{"id":218,"date":"2006-09-25T08:12:24","date_gmt":"2006-09-25T08:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.sararosso.com\/index.php\/2006\/09\/25\/uva-fragola\/"},"modified":"2017-10-17T08:03:37","modified_gmt":"2017-10-17T15:03:37","slug":"uva-fragola","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/09\/25\/uva-fragola\/","title":{"rendered":"Uva Fragola"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li>Know all of Google&#8217;s products\/services? <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/List_of_Google_products\">Today&#8217;s count: 71<\/a> &#8211; could be a good baby or bridal shower game!<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/ayomusic.artistes.universalmusic.fr\/\">German-born Nigerian-Gipsy <strong>Ayo<\/strong><\/a>&#8216;s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.myspace.com\/ayosound\">Down on My Knees<\/a> is very popular in my office right now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>When I saw Lex Culinaria&#8217;s post about <a href=\"http:\/\/gorgeoustown.typepad.com\/lex_culinaria\/2006\/09\/winemakers_cake.html\">Winemaker&#8217;s cake<\/a> a few days ago, she took me back to a very vivid memory of a not particularly spectacular time in my life.<\/p>\n<p>I had been in Italy and Milan for a only few weeks, and I was subletting an apartment from a friend of my cousin&#8217;s. It was August, hot, and very deserted. Most of the Italians and expats I had met through friends of friends when I first arrived were now gone for the summer. I didn&#8217;t mind the solitude since I am naturally adventurous, but I did mind that the city was empty and therefore no matter how many streets I wandered and shop windows I peered into, I wasn&#8217;t really learning much about the city.<\/p>\n<p>An American friend of my apartment owner took pity on me and invited me over to her apartment for a drink one day. I sat on her balcony and looked at the spectacular view she had of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sforzesco_Castle\">Castello Sforzesco<\/a>. There were few cars on the street and almost no one walking around, so it was strangely quiet for the center of Milan. I envied her apartment and its view, and her apparent self-sufficiency in a country that was not her own.<\/p>\n<p>I, on the other hand, was nowhere near this self-sufficiency. My Italian was coming along, since the rate at which I subjected myself to ridicule was frequent, and I was trying every day. My trusty mini-dictionary went everywhere with me. But I had nothing else. No apartment, no job, no friends, no idea. Now that I arrived in Italy, what was I doing here?<\/p>\n<p>She came out onto the balcony carrying a bowl of small, dark purple grapes and set them before me. I wasn&#8217;t a big fan of purple grapes, so spoiled and used to my green seedless grapes.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You have to taste these.&#8221; The look on her face convinced me to give them a try.<\/p>\n<p>I popped one into my mouth. The flavor that exploded in my mouth was obviously the inspiration for those grape-colored lollipops and juice that we had fought over as kids. I always thought it was a result of some citric acid and sugar mojo. I never really believed grapes tasted like this, just like I didn&#8217;t believe in <a href=\"http:\/\/images.google.com\/images?svnum=10&amp;hl=en&amp;lr=&amp;client=firefox-a&amp;rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&amp;q=blue+raspberry&amp;btnG=Search\">raspberry being a bright blue<\/a>. None of the grapes we had at my house had ever come close to this taste.<\/p>\n<p>These were <em>uva fragola<\/em>, literally strawberry grapes, and only later would I find out they were simply <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Concord_grapes\">Concord Grapes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a title=\"Photo Sharing\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/msadventuresinitaly\/251267816\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/static.flickr.com\/116\/251267816_4affec81b2.jpg?resize=500%2C375\" alt=\"Uva Fragola\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>This memory is so vivid to me because their discovery represented something that was very important to me at the time. I didn&#8217;t know what I was doing in Italy, or that in a few weeks I would be moving to Rome to live in Trastevere, and in a few more weeks after that I&#8217;d meet S.<\/p>\n<p>But it reminded me of the purpose of any adventure. To live, to experience and to learn. New experiences awaited me. Sometimes I would seek them out, sometimes they would come to me. And I would figure the rest of it out along the way.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Know all of Google&#8217;s products\/services? Today&#8217;s count: 71 &#8211; could be a good baby or bridal shower game! German-born Nigerian-Gipsy Ayo&#8216;s Down on My Knees is very popular in my office right now. When I saw Lex Culinaria&#8217;s post about Winemaker&#8217;s cake a few days ago, she took me back to a very vivid memory&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2006\/09\/25\/uva-fragola\/\">Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-218","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-food","7":"category-italy","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4uB1-3w","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2531,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2010\/04\/21\/an-all-italy-podcast-eye-on-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":0},"title":"An All-Italy Podcast: Eye on Italy!","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"April 21, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Something I've been wanting to organize for quite some time - a podcast all about Italy - news, culture, travel, and even some tips, applications and cool websites for those of you who love Italy: Eye on Italy! On the first episode, I was joined by Jessica from Jessica Travels\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Italy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Italy","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/italy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/EOI_screen.