La Cucina

[Listening to Dot Allsion's "Cover Me" off Afterglow.]

"....'Like this,' he continued, 'I can feel the texture of food with my fingertips. I become much more intimately involved with the dish. The hard metal fork is not for me. No. I like to touch food, to smell it.' - here he inhaled deeply - 'I like to feel it against my skin, not just in my mouth. Food is such a sensuous thing, eating is such a sensuous pleasure. Eating good food, signora, is akin to lovemaking. It should be enjoyed, not rushed. We should abandon ourselves to its sensuality, signorina. Now I take again a piece of this wonderful timballo. I feel its warmth between my fingers; I feel the soft succulence of the filling, the glorious crust of the pastry. I place it on my tongue, slowly, lovingly. I draw it inside my mouth and experience the frisson as my taste buds go to work. I lick my fingers to enjoy every last bit of it. My fingers brush against my tongue, my lips, flesh against flesh. Now Signora, I want you to try it.' "

The quote above is taken from Lily Prior's La Cucina. Needless to say, each of the characters are as colorful and beautifully portrayed as L'Inglese, as he explains the pleasures of eating with one's fingers, to Rosa, who has just become his teacher in the Culinary Arts of Italy.

I fully realise that what's good for the goose is not always good for the gander - but there's just something about that Lily, at least from where I'm sitting. And I've sat with it some five times, reading it front to back - turning each page is - as L'Inglese puts it - a sensory delight. It's a beautiful - quiet - novel, that follows Rosa, who is as colorful and rich a character as the little miracles that come out of her oven. A story about passion, pain, and the texture of pastry between one's fingers. The love of food, the love of life, and the love that endures all.

if that last line doesn't sound like the generic movie tagline, I don't know what does. But there was no other way of putting it.