the same as well. I think that being married helps me to feel more mentally and spiritually committed to my husband. Your thoughts…

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Strike One-Italian Drivers License

Warning: Angry and Disappointed post (I am mostly angry and disappointed in myself.)

Yesterday I failed my first attempt at the oral theory exam for my Italian driver’s license. I chose to take the oral examination versus the written one because I believed it would be easier. Sharon passed the oral exam on her first try; I was hoping to do the same; no luck this time.

The Italian DMV in Torino is understaffed and so one examiner gives the oral exams to two candidates at a time. I was given an appointment time of 8 a.m., when I got to the DMV it wasn’t even open. There was a sign stating that the gates opened at 8:30 a.m. and by chance someone came around at 8:15 let us all in. I was the first name called, after me was a young man from Romania who was to be my co-examinee. He was under the instruction of a driving school and I was not. With Demetrio helping me, I was hoping not to have to enroll in a driving school and spend the money.

The exam started with the examiner showing us a card with various traffic scenarios. We had to decide on the order of precedence that each car was to take at an intersection. I got three of the answers wrong during this part of the exam and I was told I had to go; I had failed. I am not sure how many were questions I was going to be asked. I had studied street signs, road signs and other signs I might encounter on the highway, rules of the road and basic first aid; but never got to any questions about those topics. The examiner told me that I could take the test again in one month and one day’s time. Therefore, I went upstairs to try to book my next appointment but they told me that they were very short of examiners at the time and I would not be able to book my next oral exam. A bit frustrated, I left with my head down. I felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.

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USPS M-Bags

I got my first M-Bag just after Christmas. M-bags are great ways to send books and published material overseas. I asked for books for Veronica and a good friend Jane send a giant box. Thank You Jane! The tag on the M-Bag stated that the entire box of books, about 30 pounds worth, cost somewhere in the $25 dollar range. A very good deal considering that I ordered a calendar refill from Seattle and it cost me $9.15.

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Scary Stats

"Italy has the lowest female employment rate in Europe, with only 45.3% of women between 15 and 64 holding jobs."

Read the full story here.


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Happy Birthday Mom!

My mom will always be 38. We took her out to lunch today to try some creative Italian food at La Credenza. I was glad she liked it since she is hard to impress.

Having my mom here to help me with Veronica and just to hang out with has been wonderful. She is kind, helpful and will always be the tough Chinese mom that she is and I hope she never changes.


Doesn't look a day over 38 does she?


Now my mom has celebrated at least 1 birthday in Italy.


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La Credenza-San Maurizio Canavese(TO)

With my mom here, we have been eating out a lot. Most of the time I’m too busy examining the dish in front of me to remember to take out my camera and document what I am about to eat, today however, I remembered.

We found La Credenza by looking in the Gambero Rosso restaurant guide. This restaurant is only a few minutes from the Torino Airport. It was a quick and easy drive from our home near the center of Torino. This small establishment seats approximately 30 to 50 people (at the most). The restaurant was spacious with oversized tables and enough room for even our SUV stroller. We never once had to ask for water refills or for wine to be poured. The staff was experienced in the service was impeccable. The chef/owner was very personable as he came out to talk to each one of the tables. He seemed very passionate and was very enthusiastic as he described his inspiration and motivation in creating each dish.

All three of us sampled the tasting menu that featured to 11 dishes for €55. All of the dishes were creative, delicious and a very good value for money. We were served: scallops, veal tartar w/ lobster and fois gras, shrimp, two types of pasta, risotto, filet and quail just to name a few. They had a decent wine list (according to Demetrio, since I did not get a chance to look at it) and an ample cheese tray. We cannot wait to go back with our friends in tow.

Very exquisite shrimp on puree of potato infused with basil.

Slice of quail stuffed with apples and potato, slow cooked under oil for 4 hours on caramalized apples.


Tartar of veal with lobster and fois gras.


Fillet of veal filled with sausage and served with a sauce made from chocolate.

La Credenza
Via Cavour, 22 - 10077 San Maurizio Canavese
Tel e fax: 011 9278014 - Email: credenza@tin.it
Chiuso martedì e mercoledì

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Ginger and Green Onion Crab

The cat was titillated but the dog paid on interest at all. We gave him a crab to play with 2 years ago and it scared the heebie-jeebies out of him. The crabs we bought (6 very large ones for 35 Euros, were live and heavy for their size. The flesh was tasty, it was well worth the time and effort.) (Photo by: Meladie D.)

Lately I have noticed that although I am great at taking photos of the raw ingredients of some of the recipes that I post, I have been neglecting to post photos of the finished product. I promise to do a better job of documenting in the future.

My mom makes the best crab in the world. She taught me to kill them, clean them and cook them when I was in high school. Any good Cantonese restaurant worth its salt will have this recipe on its menu. It is simple and very delectable. The hardest part of the whole recipe is killing and cleaning the crabs. A large sauté pan or wok is essential to cook the crabs well. (This link has great photos on how to kill and clean the crabs as well as a recipe. My recipe is not a "wet" one with gravy but a "dry" one.)

