SEASONS

Today is the autumnal equinox. It is cooler, very quiet now in our resort, and almost warm enough to be summer when swimming (we are quite alone on the beach). Here in Sicily, people pay attention to the seasons. They have a reverence for customs only excelled by their reverence for food, two things that are forever intertwined in this culture. So even though the weather calls for a swim, most town families have moved back into their winter houses. They may still return on weekends but we will not see the crowds that made the constant noise level hum that the last two months have accustomed us to.
Back to the seasons again. In the newspaper I noticed an article on the importance of eating food in season. There is always something fresh from the local fields, so why eat something imported from another area when the food here now is so good? That may be only an ad paid for and supporting local farmers, but it reflects the norm in thinking. It makes sense that food is at its peak when it is freshest and handled the least amount. It was like that when I was a kid. Why then is the US so different now? Why do we buy strawberries in February, fish out of season imported from the southern hemisphere, or for that matter, frozen meals made with ingredients that were picked miles and months away from this time and place? Maybe because it is not important because modern refrigeration methods make food safe and palatable all year. Or at least, it looks good. Maybe it is just because we can.
And Sicilians can now too. More and more they are relying on McDonalds, dried or frozen pre-packed meals, and frozen seafood from the supermarket. Sicilian wives have job pressures as well as expectations to be the perfect mother, house keeper, and lover. With this pressure, they no longer CAN spend hours cooking pranza for the whole family, especially since there are often a few unmarried children, or parents living at the house or extended family unit. Sandwiches and “tavola calda” (take-out foods) make do for many families.
The fall brings the return of school and kids finally went back to school this week. Now the daily family meal gets complicated with kids’ school schedules. Typically, moms and dads pick up their little kids one by one and drive them home from school for the day at 1 o clock in time for pranza. Middle school and teen age kids walk home, while mom and dad come home from work for 2 to 3 hours off in the middle of the day. But this year, things are being threatened with SCHOOL REFORM and a change to all-day school. That’s right, none of this getting home at 1 o’clock 6 days a week (I did mention they went to school on Saturday, right?). The kids are NOT home for a home cooked meal anymore. The family is not together for a meal that they are used to sharing everyday.
So an entire way of life is being challenged. After the summer of being in each other’s laps for every meal, the family members will now maybe see each other for a few hours in the evening. Maybe mom will have a few hours in which she can clean and cook for the next day instead of spending time with her kid. And with more school time and an emphasis on language, maybe the Italian kids who study English from grade one on will learn to talk to us!