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/EOI_screen.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/EOI_screen.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/04\/EOI_screen.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":477,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/03\/17\/calling-all-expats-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":1},"title":"Calling all Expats in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 17, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Just a quick note to all Expats living in Italy - we're organizing a get-together (bloggers and non) in Florence on April 19th! Go to my Expat GTG in Italy page to get more details and RSVP. Please spread the word!","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog Event&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog Event","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/blog-event\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":515,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2008\/04\/10\/something-new-snapshots-of-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":2},"title":"Something New: Snapshots of Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"April 10, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"I've had a lot of people comment to me, \"What happened to the cultural aspects of your blog, those little quirks of living in Italy like Santas gyrating to the Yellow Rose of Texas or wearing booties and a cap and nothing else at the gynecologist?\" Those moments still happen,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Discovering Italy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Italy","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-italy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5007,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2013\/09\/02\/35-days-in-southern-italy-italian-food-family-fun\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":3},"title":"35 Days in Southern Italy: (Italian) Food, Family, Fun","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"September 2, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you a\u00a0subscriber to my newsletter?\u00a0I\u2019m also on Twitter @rosso\u00a0and\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0rossosara\u00a0on Instagram. I live in Italy, so that shouldn't seem so rare, right? But two of the three elements were pretty rare: 35 days of uninterrupted Italian food was one. I'm lucky enough to live in Milan where there's plenty of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Discovering Italy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Italy","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-italy\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spiaggia, Beach, in Puglia, Italy, on Ms. Adventures in Italy by Sara Rosso","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Ive-got-that-summertime-summertime-sadness.-beach-mare-Puglia-Italy-September-01-2013-at-0813PM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Ive-got-that-summertime-summertime-sadness.-beach-mare-Puglia-Italy-September-01-2013-at-0813PM.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Ive-got-that-summertime-summertime-sadness.-beach-mare-Puglia-Italy-September-01-2013-at-0813PM.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4721,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2013\/03\/11\/march-favorites-italy-edition\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":4},"title":"March Favorites: Italy edition","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"March 11, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you friends with me on Instagram? I'm rossosara.\u00a0Are you a\u00a0subscriber to my newsletter? I\u2019m also on Twitter @rosso.\u00a0 Here's some of the favorites I've seen lately in Italy. Favorite work-turned-reward in Italy: Not only was cutting my own chocolate so cool, the cremino from Domori\u00a0was so delicious and my\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Favorites&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Favorites","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/favorites\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/sararosso.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/cut-your-chocolate-cremino-from-domori-italy-february-28-2013-at-0822pm.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/sararosso.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/cut-your-chocolate-cremino-from-domori-italy-february-28-2013-at-0822pm.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1 1x, https:\/\/sararosso.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/02\/cut-your-chocolate-cremino-from-domori-italy-february-28-2013-at-0822pm.jpg?w=525&h=300&crop=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2598,"url":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/2010\/06\/24\/strawberry-festival-sagra-delle-fragole-in-italy\/","url_meta":{"origin":218,"position":5},"title":"Strawberry Festival, Sagra delle Fragole in Italy","author":"Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy","date":"June 24, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"If it's summertime, that means loads of wonderful sagre, festivals, in Italy. Many sagre are food-related celebrations and festivals, but not all. But when it is food-related, you know that you're going to eat well! Even the tiniest cities can have excellent sagre. Case in point is the Sagra delle\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Discovering Food&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Discovering Food","link":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/category\/discovering-food\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Fresh strawberries - Sagra della Fragola, Strawberry Festival in Italy","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/farm2.static.flickr.com\/1081\/4729380157_50f0c2af01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6519,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218\/revisions\/6519"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.msadventuresinitaly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}