It rained most of Tuesday in Tuscany, but we had a good time anyway. The market in Poggibonsi is only on Tuesday mornings, allegedly from 8:30 to 1, but by 12:30 most of the stands are packing up to close down. The prices are more than fair for excellent quality, and I would say, on average, lower than in Florence.
It used to be great when I had no restrictions on my sodium intake because this market has multiple already prepared food stands, particularly barbecues, but everything is loaded with salt.
We did find and buy some pecorino cheese with truffles and a couple of other cheeses. The big find by Barbara was two different kinds of tomato sauce without any salt at all.
We also bought some very good produce. Most of the fruits are not yet in season
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From the market we went to lunch. It was more like a feast. Our driver Mauro has to limit what he can drink so four of us basically consumed 3 liters of a very tasty sparkling house white wine which I have been drinking at this place almost since it opened in 2008.
The chef is quite gifted and we always start with a seafood/fish antipasti which is composed of about 10 different dishes, one better than the next. I think my sister posted some pictures.
We then took the chef’s recommendation to have a combination of grilled octopus, cod and two different kinds of potatoes. Before that we had a great seafood risotto.
The chef then recommended an assortment of desserts. I had probably as good a flan as I have every had, and wonderful liquid sorbetto limone. It is even better if laced with limoncello, but I passed, having already had more to drink than I have had in a year.
The new oil on the table, bought from a nearby oil factory, was great. The chef called for us and arranged a private tour. We bought eight bottles of two different oils for our apartment here (4 & 4) and sent 24 bottles back to Florida (12 & 12). The oil this year is better than it has been for a while.
We left the apartment about 10:30 a.m. and got back to Florence by about 5:30. No one had anything to eat after lunch.
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Despite having company, I will probably not to go out to eat either today or tomorrow, although tomorrow night we will have guests over for apertivo. Although I can no longer eat it, I have already purchased the two best prosciuttos available, some great boiled ham, and my favorite soft Tuscan salami, which is to die for. There are literally hundreds of different kinds of salamis in Italy, and although I have not tried them all, I have tried many and this one, bought from what I think is the best place in the Central Market, is my favorite.
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Have not seen my friend Marco yet as he closed his leather shop Sabani both Monday and Tuesday. Normally, he is just closed on Mondays.
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I see that Donald Trump won the lawsuit Mary Trump brought for allegedly being screwed out of her inheritance. That was a tough lawsuit to win.
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So far, most of the beaten Republicans have actually conceded. Not Lake in Arizona, but that is no surprise.
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Looks like McCarthy will be Speaker. I am not happy, but I do not think he is nearly as pleased as he anticipated. I am sure he expected to have a large margin and it appears as if the margin might be countable on one hand. As an aside, I am not sure all the Republicans can actually count.
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Based upon what I have read so far on the Internet, Trump has announced his candidacy for President. However, the coverage is really strange and many Republicans are not happy with the timing.
I understand Fox News cut its coverage after an hour. This announcement appears to be much ado about nothing. Apparently, it went over with a resounding thud. Trump has already lost the support of the Murdoch family, which means Fox News, The New York Post and The Wall Street Journal. Not one Republican politician attended. All in all, I rank it a little less than a pork chop at a kosher wedding.
Personally, I think it will be more interesting to go to the zoo, stand in front of the monkey cage and listen to the monkeys chatter than it will to listen to Trump’s campaign rhetoric.
I think the Democrats are better off if Trump wins the nomination than if DeSantis does. I also think that other Republicans like Pence and Pompeo are just kidding themselves if they think they have any viable chance.
Actually, at this point, other than Cheney and Kinzinger, maybe Christie and Hogan, it is hard to respect any Republican. I do, as I said many times, think McConnell is a great politician.
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When I would have private conversations with judges, I told them my very strong opinion that litigators and litigants, if their expectations are managed well, can accept an adverse decision if they know why. In other words, the decisions need to be explained.
I feel the same thing about friendships. I understand that circumstances change and people need to change plans. I am not happy, but I can accept it. What I have trouble with is not being told “why?” I am not going to put an ad in the paper. As I said, not too long
ago, when I posted “New Rules”, don’t bullshit me and I won’t bullshit you.
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It looks as if Anthony Rizzo will remain with the Yankees. I like him as a ball player and am happy about that.
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Go Ukraine.
