The Sicilian
A favourite fictional detective of mine these days is Inspector Salvo Montalbano. He is Sicilian, the creation of Andrea Camilleri.
Culture
26 pieces
On Route 66, a cowboy rides into a dusty town
It was high noon and scorching when I rode into Oatman. “Feed and water him,” I told the boy who came running to take the reins. “Curry him down with the saddle on.”
How the Norwegian crossed the road in Nepal
“It takes courage to cross the street in our part of the world,” Mr Brown said to Mr White. “Not many Westerners have that kind of courage.”
Where all views are stunning and everyone knows how to make good pasta
Positano is a town best enjoyed with a thick wad of cash, a healthy pair of lungs, and excellent knees.
Ullivadas, uzhunnuvadas, and bondas
In the Kerala of my childhood, before my people succumbed to the invasion of ‘cafes’, ‘restaurants’ and ‘bistros’ selling everything from bel puri to kebabs to malayalified Chinese, we of the old ate at chayakkadas (tea shops).
Narva
FROM THE ESTONIAN border city of Narva, it is a swift swim to Ivangorod in Russia, though why any Estonian would willingly swim to Russia is a question worth pondering in all its geo-
No one was roasting reindeer in Oslo
A guy I know well at work has been selling Norway to me for years. Our conversations often go like this.
So pigs have knuckles
I had never thought deeply about pork knuckles before I arrived in Prague. I never had to. Do pigs have knuckles? Golly. Do they punch each other?