½ûÂþÌìÌÃ

Okay, I think we should all chip in and buy the BBC a spell checker. The writer used parmeggiano, parmigiano and parmesan in that short piece. I mean, pick one folks and stick with it (oh and pick Parmigiano of course)

We have a fabulous Gastronamia 20 yards from our front door that sells amongst many other things beautiful creamy Gorgonzola - they get through a whole wheel (as the bbc correspondent calls big cheeses) in less than a week. They also have large dishes of marvellous meals, which they sell cold or will heat it up in a microwave. I often wondered if this formula would work in Islington where I have my UK home or whether M&S does it too well already. I know people in Paris and The Hague (not just Brits but busy locals too) who lament the demise of continental M&S stores, not for the knickers and tights but for the takeaway meals that are not done nearly so well by local supermarket chains. Who said the Brits can't cook?

[QUOTE=cristina]Okay, I think we should all chip in and buy the BBC a spell checker. The writer used parmeggiano, parmigiano and parmesan in that short piece. I mean, pick one folks and stick with it (oh and pick Parmigiano of course)[/QUOTE]

The author may have been giving all the known spelling alternatives for a dumbed-down British audience but more probably just sloppy editorship on the website. I think the original transmission would have been sent by the correspondent to the BBC as a voice recording and it would then have been transcribed for the website.

Well, in spite of the spelling errors, I thought the piece was a wonderful testimony to Italy and its' desire to retain traditional shops. I have just returned from Tesco in South London and when I think of all my local shops in my adopted town in Abruzzo, I can't help thinking how badly wrong the UK has got things. Sure everthing thing is there in EU prescribed colour, shape, size et al and for fast living the "convenience" is undeniable.

However, do I see people I know to discuss the weather or or the fact that? No. Can I exchange friendly words with the check out assistant? No. Can I look forward to the marvellous taste of seasonal fruit and vegetables as they freshly arrive from local farms and producers? No. And lastly, am I making a contribution to the local economy to ensure that the community and all it's component parts survive the domination by mega retailers and their quest to supply anything and everything. No I'm not.

I know I sound like a dinosaur and people will say this is progress, but one of my loves for Italy is the tremendous pride it has in itself and its' culture. In the past few years I have seen the unrelenting march of Lidl, Tigre, Aldi and no doubt with the UK market saturated, Tesco will arrive soon.

Sadly, I see an inevitable decline in the local shops, just as it happened in the UK. To replace it we'll have homogenous fruit, veg, cheese, meat etc... probably not much cheaper and most definately to the detriment of local communities.

I wish there was some way what we have could be protected, because when it's gone and all we are left with are London style deli's that sell you all the things we used to love at 3 times the price, we'll have only ourselves to blame.

Yes Russ you are so right ...I am in my forties so I can remember as a child all the small shops where mum used to send me to on errands.I handed over her list and the shopkeeper got everything together for me.Now they have one Co-op one Tesco and a charity shop!

In our village in Cornwall we have a wonderful small shop and post office I go in most days with my post and there's always some one in to chat to.Old people who can't get out phone them with orders and they drop them off..no charge.

Perhaps us Brits who now see what a mistake we made in this country allowing the supermarkets to take over should make a vow not to use supermarkets in Italy! A small gesture I know but not a meaningless one.

Becky

[QUOTE=manopello]....Perhaps us Brits who now see what a mistake we made in this country allowing the supermarkets to take over should make a vow not to use supermarkets in Italy! A small gesture I know but not a meaningless one.[/QUOTE]

Damn right!

Make a stand, shop locally......down with Tescos! My point in post this was not only to share my love of 'local' Italy, but also to try to enthuse those who do hit the big stores to veer away from them..... unless you want Italy to turn into a series of out of town shop *eek*

[QUOTE=manopello]Yes Russ you are so right ...I am in my forties so I can remember as a child all the small shops where mum used to send me to on errands.I handed over her list and the shopkeeper got everything together for me.Now they have one Co-op one Tesco and a charity shop!

In our village in Cornwall we have a wonderful small shop and post office I go in most days with my post and there's always some one in to chat to.Old people who can't get out phone them with orders and they drop them off..no charge.

Perhaps us Brits who now see what a mistake we made in this country allowing the supermarkets to take over should make a vow not to use supermarkets in Italy! A small gesture I know but not a meaningless one.

Becky[/QUOTE]

Yup, Becky, what you say sounds so familiar! My gran is left in my home town with no shops in real walking distance for her (she's 86!) - they've all closed down. She has to ask friends to bring her stuff from the supermarkets on the other side of town or walk all the way into the centre for her basic foodstuffs! It's such a shame....