Ginger and Green Onion Crab
(Serves 4)

2 to 4 crabs (1 each is a generous serving), cleaned well and cracked lightly
1 large piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
4 to 8 stalks of green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
Salt and Pepper
Oil for frying

Note: Buy the freshest crabs you can, live is always best. (Live in tanks are great!) The feisty ones are hard to get a hold of and kill but they are well worth it.

1. Before you cook the crabs, season them will salt and pepper. If you want your crabs spicy, add more pepper instead of chili.

2. Heat some oil in a wok, when it smokes, sauté the ginger pieces but do not let them burn. Add the green onion then the crab pieces and stir-fry until all crab pieces have turned color. Lower the heat, cover the crab, and cook for 10 minutes more. Now you are done, it really is that simple.

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Cicale Pasta

The last time that I wrote about cicale here I did not include a recipe, as I was not the cook that night. Over our Christmas holiday in Rome, Deme and I found some cicale at great prices in the covered market of Piazza Vittorio aka Chinatown. I was determined to try to make them myself this time. (These special shrimps are available in Italy during the fall and winter but I have never seen them in Seattle and am not sure of their existence anywhere else in the States as a food item.) This easily is one of the best pastas I have ever eaten.

Cicale Pasta
(serves 4)

1 kilo of cicale
2 cloves of garlic, smashed
2 T. finely diced onion
1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes or better yet 6-8 fresh summer plum tomatoes (peeled, seeded and diced)
good quality spaghetti
best quality olive oil
chopped parsley to garnish

1. Place cicale in a large pot with just an inch or two of water and steam until they are all pinkish orange, about 5 to 10 minutes, no longer. Take them out of the pot to cool as soon as they have cooked through. Reserve the juice.

2. Once the cicale are cool enough to handle, take a strong pair of scissors and cut off the head and the tail, you will be left with the body and this looks like a mini lobster tail. Turn the body over and with a pair of scissors, cut a vertical line up the underside. Spread the underside open and scrape out all the flesh you can. It won't look like much but if you lucky and skillful; you might get a long strip of flesh instead of pulp. Either way both are fantastic, reserve the flesh.

3. In a small saucepan, reduce the cooking liquid produced by the cicale until you have about 1/4 C. Strain and set aside.

4. In a separate pan, heat olive oil and sauté the garlic until brown then discard. Add the onions, sauté until soft, 10 minutes, then add the tomato plus 1/2 C. of water. The sauce should be somewhat supple and the tomatoes soft (about 10 min), add the cicale water and taste for seasonings. Add cicale meat to the sauce and then stir in just al dente pasta. Make sure to cook the pasta in the sauce for at least 1-2 minutes for maximum flavor. Garnish with parsley.

Note: Try to time the pasta so it is ready when your sauce is ready.


Be careful with the live shrimps, they have claws that are very sharp. (Photo by Meladie D.)


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The Deliberate Tourist

Happy new year from our family to the rest of the blog world. This is my first post after coming back from a long Christmas break. It feels good to be back home. Our time In Rome was quite eventful. My mom and I went sightseeing, made several Chinese dinners, got to be a part of a very largest in the family and did a ton of Christmas shopping. My mom is a great tourist, she’s a sucker for photos, whether they are cheesy or not. See below for some of our photo highlights:

One of the things my mom really wanted to do was to visit the tombs of the popes at St. Peters.

Mom at the Pantheon.

Mom at the Vatican museums. She's just a speck on this giant staircase.

Mom at the Coliseum

Mom at Piazza Navona, she esp. liked all the performance artists in the square.

Mom and I at the Trevi fountain, afterwards we had lunch at Da Fortunato and she loved her lamb so much she said it was "fantastic."

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Happy New Year!

Now I am really regretting I did not bring my machine aka laptop and my digital camera charge with me on vacation but I was not expecting to be away from home for three weeks. (I think it has become a tradition but someone broke the passenger window of our car ( right in front of the house) and ran off with 1 Euro (that I left in the ashtray for parking purposes, BTW they took the ashtray too) and Demetrio's gas card (work issued). With Christmas and New Years it is taking an extra week to get the glass replaced.

With every new year that rolls around, I come up with a list of things I want to accomplish in the upcoming 12 months. With a new baby our plans have shifted a bit but still they are just about the same as every year, give or take a few new ones for Veronica.

1. Get fit, lose weight, take better care of myself etc...(This has been my number one resolution since high school.)

2. Open up a bank account for Veronica when we got to Seattle in March and start saving for her education.

3. Write a will and determine guardianship for Veronica if anything happens to us.

4. Take a long trip to Guam to get reacquainted with my dad.

5. Stay in touch with family and friends (I am pretty good at this but it is still very important to me.)

6. Better my Italian.

7. Enlarge our expat group in Torino and if I move to Rome, then form a new fun mommy and kid group as well as an expat one.

8. Stop ignoring the dog.

9. Cook more.

10. Find some way to thank my mom and make her realize how much I have appreciated her help these past months.

I wish everyone a Happy New Year and a very fruitful 2007. Thank you for all the support I have received from family, friends and blog readers alike; it has really meant the world to me.

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