What started me writing about picnics today is a bit of news from the American Spice Trade Association, according to which Americans no longer love the good old bland food of yesteryear. Hear this: We are using 18 million more pounds of pepper than we were ten years ago, 3.5 million more pounds of basil, 2.8 million more pounds of oregano, and 16 million more pounds of cinnamon.
Can there be hope yet for a nation that is discovering that well-seasoned food tastes better than bland food? On the other hand, Italy, which has always seasoned its food well, has plenty of problems nonetheless. In any case, these thoughts brought to memory a picnic, in honor of a relative’s birthday, held among the classical ruins of Tusculum near Frascati, famed for its wine and its villas. Sor Mario, the relative thus honored, loved picnics and classical antiquities with an equal passion; and, after all, it was he who administered the family vineyards and olive groves in nearby Monte Porzio Catone . . .
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