In Bologna no one listened to music with headphones. Not when students were walking alone, or when commuters were taking the bus; not when single people did some late night grocery shopping, or when you’d see a dog-owner taking their pet for a walk. I suppose I'm trying to emanate that, because I think it shows a certain security in just being with yourself and it seems to welcome social interaction in a more impromptu and communal way. Not to say that before Bologna I was plugged in all of the time, but I think I did hide – to some extent – in individual music-listening. How does this relate to food you might be wondering, well, the other day, I was listening to a spotify-generated playlist based on my musical preferences and a song called Green Onions by Booker T and the M.G.s came on. If you heard it, you’d know the one.

I’m taking a Food Anthropology/Archeology class this semester, and I’ve never realized how passionate most people are about food; This fire inside of people is most likely attributable to the human need to eat, and all of our human engagement with food being profoundly personal. But wow, it’s kind of amazing. Then I was thinking, music, another widely appreciated, widely shared, widely engaged medium of culture, the people who make that stuff have to eat too, what do they think of food? Well, Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass create the auditory image of Green Peppers, Whipped Cream, and Ladyfingers, and kind of hit the nail on the head – the soft can be made soggy with a dip into espresso nature of the Ladyfinger, the boyish indifference of the Green Pepper, the blunt playfulness of Whipped Cream all encapsulated in the respective songs. 

Beckles and I made at least two dinners for our loved ones of Bologna; both dinners which were most likely DJ’d by George – perhaps my favorite DJ-er. The first dinner there was handmade gnocchi with some kind of delicious sausage zucchini tomato ragu that Beck made and then a spring-y pea and bean salad with parm and walnuts that I made, bread from my favorite bakery in Bologna Il Forno di Calzolari, and lots of wine. The second, two whole fish, some squid, zukes, chimichurri, and Busiate with burst yellow tomatoes and Colatura. The first dinner ended in talking and laughing, and an eventual bike ride to Cortile Cafe (one of our favorite spots for live music). One of my favorite photos was captured that night: 

So naturally I started a deep dive on songs about food. Some favorites include: “Ham ‘N’ Eggs” by A Tribe Called Quest, “Chicken Fried" by Zac Brown Band, “The Banana Boat Song" by Harry Belefonte (kinda cheating…more about the labor of banana production than eating actual bananas, but close?) and then today, I came across a whole album by Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass called Whipped Cream & Other Delights. While there are other Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass songs I like better than most on this album (“This Guy’s In Love With You"), this album really hits right on what I was searching for.

Music is often so so so integral to the eating experience; I have countless playlists for dinner time that I made with the very intention of creating the perfect balance between enjoying the food set on the table and the enjoyment of the environment you’re in – because when that balance is struck, ooooooh boy, that’s a good night.

All to say that the second night ended with our dancing together in what we called “Dario’s Place” (not pictured). We eventually found ourselves on the roof of Dario’s, shimmying, laughing, looking over the sleepiness of San Vito Lo Capo in May. I remember dancing so much my feet were sore the next day. Both of these nights culminated in the enjoyment of food, dancing, and listening to music – so they must be connected, right? In the same way that food can situate you exactly where you want to be, allow you to take a moment, enjoy yourself, appreciate the ones you are with, so can music ... hm, I better give Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass’ Whipped Cream & Other Delights another chance.