I Just Want to Be With My Wife

No Bros in Favor of Showing Ma and Dad's Life in Italy

"I am a devout Catholic." Giovanni says to the group of men he's sitting with at a café. "But even I know its limits."

That sets the others off, as they argue in Italian, and Giovanni can only watch.

When he has a chance to speak again, he says, "The Bible is meant to be a cautionary tale, not a blueprint for how we should live our lives."

As the other men start arguing again, Mia comes in, smiling. "What're you arguing?"

"The Bible." Giovanni says.

"Meet me for lunch?" Mia asks.

"You know it." Giovanni grins, giving her a kiss before she leaves.

"Gio." One of the men says. "Your wife is beautiful."

"Lei è molto bella." Another one agrees.

"You're very lucky."

"Believe me, I know." Giovanni says, finishing lighting his cigar. "Now back to where we left off."

And there they go, back to shouting.

"Gli scritti di Luigi Veronelli hanno contribuito a riportare l'attenzione sulle ricche tradizioni culinarie di Bologna e dell'Emilia-Romagna." Mia's teacher tells the class as they walk through the busy markets. "Veronelli frequentò l'Università degli Studi di Milano, dove studiò filosofia, che in seguito avrebbe influenzato il suo stile di scrittura riflessivo e poetico."

(Luigi Veronelli's writings have helped bring attention to the rich culinary traditions of Bologna and Emilia-Romagna. Veronelli attended the University of Milan, where he studied philosophy, which would later influence his thoughtful and poetic writing style.)

Mia's busy taking in all the life bursting all around her as the teacher keeps talking.

"Il passaggio di Veronelli dalla filosofia alla gastronomia iniziò alla fine degli anni Quaranta. Il suo interesse per il cibo e il vino è stato stuzzicato dalle ricche tradizioni culinarie italiane e dal significato culturale della cucina nella vita italiana.

Il cibo e il vino non sono solo sostentamento, sono espressioni di cultura, storia e arte."

(Veronelli's transition from philosophy to gastronomy began in the late 1940s. His interest in food and wine was piqued by Italy's rich culinary traditions and the cultural significance of cuisine in Italian life.

Food and wine are not just sustenance, they are expressions of culture, history and art.)

A fellow student, named Sofia, stops Mia, telling her, "Spero un giorno di potermi esprimere attraverso la cultura, la storia o l'arte. Così appassionato."

(I hope one day to be able to express myself through culture, history or art. So passionate.)

Then she rushes to catch up.

Later, they're at the Palazzo Fava, as the teacher describes the painting they're looking at,

"Il Trionfo di Bacco e Ariadne. Il dio Bacco è circondato da varie figure impegnate in banchetti e allegrie. Notate l'uva, i fichi e altri frutti nel dipinto, che simboleggiano la fertilità, l'abbondanza e il raccolto, elementi cruciali per le tradizioni culinarie italiane. Lo stesso Bacco è incoronato con foglie di vino e tiene in mano un calice di vino, a simboleggiare l'abbondanza e il piacere associati alle tradizioni vinicole italiane."

(The Triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne. The god Bacchus is surrounded by various figures engaged in banquets and merrymaking. Notice the grapes, figs, and other fruits in the painting, which symbolize fertility, abundance, and harvest, crucial elements to Italian culinary traditions. Bacchus himself is crowned with wine leaves and holds a goblet of wine, symbolizing the abundance and pleasure associated with Italian winemaking traditions.)

Sofia whispers to Mia, "Sembra la festa a cui sono andato ieri sera.

(Sounds like the party I went to last night.)

Mia smiles at her, then looks down to keep taking notes.

"Questo dipinto evidenzia il ruolo vitale del cibo e del vino negli incontri sociali e nell'espressione artistica durante il periodo barocco." The teacher explains. "Le ricche trame e i dettagli meticolosi nella raffigurazione dei contenitori di cibo e vino evidenziano l'abilità di Carracci nel catturare esperienze sensoriali associate alle delizie culinarie."

(This painting highlights the vital role of food and wine in social gatherings and artistic expression during the Baroque period. The rich textures and meticulous detail in the depiction of food and wine containers highlight Carracci's skill in capturing sensory experiences associated with culinary delights.)

"Catturare esperienze sensoriali associate a delizie culinarie." The student repeats, nodding. "È sicuramente successo alla festa di ieri sera."

(Capturing sensory experiences associated with culinary delights. That definitely happened at the party last night.)

As they're leaving, the rest of the class keeps walking, but Mia hangs back to watch all the other people going in and out, talking and laughing.

"I literally lost track of how much time we spent talking about the Bible vs the Torah." Giovanni tells Mia that night, sitting down at their tiny table and pouring the wine while the roof leaks from the storm outside. "Or at least I think that's what we were talking about. But we were talking about God, I'm sure of that. I just know those men were delighted to keep talking about it. There were even tears, but I couldn't tell if they were happy or sad tears. But the biggest fight was over who was gonna pay the bill. All in all, my day was amazing."

He lifts his wine glass, "Salud."

Mia lifts her own, "Salud.", and they toast.

After they sip, Mia tells Giovanni, "My class explored the markets today. We learned about Luigi Veronelli."

"Our son's namesake?" Giovanni asks.

Mia nods, "It was all about how he started as a philosopher, then transitioned into food, but still used his philosophical teachings to influence his writing. My God, Gio, it was amazing. And the painting we saw was so vivid, so beautiful."

"Paintings are beautiful." Giovanni agrees, taking a bite. "Like what I cooked?"

"What is it?" Mia asks, looking at it.

"What do you think it is?" Giovanni asks back.

"I seriously can't picture it. How one can go from something as serious and thoughtful as philosophy and find food." Mia changes the subject quickly. "You have to come with me next time. Is this fish?"

"You think it tastes like fish?" Giovanni asks.

"I can't wait for you to be there with me." Mia changes the subject again.

"Mollica?" Giovanni calls to the cat. "Care to weigh in?" he takes a piece and hands it to Mollica. "Did Papa do good?"

Later, they're blowing out the candles for the night and lay down together on the cot. It's a cramped fit, but they manage just the same.

"Buonanotte amore mio."

"Buonanotte amore mio."

"You're an amazing woman."

"You should leave the cooking to me."

Mollica jumps up on them, kneads a few times, then settles down on the end of the cot.