Monday, November 26, 2012

Milan 2012: Day 7

We were supposed to go to Lake Como or Lake Garda for the weekend but the weather forecast was rain and low temperatures and since Yi had no class, we went shopping. Halfway to the city center, it started to drizzle so we took a tram down to the Duomo, walked around a bit, had lunch, then walked the classy Via Spiga and Brera areas. It was a busy day with many families and their pets out for a walk. It always shocks and disgusts me how dogs in Europe can poo everywhere openly. While waiting for the tram, I watched in disbelief as a lady stopped to let her dog poo in the middle of the walkway and then walked away after the dog was done. A whole pile of hot dog poo in the middle of the walkway waiting to be stepped on. Everywhere in Milan there's flattened dog poo, just as there was in Paris and all the German cities I visited 2 years ago. I've not seen any in London or Holland. Spain was surprisingly dog-poo clean or maybe I was too busy looking up at Gaudi's buildings. In Milan, there's tons of dog poo under the shrubs, more evident since it was fall and the branches were bare. Hong Kong is the most dog poo patrol conscious city I've been (and Tokyo too) because people bring plastic bags and scoops; there's no way people will throw dog poo into the shrubs. Now, according to my friend Yo, dog owners in Hong Kong are required to bring a bottle of water too to wash away every trace of poo. Seriously, what's spit in China compared to dog poo in Europe. I just don't get why European dog owners groom and dress their dogs elegantly but have no guilt or shame leaving their pets' poo in the public.

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15 minutes from our apartment is a market where you can find fruits, flowers, meat, olive oil, noodles, cheeses, seafood and even beautiful ceramic plates and cake stands. I had intended to shop for foodstuff the day before we leave Milan but it turned out that markets and shops are closed on Sundays. 

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Bastardone (really?!) are cactus fruits (just like dragon fruits are too) from Mexico, but bastardones are sweeter and have a nice flavor.

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A lady told us that those aren't apples or pear--I've forgotten the name--and that they need to be cooked.

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Veal ribs for 4.50 euros, so cheap!

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We stumbled upon Peck, a fine foods departmental store that reminded us of Fortnum & Mason in London, only Peck was even better in terms of range and maybe even quality!

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At this point I was told that photos were not allowed...

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Laduree is across the road in front of Peck, and we couldn't resist a couple of the macarons. Again, the rose-flavored ones were best.

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This is another famous confectionery store but I've forgotten the name.

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And another one. All the stores were not decorated for Christmas yet.

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I think this was a pair of Dolce & Gabbana, over 2,000 euros a pair.

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Luigi panzerotti doesn't have an eat-in area so everybody eats on sidewalks.

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I have forgotten the name of this restaurant but I passed by it one day and saw people eating a thick beans soup and wanted to eat that but on Saturdays, they don't serve a la carte and instead serve a set lunch for 9 euros so I had the roasted chicken with tortellini and chard.

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Yi had the roast beef. It was good but I think some gravy would make it better.

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In another cafe, we rested our legs and charged our phone and iPad by buying 1 euro expressos/macchiato that were so thick we couldn't drink them.

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We usually buy the piccolo size (small) to keep our hands warm. Medio is medium and grande is large. Chinese roasted chestnuts taste better because they are steamed and then roasted, while Italian roasted chestnuts are roasted all through and taste hard and dry but the roasted flavor is stronger.

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A very nice color-blocked dress, but it was too expensive.

E had told us about dinner plans to a very authentic Italian restaurant that only the locals know about but by early evening Yi was beginning to feel the full force of a bad hay fever so we had to cancel. We also cancelled an invitation to Just Cavali, supposedly THE place to go for dining and clubbing. Shopping is tiring, and shopping in winter for clothes is tiresome because there are so many layers of clothes to remove. Plus it was raining most of the time; would've been nice to have a man carry bags for us. I found an interior decor shop called Alessi and bought some really nice trays and stuff. Prices were very affordable and I think the same thing in Asia would cost 10 times more.

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 Dinner was frozen soup, 5 packets for 13.90 euros. Tasted okay too.

Somehow we managed to get home despite Yi's hay fever, my aching feet and the rain. On top of her hay fever, Yi was showing signs of conjunctivitis. We both climbed into bed early, thankful for a warm and  comfortable apartment.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi

I'm a silent reader who loves visiting your blog.. Love your travels :)

The fruit that you mentioned that you had forgotten the name and it need to be cooked.. I think it's a quince.

Look forward to more of your travels

Blessings
Christine

Anonymous said...

is any colour not included here ?
i doubt.

Anonymous said...

there is architecture exhibition in venice this month. not sure whether you are interesting to have a look there. jimctang

Milosh, Serbia said...

Christine is right, it is quince. It's good in compote, but also as jam and brandy. Pure quince juice is the best juice there is, in my opinion.

It is an old custom here to put some quinces on the cupboard to give the room a nice smell. They're hardy and can last for months, and you eat them one by one when the snow has fallen.

mvmaithai said...

What a bummer to be sick while traveling! Hope she feels better soon.

You didn't mention dog poop in the U.S. It's almost nonexistent because people clean up after their dogs. I was in Paris in April, and I didn't notice any dog poop on the streets.

The food looks good!

the lunch guy said...

"Seriously, what's spit in China compared to dog poo in Europe." ... we;ll said. i don;t know which is more appealing, the food or the architecture.

the lunch guy said...

BTW: is the PECK the same PECK as in Hungary? i used to go to there stores all the time when i lived there, great deli.

Blur Ting said...

Bastardone - my Italian friend calls it pricky pear.

Blur Ting said...

In Paris, the cleaners use a vacuum cleaner to suck up the dog poo in the streets.

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