Some Random Thoughts, Part IV

1. There’s one rule you should always follow, no matter where you go in the world: avoid any restaurant that has plastic models of the food it serves. What’s the point? Can plastic food models ever look appetizing? (Believe me, this plastic pizza looked MUCH worse in person!) A short time ago, a new crepe place opened in North Beach in San Francisco. Chip and I were excited about its arrival as we love crepes. But when it opened, it filled its display windows in the front with plastic models of the crepes, all looking artificial and disgusting. I said to Chip, “I give this place a month.” It lasted roughly that long, and I attribute its short life to those ugly plastic food models.


2. When you use the restroom in Italy, you never know what to expect. Last week, when my parents and I dined at Trattoria Mario with Pauline, my mom excused herself to use the restroom. I was surprised when she returned, only a minute or two later. Surely she couldn’t be that efficient! It turns out that when she opened the door, she was confronted with nothing but a hole in the ground. Not knowing quite how to handle this crude facility, she turned right around and returned to the table. Somehow a hole in the ground will give anyone a reason to “hold it”!


3. While walking down Via della Scala in Florence, I happened upon a restaurant named Coccodrillo (meaning “Crocodile”). If you’ve ever taken Franco’s Italian class, you know exactly why I was charmed by this restaurant’s name.


4. Graffiti is unpleasant enough to see, no matter where it appears, but it’s even more disconcerting when you see it on the wall of a building or monument that has stood proudly in Florence for 500 years or more. Just what are these “artists” thinking?


5. Museums and churches in Florence don’t keep standard opening hours. You really have to make sure what the specific hours are before you go. And if you ever happen to be there when a museum is about to close, be ready to leave, quickly! Lanny, Jane, and I were in the Museo di Storia della Scienza (the Museum of the History of Science), scouting out a scavenger hunt for a student field trip. We knew that we had arrived fairly close to closing time, but we were still surprised at what happened when that time arrived. An announcement came over a loudspeaker, stating that the museum would close in ten minutes. We were on the top floor, so we started to move quickly through the rooms. Suddenly, all of the lights went out, and the museum was thrown into complete darkness. We literally had to feel our way through the rooms to make it to the stairwell. When they say ten minutes, they mean it!


6. I’ve got mail, once again! My second piece of mail arrived, this time a letter from my mother-in-law. Thanks, Barbara! I can’t begin to tell you how good it feels to come home to mail from home!

7. Spring is here! The Italian’s call this month Marzo Pazzo (Crazy March), so I don’t know whether it’s here to stay, but the past few days have been glorious – sunny with highs in the 70s. One of my colleagues, Janet, definitely got into the spirit of things by going out and buying tulips and a beautiful spring hat, handmade by a local hatmaker. She looks simply marvelous!