Piccola fiore asiana

What a difference a day made! From the lowest pits of mood, my high soared when I received a huge bunch of 16 big red roses with the prettiest jasmine on Saturday. As it turned out, caro A remembered my b-day and ordered it from Italia along with a sweet message - "To: My litle asian flower..." Awwww. (Don't gag on me now!) I know it's such a cliche but flowers really do it for me.

That lifted my spirits and inspired me to cook up una grandissima cena, while stifling girlish bashful giggles every now and then. My parents gave me the puzzled look and probably suspect they might lose a daughter to this mysterious man in Italia. Well at least now that I had taught them how to say 'Buon giorno!', it'd come in useful when they visit the country!

Dinner at Adriano's went without a hitch and everyone loved the 'Toni-Piero-Pirlo' antipasti of proscuitto con arugula, involtini di melazane, pepperino con pesto e feta, and melone con feta, olio e basil. The Barbera d'Asti vino rosso (Coppo Canelli estate), a b-day gift from Elena in Milano, was exquisite (grazie bella!) with the Molto 'Grosso' squid ink pasta with crabmeat, Sicilian capers and sun-dried tomatoes. It was amazing how they could find room for the 'Cannavaro' pollo - baked chicken thighs stuffed with chopped olives, bacon, rosemary and basil, served with its decadent dripping and meaty Portobello mushrooms.

Garibaldi was on a vegetarian diet and could only watched us stuffed ourselves with the meat. Then we sipped the plum-ish 25year-old Tokay dessert wine from Australia and mustered the will to finish the 'Buffon Finale' of fresh pears and peaches poached in red wine scented with vanilla bean and cinnamon. I also brought along the precious torta of panforte that M bought for me from Siena and treated my dear amici to la dolce vita dell'Italia.

When the clock struck 12am, I found an sms from A before I could even call him to thank him for the wonderful gift. I was so nervous dialling his number, a lump in my throat and knots in my tummy, wondering if we'd understand each other cos he no speaker inglese at all. It turned out bene as he commented me on my vastly improved italian and we laughed during the 'non capito' moments! Grazie mille di nuovo.