ESSERE FICHI (BEING COOL)

Essere Fichi – Being Cool by Paola Duca is the latest book I received thanks to Manuale di Mari. 

What is the first thing that comes to mind?

In Italy we use to tell Being figs when we want to express being cool, a play on words, but in reality, the author truly analyses Moraceae plants. 

She tells us about them, traces their history and meticulously collects a series of quotes referring to these sweet fruits that, among other things, herald the arrival of autumn. 

I am better prepared to enjoy them than to quote them, but Luisa Zambrotta always has something new for us to discover, so I recommend you don’t miss Louise Glück’s Vespers here. 

As for puns, do you often use them in your conversations?

Do you know any about coffee?

Paola Duca mentions coffee on page 36:
The clear horizon
frees me from boundaries,
while the passage
of merchant ships
creates new exchanges,
where I fantasise about the cargoes
of exotic fruit and the inevitable coffee …
and what could be better

for recharging your batteries
than a coffee break?

Excellent question!

Returning to figs, I recommend a recipe by Paola Bortolani from her blog Primo non Sprecare: savoury tart with speck and figs. 

What does Being Cool mean to you?