Il Falso Avventura - The False Adventure

Friends and all,

There are times when you anticipate an adventure. While it may be a bit frightening, you nevertheless look forward to the challenge. Thursday was going to be “laundry day!” For the last 10 days we had tried to get some sense of how the whole laundry thing works in Italy. These are the things the “helpful” little guidebooks never seem to deal with. They tell you how to leave your clothes outside your room at a fancy hotel, or how to ask to have you shoes shined, but how to get your undies and socks renewed, that is never dealt with. As we roamed about Lecce we saw lots of dry cleaners and places that seemed to be willing, for a price (which was not our price), to do you clothes. But we could find no good, old fashioned, coin-operated Laundromat.

At last, our little Czech waitress had tracked on down for us. She drew a cute little map indicating it was just out of the historic section of town, just down the street from a Ristorante Cinese (Chinese Restaurant) On one of my morning walks I had located it and Polley and I decided Thursday was the day.

We bundled up our clothes and detergent (at least it appeared to be detergent when we bought it at the store) and headed to the place, rehearsing my primitive Italian, in anticipation of any number of problems regarding change, soap amounts, how long to dry, etc. We got there, and this twenty-something fellow comes out, speaking pretty good English, and informs us that he will do it all. We load the clothes, he puts in the soap, the coins, moves them to the dryer, tutto (everything)! All you pay him is 1-euro, a sort of transfer fee for going from washer to dryer. He told us to not worry and to return in an hour. So as is our laundry day tradition, we retired to a bar for a glass of wine. The bar was very much a neighborhood hangout and so we just enjoyed the life of everyday Lecceans (?). The sun was shining and people were out going about their daily business. An hour later, we returned and in true Italian fashion, the clothes weren’t done! However, they had been moved to the dryer, we took some things out that were dry and then just arranged to return later in the day to pick them up. Out total cost, 14 euro. In France, last year, doing all the work ourselves, it was about 22. And here they do the work.

Proud of our find at the laundry, we headed downtown to pick up some cheese. There is a famous cheese here called burratta. It is a mozerella, but when you cut into it, there is cream in the center. I read somewhere that years ago, the Shah of Iran used to send a private plane to Italy to pick up this delicacy. So we, naturally, had to try it. We had gone into a local Salumaria (delicatessen) the previous day, to get some. I ask it they had it and the lovely grandmother behind the counter had no idea what I was talking about. I repeated it, confidently, several times (apparently pronouncing it like the pistol, bereetta), and still no recognition. Finally, I gave her my note with the word spelled out. She shrieked and said, “Oh, you mean BOOORRATTA (in Italian, of course)” They did not have any, but promised that if I came back domani (tomorrow) she would have it for us. So we were back. My MIS-pronunciation of the cheese had been so famous that even the woman;s grandchild recognize me as we entered. Alas, the order had not come in and it would be a another day. Stay tuned.

Continuing in a cheese vein, there have recently been erected a number of tents in the town square that are selling local cheeses, honey, wine, sausage, etc. I had read about a Ricotta Forte (strong) that has a real kick to it. We discovered some and bought a small jar. WOW! It is a serious boot to all you senses. It comes in a jar and while it is very creamy, the flavor is like a Roquefort to about the 10th power!

As the weather has changed, we are coming to enjoy the town more and more. Don’t want to use up all our “adventures” in one day, so stay tuned and thanks for following along.

Ed and Polley