Skating Party

The other bonus for being home this time around for Xmas is that Patrick and I were also able to go to our skating party. See blog on highlights - but don't expect much right away, I'm still behind on posts for this one.

Patrick and Cheryl at the Skating Party

While home for the holidays and the skating party - we were able to get this shot of Cheryl (my brother's wife) and Patrick.

No, she normally doesn't have that face - bad timing of the flash - and yes, I'll probably get in trouble for posting it.

Insanity at the Smith Household

OK, we made it home for the holidays. Did the whole Xmas Eve thing at our house (not bad, for arriving from Europe just a few days earlier). First time in a long time so many siblings were in one place - only the oldest, Michael, was missing.

We tried to the Brady Bunch pose, where we were all lined up on the stairway, but you get the idea. From bottom to top - me, Tim, Tom, and Julie (in that order of age).

We're moving

We decided that even though we're going to be in France for just 3 more months, we thought we'd move to a new place.

Gaby's apartment is just around the corner from us, but it has the added bonuses (in order of priority) of:

1. Underground parking under the apartment
2. A bathtub
3. Twice the size of the old apartment
4. Terrace (more important if the three months were not in winter)

The only bad thing is that we need to say goodbye to all our friends, finish Xmas shopping, pack for home, clean old apartment, move all our crap to the new place, and make a 7AM flight on Friday morning. And we have one week.

The only really bad part was packing (amazing the amount of crap you can accumulate in 15 months) and moving all the crap to Gaby's (I think it was about 25 trips when it was all done). The distance didn't seem too long when we were in the planning and design phase, but when we hit the implementation phase - we were surprised. It is probably only 500 paces (literally around the corner), but it was the season for Xmas markets. Do you know how hard it is to move a huge box of crap, when there's a father and child walking in front of you on a crowded street at 10 centimeters per minute. Next time, I'm at least getting a dolly.

Goodbye (Part I)

Well, it has begun.

As the inevitable change reaches our lives again and even the small city of Strasbourg, the time comes for us to say goodbye to many of our colleagues. With the project live since October and stabilization essentially complete, we will see all of the Application Engineers return to the US or new jobs in Europe. So although we know we will see each other again, we also know that we will no longer have a dinner at Matteo's, a bitch session in the smoke hut, or coffee in Building 900.

(That's probably a good thing though, since we suspect there was a Six Sigma project to find a cheaper coffee supplier, and the quality is just not what it used to be.)

Goodbye: Bruno Mercier

Bruno Mercier, who was basically Gaby's bitch for a year, is my fellow vegetarian cohort. Yes, it was a bit more militant on the organic whole food "everyone will die prematurely of diabetes" thing than I was (I still am known to enjoy a refined white flour processed food or two), he actually personally represented a goal that I would wish to someday obtain. In other words Patrick, I might go whole food vegan for just some fun. And he was the only understood me when the cafeteria's menu was the choice of baby cow head or snail pizza with a frog leg appetizer.

As far as work, Bruno had the unenviable task (along with Holger and Emmanuelle) of having to support a design that was decided before his first child was born, and all he could basically say was "Go talk to the crazy Mexican woman who's out smoking". His knowledge of QM or WM was probably not used to its fullest, but he was invaluable in a bridge (or Maginot Line) between Gaby and QC. I mean, let's be honest, without Bruno, Gaby would have taken down Building 100 with her four inch pumps two weeks after arrival. (Wow, I'm going to get in so much trouble with Gaby, it's not even funny.)

Goodbye: Lucia Nogueda

There is so much to say about Lucia, but the most important is that if you ever have a chance to meet her, you must. Where I was exhausted when my niece visited for two weeks, she had hers for months. She has the patience of Job (the biblical one), and a profound intelligence that puts people simply at ease.

As I reviewed pictures for the composite I was reminded of so many stories, but I think I will remember most the 2 hour bike ride with Patrick into work in the pouring rain, and when we rode home one night in about the same time. Unforgettable of course would be the (pre)wedding in Italy. Not only were Patrick and I honored to attend, I still remember the meal as perhaps the best I have ever had.

I regret that you will be leaving us and staying in Germany, but I figure one of us has to fly across the pond at some point.

Goodbye: Daniella

OK, first question.... are you still in trouble for not being back from Germany that one Friday night months ago? OK, that won't be the main thing I remember of you - OK, maybe it will.

