"Che cosa hai mangiato per la prima colazione?" (What did you eat for breakfast?)

I don't know if this is a set-up for a joke - but all eyes eagerly await this answer, every time we are asked! With smiles growing as we start with "umm..cereal." Which is true I am a cereal lover, that and our daily cappuccino & fresh squeezed OJ.  

But they press harder not satisfied with cereal, "Is that all?" .... "I don't know...sometimes pancakes, uuuhhh I love waffles with strawberries, or eggs, bacon, toast & hash browns..." - we are really rolling here & all the Italians eyes light up - "Ah yes! The American breakfast - we have heard soo much of this!"  They finally got the answer they were looking for, all nodding in agreement that this is what they thought and must be why Americans are so much bigger.

Italian cannot understand or even imagine how we could eat all this for breakfast, but they seem to be fascinated & love hearing about it. We get asked this question all the time!

I was slightly mortified when friends stopped by one evening & we were doing the unthinkable...eating breakfast for dinner! French toast to be exact and since pancetta is just oh so good thick slices of pancetta (much much better than bacon) & I was in hog even!  Then all the sudden I thought - we must look insane & like americani pazzi (crazy Americans)...we are doing the unthinkable - drinking MILK! Our friends seemed to understand the idea of breakfast for dinner - but the milk, blasphamia! wine - you drink wine with dinner - even if dinner is breakfast!

Just a bit of daily life....

Ashley Bartner is the Living in Italy Editor for Wandering Educators.

La Tavola Marche Agriturismo & Cooking Holiday

http://www.latavolamarche.com