Romance = regime change + food

They're not waiting for the Pope.

Tunisia...Egypt...Yemen/Libya/Bahrain/Jordan...Italy?

With Egypt's triumphant revolution marking another destination of ours that has fallen into political purgatory, we are a bit skeptical that northern Africa will be reached during our time here. On a more intriguing note, there have been more than a few questions as to whether or not the ouster of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi might come about in a manner similar to Hosni Mubarak's departure.

Berlusconi's years in power have yielded a stagnant economy, tremendous unemployment, limited opportunities for college grads, and the marginalization of women. He is embroiled in 7 different personal and political scandals ranging from the obvious Eliot Spitzer-esque to the more obscure financial irregularities.

Setting up a constitutional crisis in what has been called a “total war” between the legislature and the judiciary, Berlusconi is trying to have the charges against him thrown out because prosecutors failed to refer the investigation to a court for judging politicians that requires Parliament's approval for any trial to proceed. This is an absurd law that he crafted years ago for situations like the one he faces presently. It would be like a separate court in the US where trials against politicians have to be approved by Congress before they are allowed to proceed.  

In addition to protests all over Italy on Sunday, demonstrations against Berlusconi stretched as far as Honolulu, Jakarta, London, and New York. The students have been awfully quiet lately, perhaps it is only a matter of time before they decide to try out their own social media revolution.

"They believed me until they looked at a picture of you"

The irony of it all is that his most significant legal battle came about when a former mistress, Ruby Heartstealer, was apprehended by authorities in Milan for theft. She was released after a phone call in which Berlusconi claimed that she was the granddaughter of Hosni Mubarak and that prosecutors would be wise to avoid an international incident.

Well, that turned out to be a lie and authorities connected the dots to his bunga bunga sessions pretty quickly. Now Mubarak's sipping Mai Tais on a beach in Sharm el-Sheik and Silvio may be joining him sooner than planned.  

Sausage is for Lovers

Happy Valentine's Day! Lager or stout?

Despite the range of options and Meredith's certain desire for something more romantic, we found ourselves enjoying Valentine's Day at the surprisingly crowded Warsteiner. The German birreria, which is also advertised as a drinkeria and pizzaria, specializes in sauerkraut and sausage of several sorts. Though we appreciate the deviation from standard Sicilian plates, it has been the friendly staff and fine selection of beer that keeps us returning regularly. They even have one of those amazing “Yard of Beer” taps that towers above the table so that everyone knows where the Americans/Russians/Irish are sitting.  

In a country and particularly a region not known for diversity of gastronomical fare, we are fortunate to be living in a neighborhood resembling the food court of the United Nations. Beyond the obvious pizza/pasta/parmigiana joints, there are no less than 4 continents represented at nearby restaurants.

La Cuba is an odd name for a sushi place, but their sashimi and hand rolls satisfy the craving. There is an Argentinian steak house, a Mexican place of reasonable authenticity, as well as an Asian fusion restaurant serving Thai dishes during aperitivo (happy hour), Chinese food for dinner, and sushi anytime you want it.

We gave up our search for breakfast burritos as soon as we landed, so if anyone is in Santa Barbara soon, see what you can do about sending us something from International Cafe, Rosarito's, or Super Cuca's. Other than that, the only other Saturday morning craving that we have yet to satisfy is a good bagel. We haven't even seen anything that reflects Italian familiarity with such a delicacy. They fake cheeseburgers and donuts but apparently have no interest in lox and shmear.

Briefly,

• Madison Marie decided that Valentine's Day was a great day to become our niece! Payton looks equally thrilled about his pending sharing lessons.   
• Meredith is teaching English to a group of Palermitans that will be venturing to New York as part of the model UN.
• I have picked up some English tutoring jobs that fund more frequent trips to Warsteiner.
• After enduring a few boot-soaked commutes to school, Meredith purchased some stylish galoshes (oxymoron?). Of course, the rain has yet to fall since then so for the time being she has 1/3 of a dockworker costume. 
• The weather is beginning to turn towards spring, not that it ever really departed from fall, so we'll hopefully be enjoying the beaches shortly.