Regardless, I hope you had a great time in France, because we certainly enjoyed getting to know you - even though you gave your Aunt a fright for not showing up in Strasbourg like you were suppose to - OK, I'm letting that go.

You did teach me one very important lesson, which was that I am not "of bar drinking until 4 o'clock in the morning" age anymore. Not because I actually did that . . . OK, there was that one time at Gaby's when Patrick was out of town and I was still illegal to operate a motor vehicle the next morning, but I'm told there aren't any pictures to prove it . . . where was I? Ah, so even though I never went out with you guys until 3 in the morning, Patrick did - and I was lucky one who experienced his hangover . . . anyway, I'm a lightweight.

I hope we are given the chance to cross paths again in 20 years, because we would love to see how your life evolved. You seem to be capable of anything. Now go give Lucia a hug for putting her through that nightmare of being MIA for 12 hours.

Goodbye: Cindy Eaton

Cindy is from Lilly's plant in Lafayette, who was sent to Fegersheim on a short term assignment to help out with training. So she was on the GBIP project, but we just adopted her instead.

The first couple of weeks were a little tough, I think, because she was living in the white collar prison hotel (otherwise known as the Citadine), and then moved to a hotel, because at least it had air conditioning. So basically no kitchen, but under 95 degree ambient temperature - I suppose you need to weigh the pro's and con's. Regardless that meant she had to feel the full brunt of Alsatian cooking all at once. Weber didn't help either, since he seemed to order pig knuckles and God knows what else.

After she got her house, I think she settled in much better; so she totally gets the award for bridging the most cultural distance - Strasbourg is a lot farther away from Tippe than it is from Indy.

Goodbye: Holger Roeder

Like Lucia, the patience of Job.

Also someone who has to support a design that was decided back when the USSR was a superpower, Holger Roeder was Jill's bitch. But you know, it just didn't have the same ring to it, as Bruno and Gaby. I think Holger was the first one to realize that Fegersheim has its own "unique" "style" of "planning", but he was also nice (or smart) enough to not call them out on it. Personally I would have blown up if I had spent so much time developing a piece of functionality to finally not use it in the end - yikes.

Holger also had an interesting background - German and married to a Frenchwoman. Personally, I didn't think that was possible. But I think that experience must have served him well in dealing with all of us.

Goodbye: Emmanuelle Frohlich

Alas I had an awesome picture of Emmanuelle, but I couldn't find it - so this will have to do - hissssss.

Emmanuelle Frohlich was the WM (Warehouse Management) Application Engineer, and not only did she have to support a design that was decided long ago - she also had to deal with a new system, the Warehouse Execution System. So basically SAP knowledge was reduced to very little, as the WES tried to integrate with SAP - yikes.

I think I would have lost my sanity long ago, so Emmanuelle gets lots of bonus points. She also gets bonus points for commuting from Luxembourg to Fegersheim every week - what a pain.

And yes, I'll find a good picture, but I think the cat thing works well too.

Goodbye: Joe Moeddel

OK, this one is a little weird on the goodbye, because he's living in our house. But just go with it...

Although he was a bit of a project on the clothing thing, and he never did understand the purpose of product and using it everyday - we did get him past sweatshirts and not dusting. So even though he will most likely revert to his barbaric ways without constant feedback, he at least showed that he was trainable. We leave it up to his future wife to make it permanent.

With everyone there were so many memories, but the ones that come to mind at this particular moment include: not respecting traffic signs, the marathon training, the fence that fought back, the trips to Egypt and Turkey and Paris and Luxembourg and (you get the idea), Hugo Boss logistic fiascos, morning coffee, the bellybutton thing (thanks Mrs. Moeddel), and 2% girl (hey, we spent a lot of time together). OK, the last one wasn't really a Strasbourg memory, but it just sums up his personality, so I threw that in. You'll have to email him for the complete story.

Although plans are not final at this point, I'm sure Joe will do great in any endeavor - well, except fashion consultant or strategic planner - but other than that, he's good to go. And yes future friends of Joe, he's not a great conversationalist, so be armed with one of those "Book of 50 Questions" just to break through the first glacier - unless you share a common interest in that Tiger football team and start with a lot in common.

Goodbye: Jill Hagan

Now with the offices empty, I am reminded on how used I got to seeing Jill every morning. And if there is one thing that reminds me all the Americans have gone home - is that Jill's desk is completely empty.

Professionally, I will always remember Jill as the Saint (or Sainte), since she had to put up with Faubert and Fegersheim's "planning" all those long months. Yes, I had to tell Faubert off several times, but Jill actually had to make eye contact with him and engage him in conversation. Anyway, I wish I will be as methodical and even when I grow up.

Personally I will remember the trips to Baden-Baden, the Wine Route, and various places along the way. But more importantly I will remember her competitive side (I still won the Phrase of the Day) - oops, sorry - and her humor that wonderfully appeared after we knew each other.

Goodbye: Chris Hagan

The man with the hardest job, and the one who did it the best.

You would think that his wife, Jill, had the hardest job (have you seen how Fegersheim plans?), but I would have to say Chris had the hardest. Although there were others who did not have a 40 hour job to keep them busy, while their spouse worked on GBIP for 60 hours; I always felt that Chris had the most difficult challenge. Not only because he was new to the career on hold thing, but also because he did not have the 5000 hobbies with accompanying sporting equipment from REI - you know who you are.

You throw in a couple of dinners with fellow GBIPers who have a natural tendency to talk about . . . well, GBIP, and an apartment that was 180 degrees different "style" than his (see Lesson 8); you can get an idea of the challenge. And for all those out there who think not working for 18 months in France would be the easiest job in the World, you would find that it is one of the great ironies of life - you can only go down the wine route so many times.

So when I think of Chris, I will remember that hideous vase with its associated lace doylies, and a mental image I have of him eating lunch with the women from Americans in Alsace (think Carmel housewives on steroids). Most importantly I will remember how much Patrick (and I) enjoyed just having a beer at a local bar with him - I figure Patrick is a pretty good judge of character.

Goodbye: Mindy Beigle

Sorry I was going to do a composite thing, but none of the pictures I had were nearly as good as this one.

This picture is actually like the Mona Lisa - you know, you can't tell if the Mona Lisa is smiling or frowning, or whether or not her hands are actually hers with bad genes or Leonardo's. Same thing with this pic, which sometimes says to me "I'm a cheerleader, and I just got my teeth whitened . . . again" or "Oh my God, I can't believe Wade talked me into having Patrick's birthday party at my house with 100 of his closest friends".

Anyway, really glad that we all could run around Europe together - too bad you had to leave earlier and not have as much time with us. I'll remember the trips to Baden-Baden and Champagne, intercepting you on your walk from work to home, and just general nutiness.

But I will certainly remember most your sheer determination. I must admit it was kind of frightening the first time that I saw you make up your mind on something and then beat it into the ground until it screamed in agony, but once I got passed that I understood you a little better. That "Can't eat an apple, it's loaded with sugar" diet was whack, but you knew that's what you had to do and you stayed with it FOREVER. Well, except for the tarte flambee binge that you planned on your birthday three months in advance, but that just further illustrates my point.

Goodbye: Gaby Vega

I think I'm still in trouble from the Bruno post, so I might sound a little over the top to make up for it.

As you should know from previous posts, Gaby was the QM Application Engineer, and she was the Diva. In fact, she was such a diva that she taught me a few things - so I was just the Junior Diva. As you can imagine, I've never really played a supporting role before (just never found the right script) until Gaby came along, so that's pretty profound.

Gaby taught me several things including the best source of information is just a smoke away (don't worry, I only experienced the unfiltered second-hand smoke), Spanish and Italian are really interchangeable languages, and some people should not drive a manual transmission (Patrick still relives the running over the high school student incident to this day).

Despite all of her successes in achieving results with people, I must say I was a bit disappointed that we did not see our own GBIP smackdown. Can't tell you how many times Bruno IM'ed me to say that he thought the time had arrived, and I had my trusty video camera ready. Alas, you can't have everything.

Goodbye: Jim Weber

An absolutely amazing individual, and a true gift to have been able to work and know him better.

First, a tremendously good sport. Not everyone can give up their daily work uniform for the past 30 years, just for team spirit. Actually, we all know it was because of Mama Cita, but that's another story.

Second, I've never seen anyone inhale an area culturally, in this case Alsace, like Jim. Not only did he find food and spirits in towns that probably aren't even on a map outside of Alsace, but he really enjoyed the french, he understood them better than any of us, and truly appreciated them. He liked the Germans too.

Third, an idiot savant when it came to learning french. Despite no background in it, he would amaze with vocabulary words three months after we had been there - I think one time he knew the french words for "silk damask draperies" - bizarre.

Fourth, an amazing ability to take a topic, like particle physics or Middle Eastern geopolitics, and reduce the main points down to index finger, middle finger, thumb. I figure if the Lilly thing doesn't work out, he could go be a strategic policy analyst for the State Department or Pentagon.

Before I forget . . . thanks for the leftovers (50 half opened bottles of alcohol) - Patrick Emanuel and Daniel Prieto are salivating. I'm thinking team building event for all of semi-finished manufacturing, but I'm afraid it would affect the World's Insulin supply.

And finally, Jim said several times that we were the finest group of AE's the GBIP project has ever had, but he forgot to mention that the main reason was because we had the finest leader (yes, I know merit reviews are done for the year - you little twits).

Goodbye: Theresa Weber

Sorry, when I think of Theresa, I think of her purse. I know that's not so profound to the uninitiated, but you have to understand that her purse must have been a portal to another universe that was directly connected to three Super Wal-Marts. I've never seen so much crap come out of that thing, and I just waited for the day you pulled out a turkey leg or diesel generator. I mean I thought I was doing pretty well with having nail clippers in my man bag - and I'm an Eagle Scout.

Anyway, Theresa got the ordering in french thing down and could drink tequila like a sailor. And oh yes, she had to put up with Jim - but that's obviously an old skill. By the way, haven't started on the leftover Anejo, it's too emotional for me right now. And with the upcoming Tequila party for Lucia's wedding, I think I should pace myself.

(And the composite might need a bit of explanation to the uninitiated - the cotton ball at the end is Fry. Didn't want to leave him out.)

Goodbye: Tim Whittaker

What a little freak.

If there was ever a person best suited for spending years in a foreign country, while his spouse worked, Tim would be it. I think he basically has every single product item from REI. Question: the four fishing poles you took over to Geneva, were they used?

Tim did teach me an important lesson that there are so many things still left to do in the World (snowboarding is probably not one of them), and you can still concentrate on just a handful if you want. I know if I ever find myself bored with life, I need only give him a buzz and he'll give me three ideas. By the way, I had a few minutes earlier today and found mail-order Finnish saunas. Sorry...back to him...

So besides the bike pedals that shaved off another 150 grams of weight from your road bike, I will naturally remember the trips to Bordeaux, Champagne, Paris, Luxembourg, and god knows where else. The custom shirts are an unforgettable - as well as the trips to the Chalet and, of course, Team America . . . uncut. But most importantly, I will remember that your life is really going to suck when you get back to the States.

Goodbye: Andrea Whittaker

I've tried to write this entry four times already, and I never knew where to begin; so I suppose this will have to do.

There are so many memories and experiences I want to capture, so I am sure I will never forget. But at the same time I know that it is a pointless exercise, since it would not capture the essence of the past 15 months with Andrea. So I will try another way.

The chinese character for profundity is formed by combining the radical for "water" with the radical for "collective effort". The Chinese believe someone who is profound does not skim the surface of their perceptions, but instead strives to understand the whole - including themselves.

Whenever I see this character, I will always be reminded of Andrea Whittaker.

Goodbye: GBIP Team

Although Building 200 has not yet gone live, and there is much work for Fegersheim to do with their new system, and Patrick and I will be back in January for three more months; the project as we know it is essentially over.

Knowing that I have the memory skills of a turnip, I know I will not remember everyone; so here's the rundown on everyone for posterity...

First row (left to right): Evelyn Ludes, Michel Dufaut, Fabrice Hetzel, David Pate, Guillaume Maillard, Celine Collinet, Andrea Whittaker, Mario Braun, Catherine Hoerth, Severine Matzen, Cathy Gouin, Veronique Bobey, Albert Eck, Valerie
Traverso, Christine Degermann

Second row (left to right): Laurence Ciravegna, Daniel Prieto, Bernard LaFitte,
Patrick Emanuel, Nicholas Scoubeau, Stephane Bertrand, Thierry Huge, Jim
Weber, Anne-Catherine Bildstein, Holger Roeder, Severine Drost, Reinhardt
Kiauk, Jean-Marc Schoenenberger, Elisabeth Fath, natalie Ernst, Christelle
Wurtz, Marc Lauwick, Lucia Nogueda, Olga Komazel, Mark Griffith, Gilles
Szamosvari, Samuel Renard, Christoph Paymal, Marco Riva, Thomas Veith,
Philippe Obser, Julia Hagan, Philippe Faubert, Joe Moeddel, Bruno Mercier,
Wade Smith, Benoit Rahier, Sylvain Rigoulet, Chrystel Perez

It seems silly, but thank you to everyone. And all I can say is that I'm glad I'm going home for the holidays, because otherwise I would be really REALLY depressed right now.

Last Dinner at Matteo's

Well not exactly Patrick and my last night at Matteo's, but it was the last night for Joe, Cindy, and Gaby.

Matteo's is an Italian restaurant that's about 50 feet away from our apartment, and you can see the owner Matteo (fifth from the right or left), and his wife (second from the right). Patty goes there for the lasagne, which we have the recipe. And I always get the goat cheese pizza - I like consistency.

Anselmo Visiting

Anselmo (Supply Chain Guy) flew in from Spain for a day in order to talk to Fegersheim. Unfortunately it was during a rather busy time (packing for the holidays, Patrick travelling, moving to a new apartment, saying goodbye to 10 close friends, etc.). Hopefully when he's back next time we'll have some more time.

We did end up going to a nice seafood place with Cindy, Adria, Jim, Theresa, and Anselmo. Turned out our future landlord (LiAne) does the english translations of the menu - Strasbourg really ain't that big.

Skiing in Switzerland

Joe, the Whittakers, and Patrick went down to Switzerland to ski one last time before heading home. Not surprisingly, I skipped the event, since skiing and I agree to disagree. I should know the name of the mountain in the background (Matahorn?), but it escapes me.

It sounded like they had a good time, and even had some last minute snow (insert Global Warming comment again). Patrick even made Joe talk in the car on the way back, so that they would stay awake.

Patty is in NYC

If you haven't been keeping track, Patrick travels a lot more than I do.

As he starts a new assignment with Lilly, he had to do some obligatory training . . . in New York City. Tough life. The good news was that he was gone for only a week, the bad news is that we had to drive down the Swiss mountain to the closest town at 5AM Sunday morning, in order for to make the train to Geneva, so he could make his 7AM flight. Whew.

This is what happens to your brain on drugs

Not really sure when we took this picture, but it was probably when we were trying to keep up with Daniel. I, of course, went home, since it was a school night (and it was after 10PM.) But several tried to run with the bulls. See "Why I can't be friends with the Spanish"

I do remember the next day at work, that I saw Gaby walk in the front door. And even though she was 50 meters away, I could feel her hangover. That's pretty bad, since I'm not a very empathic person.

Thanksgiving

It's was that time again . . . Thanksgiving - celebrated on the Saturday after.

As some of you remember, last year we went up to a Swiss Chalet that was owned by Tim Whittaker's boss. Fortunately, this time we could actually drive the cars up the mountain - thanks to Global Warming.

I do need to find a better picture of us all together, because this one makes us look like it was a funeral. Hello Patrick and Andrea, give me a little oompf.

Anyway we did have a really nice time, but it was certainly different than last year. First, we didn't have Joe drink an entire bottle of Jack Daniels with a banana "pie" chaser, which totally changes the dynamic. Second, we knew it was our last big outing together as a team, before the insanity of going home would begin - I could only imagine the difficulty with Tim and Andrea, who had already spent so much time in Switzerland before even France. And finally, I took my bike helmet, so the damage from the low beams in the house was totally minimized.

Fondue for Thanksgiving Eve

As you can probably tell from this picture, we didn't really dress up the night before Thanksgiving, but we did have killer fondue and raclette. Fondue recipe was complements of Laurence Ciravegna - I think the secret is in the three cheeses.

I cannot be friends with Spanish people

I know this may come off as politically incorrect, but I have decided that I cannot be friends with the Spanish (but not the Mexicans) (Insert another politically insensitive comment)

We are just genetically not compatible.

Let me explain...

When I am eating dinner at 8PM (pretty late by US standards), the Spanish (as represented by Daniel) are taking a nap.

When I am doing the dishes after dinner at 10PM (again, late by US standards), their alarm is going off.

When I am going to bed around 10:30PM, they are taking a shower.

When I am in my first REM sleep around midnight, they are eating dinner.

When I am in my third REM sleep around 2AM, they are arriving at their first bar.

When Patrick is waking up (he still doesn't sleep well) at 5AM, they are coming home.

Don't even ask me the schedule for the weekend.

What did you have for Thanksgiving?

I know this might be a bit hard to see, but for Thanksgiving (the official Thursday Thanksgiving), we had Cincinnati's finest Skyline Chili. And we even had it at Joe's place. Two great adventurers.

I know that I will be castigated by Cincinnati natives, but it wasn't really chili (Joe, drop the bat, and step away from the antiques that are in the house). I mean, Skyline Chili is just ground meat with some spices - there are no beans, identifiable vegetables, or . . . color, quite frankly. And there's this whole ritual around putting on the cheese - and get this . . . . spaghetti. It's more like Italian Spaghetti Bolognese without the tomato sauce - bizarre.

Anyway we did have a great time, all the crazy Americans were there. Men were in the kitchen making the ground beef, and all the women were sitting at the table eating (France is very liberal, as you can tell). There was also an incident with the neighbors across the street - apparently our noise reached 50 feet across the avenue, and we had to close the windows at midnight. Ooops.

Video: Lessons Learned

Another obnoxious video from yours truly - (high def version available upon request).

Italy: The Wedding

Well, it has finally come. Lucia and Alberto were married in Italy this weekend, and we were honored for being invited. It was our first wedding ever in a foreign country - and what a place to have one.

We also took a couple of days off after the wedding and ran around Northern Italy - so catch that at the bottom too.Ital

Italy: The Hotel

Well, it wasn't really a hotel - it was a castle - literally. Outside of Casteggio (Alberto's hometown), is an old country Castle - I think the Medicis stayed there once. Fantastic place - full of knight's armor, silver, etc. The ceiling alone in our bedroom was worth a picture.

Italy: Rehersal Dinner

After driving several hours through four countries, we arrived at the hotel about 7:30 at night. We then headed off to the rehersal dinner, where we met up with Lucia, Alberto, Lucia's family, and various other friends of Alberto and Lucia. The restaurant was a very good Italian restaurant which had an amazing ability to make pizzas, risottos, and pastas. Already the food was substantially better than Maggiano's, but it also doesn't hurt that your in an area of Italy that is famous for its truffles, rissotos, and sparkling wines.

Italy: Another Hell Freezing Over

As you have followed the fashion evolution of Mr. Weber, this should strike you as the most outstanding.

From the man that has worn blue oxford and khakis with VERY few exceptions, you can imagine my shock from coming out of the castle and seeing Jim in a coat and tie.

Italy: The Green Tie

In case you missed it from the above photograph - Patrick was tie-less. Quite frankly, we just didn't have time to look around in Strasbourg for a tie (he was in the US the week before). So before we met up with Alberto, Patrick and I ran into the Bar and grabbed a cappucino, and then over to the men's clothing store for perhaps the most expensive tie we have ever purchased (85 euros). And if you need to convert that to dollars, you shouldn't ask.

But as you can get an inkling from the photo - he did look really good in it.

Italy: The Feast

The moment that I have been waiting for.

OK, yeah, the wedding at city hall was interesting, but let's be honest - the food is the most important part of an Italian wedding. Here was the menu . . .

ANTIPASTI
Cheese Soufflé with Casera fondue and white truffle
Pig’s trotter with stuffed onions
Polenta shell with piopparelli mushrooms
Coppa Salami
Lard ‘double vein’ on a soncino salad with balsamic vinegar
Russian salad
Curry Chicken filet with green sauce
Tuna Pate’

FIRST COURSES
Risotto ‘misto bosco’ (wild mushrooms)
Tortellini di magro (ricotta and spinach filled) with walnuts and maggiorana sauce

SECOND COURSES
Italian Pot Roast on fresh porcini mushrooms
Orange duck breast with steamed vegetables
Pork fillet with melograno sauce

DESSERTS
Fruit salad with gellato
Ice cream cake with hazelnut and chocolate

COFFEE

Italy: The Feast (Aperitif)

Any proper meal - Italian, French, or otherwise - has to begin with a drink, and we were not disappointed. Alberto's hometown region is well know for their sparkling wine (think champagne without the legal right to use the word), so we hung outside (it was a bit cold, so we just drank a little more). Also had a couple of little olives and peppers - which I just call the teaser. The purpose of this food is just to wake up your stomach a little bit to say, "Hey, wake up - you don't want to miss what comes next".

