I'd like to start out by saying in Sicily, no one speaks English. Thankfully most of the younger generation are taught and therefore can speak Italian. However the overwhelming majority speak Sicilian, which is surprisingly different from Italian. I would estimate that 80% of my time in Sicily was spent in silence trying to listen and understand what the hell everyone was saying. When some one addressed me, which they did and I am very grateful for, they spoke Italian slowly and clearly. I surprised myself every time by actually understanding them and being able to respond. I had full conversations with friends and family in Italian, which until a year and a half ago was only a dream I could say I wanted to accomplish. Now, that dream is becoming a reality (Thank the lord!).
My first two days in Sicily were very similar. I was living with my aunt's family in the sleepy fishing town of Aspra, a small section of the larger Sicilian city of Bagheria. A little tidbit of information for you: apparently Aspra is home to 90% of the world's sardine factories. The place is reminiscent of the old American coal mine towns whose very life blood came from their single export; if the sardines were lost the town would fall apart. But I digress! Both days I woke up late, aroused by the loud snoring of my cousins whose room I shared and the magnificently itchy feeling of a dozen new mosquito bites acquired throughout the night. Both days we ate a late lunch followed by a trip out to the sea on a little boat, in search of a small strip of beach to wash up on and pass the time. It was very relaxing. After returning from the beach we would shower, eat a home cooked meal, jump in the family car, and ride out into the night in search of friends and a place to sit and enjoy a beer. The town was so small that everyone knows everyone, and everyone knows that everyone has nothing to do and was seeking entertainment. We would drive down the streets, yelling at other local kids, wondering what they were up to. Both nights we ended up at a small outdoor bar in Porticello, a nearby town known for (you guessed it) its large port. We grabbed beers and conversed in a slurry of languages: English, Italian, Sicilian, and sometimes other dialects of Italian (my cousin is dating a wonderful Neapolitan girl).
During these two days I formulated an analogy that by the end of the trip I had confirmed to be downright accurate. Sicilians eat how they drive: with as little rules as possible.
Driving in Sicily is not for the weak of stomach. It is simple, fast, and without regulation. Seat belts are not obligatory. A girlfriend of my aunt's pointed out the fact that she could tell exactly who was the American in the car because I was the only one wearing my seat belt. "Mi scusate," I would say, " e' un abitudine, non sto pensando!" (I'm sorry, it's a habit, I am not thinking) Also it is clear that Sicilians do not have a healthy respect for what we might call a "lane line." Maneuvers were made that in the California would grant you a nicely sized ticket. However they do have a healthy respect for the size of their vehicle and just how small of a space they can get their car into. Crowds of car were able to crawl through tiny streets without a drop of nervous sweat produced from their drivers (maybe it's just me but I don't like anything to get within a foot of ole Besty, my 23 year old Cadillac).
The classic Sicilian dinner is very similar. The meal resembles a densely crowded street as participants make mad rushes for the large platters of food spread out on the table. Before the meal the table is populated with loafs of bread, liters of soda and water, and the large platters of whatever meats and vegetables are being served. Everyone sits, and the chowing-down commences. Few words leave mouths in order to make room for the copious amounts of food going back the other direction. Arms are reaching and plates are passed. Bread is broken and used to scoop up any juices left on a plate. The meal is done after 15 minutes. Now this is the kind of eating I can get used to.
I did not take any photos these days but not to worry, There are plenty more to come!
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