I have been travelling a lot in July, not so much in August. The two months had a noticeably different rhythm and a very opposite feel. July felt suspended, ethereal, with me constantly on the move and up in the air, struggling to feel settled or make sense of where I was, for I wasn't anywhere for long enough. August, in contrast, was a static month, and yet one full of restless anxiety, of changes, of big announcements and strict deadlines. I suppose all these factors, in different ways, are part of the reason why I have been a Tom Sawyer of sorts, shirking from this space and missing the chance to write about much of the good food that has appeared, despite everything, on our table.
However, I did want to share some photos of my nonna that I took on a short visit I paid to my homeland back in July, as she recently turned 95 and made her first appearance on a foreign national paper. I captured her in her beloved 'basement kitchen' while she was jarring tomatoes and making fresh tomato sauce, teaching me a thing or two about canning. You might remember reading about her already when I wrote about her chicken, so I just thought I would skip introductions. Here she is:
