grazie

I sat in a British Fish and Chips shop today listening with delight as an Italian tenor sang passionately in the background. It seemed a perfect backdrop to a spontaneous lunch with my husband. Somehow the tenor's voice mingled with the decor of flags and linens made me think of Stuart McLean's fictional restaurant, Kenny Wong's Scottish Meat Pies.
As we ate, the new owner emerged from the kitchen and as soon as he spoke we understood the music. His accent was charmingly continental. His dark eyes sparkled as he spoke of fish and batter and his new restaurant.
He knew customers.
His friendliness and interest were genuine and heart warming.
He knew fish.
Ours was as fresh as the sea and crisply battered.
Grazie, amico mio....bring on the Tartar Sauce.