Quasi Arrivata (Nearly There)

The first thing I see is corn. I've travelled 5,000 miles from the corn fields of Wainscott on eastern Long Island to arrive in Emilia Romagna by train, en route from Milan, to find more corn. Which is of course strangely comforting. This region is known as the Food Valley, its fertile soil and timeless gastronomic traditions the backbone of prosperous cities such as Parma, Reggio Emilia and Bologna. Hence, food before wine, and corn fields before vineyard rows.

Alma's cooking school came way before its wine program, only in it's second year, as had it been in reverse I hazard a guess that it would've been situated in Tuscany or Piedmont, regions with more substantial wine-production. I was of course tickled to be surrounded by chefs and pastry makers, cooking a huge passion of mine, and to bop around to different food festivals taking place throughout the fall.

Chugging along the cornfield express, I have a feeling that I'll be seeing a lot more of this train, en route to fields of a different crop. As we blow through a stop called Remedello Sotto, I remind myself that no matter what it looks like on the outside, I am doing the right thing. I am following my heart's path. No matter how much corn separates me from the nearest decent vintage. Have wine cork, will travel.

I recall a conversation I had last night with Paolo, a friend of a friend I'd met in Milan over the weekend. We were talking about why Italy had lost the last World Cup. It was all in their heads, he said. There was too much pressure from having won the previous Cup. Take another example in Italian sport, Valentino Rossi, the motorcycle racing champion. He just keeps winning, and it's not just because he tucks into curves like he's eating a sandwich. It's because of the strength of his will or 'volonta', from the Latin 'voluntas', which means to intend with desire and inclination. His will is so strong, and so unwavering, that he can't help but win. Valentino Rossi is my new totem, my new model and inspiration for the beginning of this step into the unknown. Here's a quote from Motosprint Magazine, in response to his motivation to commit to three more years of racing: "Racing is the thing in my life that I love the best: it’s my passion, I don’t need any other motives." Nuff said.