THE CHEESE

When I posted on the SlowTrav and Expats message boards asking how to store the block of Parmesan cheese that Wendy gave Art for his birthday, it was suggested that I take the cheese to a local cheese shop to have it cut and vacuum packed. Since we don't have a cheese shop here or in Marsciano, I wondered whether I could take the cheese to the local grocery store instead.

We discussed the problem with Giacomo the other day, and he suggested the large butcher shop here in San Venanzo, Davide. Since we don't go there very much at all (they're supposed to be famous for their meat/sausage, but we think they're a bit pricey), this didn't seem like the best place to ask.

Art suggested that maybe we should just buy a vacuum machine and do it ourselves, but I told him those machines are expensive....over €100, I'm sure. Not that I'd mind having one, especially now that we have the freezer, but still....

Art decided that we should ride down to Marsciano to see if we could find a vacuum sealer, and also to see if Rita might be helping out at Nestor's (formerly Ternana's). We were wondering how Pino was feeling, but hate to just stop in at their house without notice.

The Brava! store was sold out of vacuum sealers, but the clerk said they cost €120 and up! Never mind.

We had more success at Nestor, where Rita was indeed helping out on a busy Saturday evening. We found out that Pino is feeling much better, and that physical therapy has helped his back/leg pain considerably.

While we were eating our pizza, Art had a great idea.....he remembered that Marco had laminated our Carta d'Identita cards way back when....maybe he still had the machine and could seal something larger...something like our cheese.

I took advantage of a rare quiet moment without customers to ask both Rita and Mara if it would be possible to seal the cheese Art had received for his birthday. We found out that the machine had stayed with the pizzeria, and Mara told me we could bring it by in the morning!

This morning we drove down to Marsciano. Art was expecting the pizzeria to be empty, but I was afraid we'd hit the after church crowd, which we did. On Sundays there are sheet pizzas, roasted chicken, roast potatoes, pasta dishes, focaccia, loaves of bread, and everything else you'd need for a delicious Sunday lunch without heating up the kitchen.

When there was a momentary lull, Giuseppe took the cheese to the back to cut it and seal it. He brought out a sample wedge to make sure that it wasn't too large or too small for us. In the end, it took well over an hour, due to the constant stream of customers. We didn't mind waiting, and in fact, we're so happy that business seems to be as good now as it was when it was Ternana's.

We tried to pay Giuseppe, if not for his time, at least for his supplies, but he wouldn't take a penny. We did get him to keep one wedge of the cheese...not a big deal for him, but at least we could show our appreciation.