Balsamic Sea Salt

I am ending the year with a bang~sprinkling a tad on fresh tomatoes with Mozzarella and fresh basil for a side salad. Wishing all of you a very Happy New Year...........

Taboo after dinner?

A day without at least two cappuccinos while traveling out the country, for me, is a day without sunshine! I do order the short cups~still counting the calories. Look at how rich and creamy this cup is! This is a meal in itself!! Let me get to the point .....having a cappuccino after dinner was/is a major violation I have experienced for a long time when traveling to Italy. I considered this my dessert at times until someone close to me pointed out very quietly that drinking this type of coffee was never done after dinner. My heart shattered! This is incredulous! I was from Washington where Starbucks was created and had any selection of coffee drinks at any time of the day. So for a few days, I started to take notice and pay more attention to when people were ordering or drinking cappuccinos and really, I never observed anyone caught in the act after dinner or even late in the day-except, the tourist, like me. Whatever is the logic behind this taboo? To that question my friend just replied," it's just not what we do here in Italy." As an American visitor to foreign places, I make an extra effort to comply and conform and not make up my own rules as I go. I never wear tennis shoes and always have a scarf around my neck. I certainly do not wish to challenge the logic behind having a cappuccino after dinner, but I would like to know what it is! If you know, please do share!