Wednesday

Happy Wednesday from Cervinara!

Anyone who has been here for a visit or who knows us even slightly, knows that Wednesday is market day.  We love our little market and have made a weekly pilgrimage to pick up our necessities and to "window shop" at all the stands.  A couple of years ago I wrote a post about an indiscretion we committed, when we opted to make a purchase from a different vendor than our usual one.  We were duly chastised and given a slightly chilly reception for a couple of weeks until all was forgiven.

Today was our first day back and we were so happy to see our regular clam guy, our regular olive guy, and our regular "any gadget you may need" guy.  I particularly like the olive fellow.  He greets us with fist bumps, he gives us tastes of all his olives (he knows our tastes and is usually spot on with his recommendations), and he's always ready to throw in a few more items just because he's that kind of guy.  It was no different today, even though we've been away for almost a year.  It's always a happy reunion when we get our first taste of those fat, green olives!

The fish vendor has a new young man handling his customers.  He wasn't aware that we are weekly regulars and he actually had to ask us what we wanted.  Our usual fellow would start bagging our clams as soon as he saw us, and he too would throw in a few extras because of our loyalty.  We'll break this young giovanotto in! 

We have found a new fruit/vegetable vendor, and I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  This woman is funny and pushy, she laughs at how I speak Italian with an accent, and has the best produce around.  Tiny eggplants, salad tomatoes with just the right amount of green on them, grapes, peaches, melon....you name it, she has it.  It's like shopping with the Italian version of Bette Midler with the added bonus of some really good products.  Plus she's right across from olive man so it's like one stop shopping!

If Wednesday is market day, it's also spaghetti with vongole day.  I think this is why we come back here every year and stay for as long as we do.  Nothing beats the tiny clams that cook up quickly in some garlic scented olive oil, some white wine, and a hearty sprinkle of peperoncino.  The clams are small and sweet and taste of nothing but sun and sea.  I've tried more times than I can count to reproduce this perfectly simple dish at home, and it's pointless.  It's not that we don't have good clams in Connecticut.  After all we're not an hour from the shore.  But the big Quahogs that we have are tougher, and just don't have the special flavor of our little verace clams here.  I officially invite anyone who knocks on our door on a Wednesday to join us for lunch.  You won't regret it!

Shopping at the market is a remnant of the past here in Italy.  There's really no need for it to exist anymore, as shopping malls and big super markets have popped up everywhere.  But we cling to this bit of tradition, just as we do with our itinerant vendors who drive their trucks laden with merchandise up into the hills here to serve anyone who isn't able to get down to the stores.  The relationships we have here will never be replaced by someone who mindlessly scans our items at the Lidl.  We become part of the community when we support our local vendors and then we become friends rather than just customers.  I don't know how long these traditions will continue, but I hope it's as long as we continue to come to our beloved Cervinara. 

Buon appetito!