My First Italian Mash Note

We were having dinner last night at La Baie Sardinia just around the corner from us. Its a wonderful family run restaurant with an owner/waitress who reminds me of Anna Magnani with a sense of haha. She's charming, personable and emotes so expressively that you just know what she's talking about even when you don't. And the food is remarkable - a seafood antipasti of mussels, popcorn shrimp, dressed sardines, salmon, octopus, squid and garlic-mayonnaise white fish that has to be tasted to be believed. And the shrimp, zucchini, white truffle spaghetti is nirvana. And on a steamy Roman evening when you can finish off with Sardinian sweets and a wonderful sweet-bitter green apple sorbetto you know that all is right with the world despite what's happened at work during the week.

But I digress, as we sat chatting with Lorraine and John I heard a little giggle and this note was left beside me:

There was good-natured laughter from the table behind us - a family gathering of 7 or 8 - and there was Eva. Eva was probably 6 or 7, long dark curls and big brown eyes. She was giggling nervously at her mere audacity as only a child can do. When I spoke to her it was all downcast eyes and embarrassed smiles.

When we left we said buono sera to the table - as you do here when you've been in the same room as people enjoying dinner - and a special ciao to Eva. She was still embarrassed but as we left turned and shyly waved.

Yeah, everything is definately right with the world - or at least our little neighbourhood of Africano.

05 luglio - San Antonio Maria Zaccaria