February 18, 2013
I believe this about breakfast: you absolutely must eat a healthy one.
The breakfast I eat in Sicily goes against everything I hold true.
I ingest a big fat brioche (brioscia) oozing with chocolate or pistachio paste, snowy with powdered sugar. Along with a sugary shot of caffeine.
But the guilt I feel is only a passing blip on the radar of my emotions before Euphoria sets in. Does my lack of shame stem from the fact that everyone else on the island is doing it, too?
Or because, to get my hands on these treats, I have to haul myself down one hundred steps?
And then haul myself back up like some kind of alpinist?
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February 9, 2013
As we tooled around Sicily this week, a theme emerged: scary sights.
Spotted in the Ballaro market in Palermo: goat heads. What is the home cook to do with these? Are they meant for lunch, or…?
Wikipedia says, “In Sicilian witchcraft it is customary to leave a fish head on the door step of one’s enemy to ward off malicious intention. The practice dates back to at least 1308, when Dante referenced it in his epic, the Divine Comedy. In a more serious feud, escalation of hostilities can be signaled by the appearance of a goat head or horse head.”
Below was the Dantesque vision that greeted us as we entered Mazara del Vallo. I can’t say for sure what it is.
And in the Mazara fish market, the catch of the day was a creature the size of a very large pizza, with eyes instead of olives, and a laughing mouth.
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January 4, 2013
“In Sicily,” the locals always say, “You’ve got to have friends.”
So true. Without amici, I would not know where to find wild asparagus, or how to dry tomatoes in the sun. I would not have heat in the winter, or olive oil in autumn. I would not have had books or lipstick during my hospital stay, or the best doctor in town. I would not have known how to get a codice fiscale, open a bank account, or buy a house.
I have learned a lot about the Sicilian heart in the process.
To FRIENDSHIP in the New Year!!!
Quantu va ‘n’amicu ‘n chiazza, ‘un ce va cent’unzi ‘n cascia, Sicilians say. A trusted friend is a real treasure.
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December 7, 2012
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These photos were taken in the charming old part of Siracusa called Ortigia. A place not to be missed!
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December 3, 2012
There’s been a lot of talk recently, with the whole Euro-zone mess, about the “idle hordes of civil servants” in Sicily. Lest you think that nobody is lifting a finger on the island, here are some Sicilians hard at work.
 Would you like a little tobacco with your beef?
 We both wore blue today to match the scaffolding.
 Signora? Signora? Can I help you?  One must maintain bella figura on the job.  Who needs virtual files when you can bury your desk with real ones?  Hey! Where’s MY caption? ***
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All photos and text on BaroqueSicily are Copyright of Jann Huizenga ©2009-2015, unless otherwise noted. Material may not be copied or re-published without written permission. All rights reserved.
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