Books, Arts & Manners: La Dolce Vita

If you are still under the impression that Italy is a land where the living is simple and totally natural, all you need do to disillusion yourself is pay a visit to an Italian supermercato: not necessarily one in a posh quarter of Rome or Milan, but one in a small country town in Tuscany or Sicily. The convenience-food counters and the frozen-food section will be a revelation—all the more so if you go to a market that is patronized by the locals for their daily needs. Aside from the rich selection of jams, there is, to cite at random, mayonnaise and tomato paste in tubes rather than in jars, which allows the contents to stay fresh longer; assortments of antipasto goodies made with eggplant, olives, peppers, etc.; canned meat stews, packaged puddings, bottled caramel syrup, packaged cakes, and a number of the endless variety of American cold cereals that have now invaded the Italian provinces. The frozen-food compartments hold TV dinners, vegetables, cheeses, bacon, fried cheese puffs, and the obvious ravioli and tortellini.

The Italian woman, in town or in the country, middle-class or workingclass, simply does not any longer cook from scratch as she once did—and wanted to do. Italians have grown conscious of their figures (la lined), and, besides, the taste of our times is for lighter food, since improved nutrition and warmer houses have made unnecessary the high caloric intake of earlier years. And, most important, many Italian women in villages and towns now go out to work, because they want to be able to share in the good things of life promoted by TV, magazines, and the example of the well-to-do Italians and foreigners they see.

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Nika Hazelton

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If you are still under the impression that Italy is a land where the living is simple and totally natural, all you need do to disillusion yourself is pay a visit to an Italian supermercato: not necessarily one in a posh quarter of Rome or Milan, but one in a small country town in Tuscany or Sicily. The convenience-food counters and the frozen-food section will be a revelation—all the more so if you go to a market that is patronized by the locals for their daily needs. Aside from the rich selection of jams, there is, to cite at random, mayonnaise and tomato paste in tubes rather than in jars, which allows the contents to stay fresh longer; assortments of antipasto goodies made with eggplant, olives, peppers, etc.; canned meat stews, packaged puddings, bottled caramel syrup, packaged cakes, and a number of the endless variety of American cold cereals that have now invaded the Italian provinces. The frozen-food compartments hold TV dinners, vegetables, cheeses, bacon, fried cheese puffs, and the obvious ravioli and tortellini.

The Italian woman, in town or in the country, middle-class or workingclass, simply does not any longer cook from scratch as she once did—and wanted to do. Italians have grown conscious of their figures (la lined), and, besides, the taste of our times is for lighter food, since improved nutrition and warmer houses have made unnecessary the high caloric intake of earlier years. And, most important, many Italian women in villages and towns now go out to work, because they want to be able to share in the good things of life promoted by TV, magazines, and the example of the well-to-do Italians and foreigners they see.