Thursday night
Wow, I know close to nothing about soccer, but that goal that just went in for Sweden who beat Paraguay in the nick of time, was pretty darn impressing. It was almost perfect, well it felt like perfect, I have no idea what perfect would mean in this situation.
but it’s a bit sad because Paraguay now got eliminated from the first round. aw! why is it sad? well, I used to know someone from Paraguay, we lost touch a long time ago, but he was really cool, and well, it’d be nice if he country wins. I just know he was watching the game and cheering too, somewhere. And that, my friend, is probably the coolest thing about the World Cup.
did I mention that it was full-on summer? it is warm out and the nights are super lively around here. after dinner hours, e-v-e-r-y-o-n-e is out on the town, in groups or alone, fancily dressed for the summer, eating gelato! and every gelateria in town has a small crowd gather in front. I’ve resorted to eating one cup of gelato a day after my bike ride back from work, so after dinner, I go out for a granita instead.
granita is Italian slushy, basically finely crushed ice mix with sweet liquid: syrup or fresh fruit juice. the consistency is a that of a melted 7/11 slushy, but the taste, ohhhh, far more superior. how, why? I dunno, must be an Italian thing, cuz every thing taste better here, yes, even crushed ice.
the best is the fresh fruit ones, they’re perfect for these humid summer nights to cool your system down. the syrup ones are a hit or miss because it depends on the quality of flavored syrup the store chooses to stock. my favorite so far is fresh orange juice granita. mmmm. one day i shall try this at home, crush ice and squeezed orange juice. but wow, it’s so much easier to just go for a walk and get gelato AND a granita.
and this is probably why any brand food chain that are all over the u.s. will never penetrate the market here. jamba juice? psh, they’ve had better ones for centuries. starbucks? shush, you can’t try competing with Italian cafe, are you insane? krispy kreme? um, check out this bakery next door before you even compare yourself. ben and jerry’s? fat chance.
i am going to miss you, Italia.