Perhaps Proust is a bit too heavy

after 50 pages one just wants to commit suicide (or fly to France which is even worse than suicide. Cheese is fabulous, Paris merveilleuse but French people...). Every year I think that it is just the right time to read In Search of Lost Time. I "taste" the first few pages to confirm that yes, the right time has come. As I read through I change my mind as it is a claustrophobic masterpiece. It is a shame as I would LOVE to read it but one has to be in the right mood.

So, what can I read? I should read in English but I must confess that I'm getting lazy. I use English all the time, sometimes it's good to lay in bed reading a book written in my own language. I'll probably read Il gioco dell'Angelo (The Angel's Game) as it is set in Barcelona and I'm going there in February for a couple of days (hopefully for more than just 2 days). Can't wait: Spain, Portugal and Greece are the only European countries where I feel almost at home.

I haven't done much today. I feel so tired for no reason. Well, I'm probably having what I usually have every single month: a severe PMS ( I have ALL the symptoms described there, what a lucky girl!). I feel like s*** and can't focus at all. I'll have to catch up tomorrow, otherwise someone is going to kill me pretty soon. To make things worse I have to go out tonight.

This weather makes me want to curl up and read a good book

"The whole of Proust's world comes out of a teacup"

S. Beckett.

The episode of the madeleine dipped in tea is the most famous "involuntary memory" in In the Search of Lost Time. Indeed, food, tastes and smells trigger memories and sometimes reproduce emotions from the past.

Inspired by Andy's recepies and Arte's post, I have decided to write a post about my involuntary memories which are trigged by my favourite food/dishes. If you like the idea, I encourage you to do the same.

Favourite dishes:

1. Polenta with gorgonzola. Involuntary memory: my maternal grandma's kitchen. We gather on Sundays, the kitchen is very small (and hot) and polenta with cheese is the hoven to keep it hot. My gradma is fond of cheese (we are all fond of cheese, can't live without it) and eats big portions. I would never stop eating but after a while I have enough. Polenta is a poor food but it's very filling.
2. Frittura dolce, "Fried sweet" (a Piedmontese dish made with sugar, milk, semolino -I don't know the proper translation- and lemon pulp. It's not a dessert, rather we eat it as entrée and it is delicious). Involuntary memory: my paternal grandma's kitchen and bedroom where frittura was kept cold for one day before cooking. I smell the lemon pulp and immediately spot the oval dish in the cold bedroom. I steal some uncooked (= not fried) perfectly cut pieces of frittura. During lunch I almost eat only frittura dolce and... the following dish
3. Vitello tonnato. Involuntary memory: my paternal gradma's house. Meat has never been my favourite food but I LOVE the sauce! I eat a small slice of veal and eat a great amount of sauce with bread. Now I eat both with gusto but I'll never taste my gradma's sauce again, it was great.

What about your involuntary memories?