Italy: The Feast (Antipasti I)

As the name implies, the dish that comes before the pasta, and the warning that there were more than one - quite frankly, there were a lot of antipasti.

This lovely little dish, Polenta shell with piopparelli mushrooms, was a nice simple polenta with a little mushroom sauce. Nice touch with the scooped out souffle thing with a melon ball. The garnish was just a simple little sun-dried tomato, olive, and olive oil coulis

Totally vegeatarian. Spankable.

Italy: The Feast (Antipasti II)

This is going to be your cheese soufflé with a white truffle fondue. Not only was the region we were in well-known for their sparkling wine, but it was also truffle central - both black and white ones.

The picture makes the dish look bigger and heavier than it actually was, since I don't think I could have made it very far if this was a regular portion.

Italy: The Feast (AntiPasti III)

The first dish I had to skip being the veg, Pig’s trotter with stuffed onions. Not sure how they got the pig in the onion, but they did - Jim and Patrick said the onion was pretty sweet.

Italy: The Feast (AntiPasti IV)

Skipped this course too - but you will soon see that this was a survival advantage that others did not share.

Some good examples of locally cured salamis. Doesn't look like much, but it was apparently very good.

Italy: The Feast (AntiPasti V)

They just kind of threw this one, but I think this is what Italians would call Russian salad, basically it was a very nice potato salad. Patrick did score points here because he said mine was better.

I did have to be careful on this course, because if you had noticed, I did not eat the last three. Granted the servers knew I was veg by this point, but they started to feel that I would starve. So they gave me practically two cups of potato salad - it must be the old Italian grandmother in them that was fighting to get out.

Italy: The Feast (AntiPasta VI)

This is going to be one of those things that sounds a lot better in Italian than it does in english, Lard ‘double vein’ on soncino salad with balsamic vinegar.

Italians are not afraid of throwing in a little fat to give something some taste, and this dish was no different. It actually probably sounds worse than it looks or tastes.

Italy: The Feast (Antipasti VII)

Again, was able to skip this dish - keep in mind, that by this time, I was feeling a little filled. Patrick really liked this one - Curry Chicken fillet with green sauce. It wasn't your typical dried out chicken that you usually get at catered events - this one was really nice.

Italy: The Feast (Pasta I)

I know, it looks like a bad science experiment, but this was the best risotto I've ever had (and I've had a lot). Since risotto is hard to make in a restaurant setting (it gets gummy, if you don't eat it right away), this one was impressive. And yes, this part of Italy has risotto as its standard starch/pasta.

Didn't hurt that it had black and white truffles either.

Italy: The Feast (Pasta II)

And again, low light did not help this pic very much - but this is one of the better pasta dishes I've had too - Tortellini di magro (ricotta and spinach filling) with walnuts and maggiorana sauce. No idea what a maggiorana sauce is, but it was good.

And we aren't talking the CostCo frozen ravioli here, this stuff was the real thing.

Italy: The Feast (Main Dish I)

So in case you've been keeping score - we are on course number 10 - so I guess it was time to get to the real eating.

My notes aren't the best, but I think this is the pork fillet with melograno sauce. And it was at this point that I thanked the Gods that I was a vegetarian...I was ready to just go to sleep underneath the table - I could only imagine how the others were holding up.

Italy: The Feast (Main Dish II)

This is going to be your roasted duck with some vegetables. Again, I think at this point - everyone's eyes had just glazed over - even with several trips outside for breaks in the cool air.

Duck was cooked very well, but I still have to give the french the best accolades for knowing how to cook a duck. I don't think I have pictures of these, but these two main dishes were then followed by one other - an Italian pork roast with porcini mushrooms.

Italy: The Feast (Dessert I)

And no Italian Wedding would be complete without two desserts.

First, we had a cleansing dessert with fruit and some ice cream.

Italy: The Feast (Wedding Cake)

And then we had the actual wedding cake.

It was really good - a hazelnut and chocolate cake - not too sweet, not too chocolatey.

Italy: The Feast (Coffee)

And finally the coffee.

Note that I had not yet drunk the coffee yet, it was about two tablespoons of expresso, which was about all the volume that was remaining in my stomach at the time.