There was an article in the Daily Mail last week where some journalists tried doing their weekly shopping at local stores (it would be somewhere like London) and not at the supermarkets and most found cost of parking & looking for spaces a real problem, and of course higher prices, and that you have to go to different places for different foods! One quite well known tv presenter/writer concluded that it was too much hassle having to walk & juggle with all the bags! Well, I'd say - my gran's done it for the last 60 years so what's wrong with that!! And it's the lack of decent shops that force her to have cans etc delivered rather than get it herself - and not her getting lazy!! Very sad!

Stephanie

[QUOTE=Iona]Yup, Becky, what you say sounds so familiar! My gran is left in my home town with no shops in real walking distance for her (she's 86!) - they've all closed down. She has to ask friends to bring her stuff from the supermarkets on the other side of town or walk all the way into the centre for her basic foodstuffs! It's such a shame....

There was an article in the Daily Mail last week where some journalists tried doing their weekly shopping at local stores (it would be somewhere like London) and not at the supermarkets and most found cost of parking & looking for spaces a real problem, and of course higher prices, and that you have to go to different places for different foods! One quite well known tv presenter/writer concluded that it was too much hassle having to walk & juggle with all the bags! Well, I'd say - my gran's done it for the last 60 years so what's wrong with that!! And it's the lack of decent shops that force her to have cans etc delivered rather than get it herself - and not her getting lazy!! Very sad!

Stephanie[/QUOTE]

Well, supermarkets have an economic strenght quite impossible to beat.
But, quite surprisingly, even small shops, in Italy, have an unexpected endurance.
I've just read an interesting article - l don't remember now if Repubblica or Il Sole 24Ore -describing the economic vitality of these shops, above all in the cities
There, the customers, often aged, haven't the possibility to reach the huge supermarkets in the outskirts and often like better to buy in the old shops close to their home, chatting a while with the shopkeepers.
Many shops, moreover, bring the shopping at home, so it's not necessary to carry heavy bags.
This is exactly what happens with my mother down in Bari with her day by day shopping:
she's 83 and in a ray of 500 m has bakery, butcher's, grocery, etc. etc.

Elder people

I'm with you all the way guys!!!!

I remember when we first arrived in Ostuni to do our shopping, I overheard an English tourist getting quite irate and said ' well I hope we can get all our bl....y shopping here, I'm fed up of going from one place to the next'; I wanted to tell her to hike it back to the UK and find the local Tesco's and bl...y well stay there!!

We lived in France for 7 years where the villages died years ago. Today cafés no longer stay open after 9 at night due to lack of trade. The streets are quiet and remaining traders are standing on the doorstop hoping for a passerby. We don't want that here!

Long live the local shops.

The best local sandwich bars here cut all the unsold offerings into little morsels each evening for the customers to eat with their aperativos. Sometimes I overdo it a bit and feel full before I sit down to my dinner but most of the sandwiches are delicous and there are so many different types to sample.

I cant remember when I last purchased a soggy, made 2 days ago with bread that taste like MDF sandwich. I always make my own soups or sarnies with my own bread or baps, italian cheeses and meats. The demise of the British food goes on, even up north at least the pies where freshly made. I read somewhere that we'd pay in the nose for a bottle of wine or beer, but on food we're just not prepared to pay for better quality ingredients.

.........I'm hoping that the like of Hugh Fernly-Whittingstall & Jamie Oliver have made some difference with their "Buy local" and their "Buy fresh, not processed" messages.

I hope so; I'm not sure if it's just made the supermarkets "revisit their marketing strategies" though...............

[FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]I think our basic problem as Brits is that we do not like to spend very much on food although when it comes to clothes, cars, entertainment money no object!!

I was selling my wares at a Craft/Food fare in Devon this weekend and the food on sale was fab all home-made,home produced.

It was full of middle class types stocking up for Christmas.These make up a small group of 'foodies' who will pay for quality but loads of people I know (who earn 2xs what I do) would rather go to the big supermarkets because you get the 'saver ' ( has anyone tried a 'saver '? disgusting) deals and tonnes of cheap crap.They then wonder why their chidren are total headcases (because they are feeding them utter pigs swill).My food budget is small through necessity.

The ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs are soo right on this ..and didnt I hear that a McDonalds actually had to close down in Italy due to lack of customers!

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT]

You are so right Manopello! in the Uk it seems to be the minority who want to buy and expect to be able to buy fresh food with flavour. Here in Italy it is the reverse with majority expecting such things. Believe you are coming to Italy to live? If so you will also find that your food budget will go further here.

[QUOTE=manopello][FONT="Book Antiqua"][SIZE="3"]....

The ½ûÂþÌìÌÃs are soo right on this ..and didnt I hear that a McDonalds actually had to close down in Italy due to lack of customers!

Becky[/SIZE][/FONT][/QUOTE]

Yup, Jamie Oliver said it when he went to Puglia - one McD's opened & had to close after three months as nobody was interested!! Good people!!! :):)

Stephanie