Sheep cheese from Italy

 When you go to Italy, look out for sheep cheese, called pecorino, all over Italy. You'll find it if you happen to be in The Marche region on the  east coast, near Ancona airport, near Macerata, or Recanati, towns. Visit a working farm to buy their cheeses and charcuterie, called salumi in Italian. The word comes from the Latin word for salt, sal, salted meat to preserve it dating back to Roman times.

Cheese, like wine, and people, is aged. Some people are keen on cheese which is young, new and fresh. Some are are keen on what is aged, firmer texture and stronger flavoured. I liked the newer cheese. I was surprised to learn that most other people do, too. Well, not necessarily, most people, but more people. It is the most popular of the three cheeses I was shown.

They also have cows and make cheese from cows' milk.

So there you have it. Now you know.  Industrious and energetic farmers from ancient times until now, benefitting themselves and customers from all kinds of animals, sheep as well as cows, and in all seasons.  By preserving milk and meat so it it is salted or dried or kept cool, to keep it edible and tasty in winter time and summer, all seasons.

Regarding their company name, it consists of the Italian word for of, di, then two Italian male first names, Pietr (Peter) and Antonio.

 Useful Website

www.dipietrantoniosnc.it

Please share links to your favourite posts such as this one and my other posts on Italy and Italian food and food and restaurants worldwide.

Cows On the Mountain road to Dhermi, south west coast of Albania

 

Cows on the z bend, steep mountain roads in South west Albania. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

The roads have barriers. All the same, you don't want to get in a confrontation with a cow.

A tunnel for cars is being built through one of the mountains at ground level. This will save half an hour on the journey from Tirana to Dhermi. Good news for hoteliers, locals from capital Tirana who come to the beach for the weekend, and foreign visitors who will spend less time driving to Dhermi beach, or driving even further south  to cheaper Sarander seaside which is more distant from the capital.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albania

The Rear of The Rhea Was Here - where can you see it now?

Photo of Rhea by Michael Palmer in Wikipedia.


The Rear Of The Rhea Is Here
by Angela Lansbury

What is a rhea?
First I must say
It's oddly spelled
R H E A

The rhea, like its name, is absurd
Because it's a large, but flightless bird
Some people won't hear one bad word,
Ok, let's say, delightful bird

At first, when that big bird was found
They called it rhea, that's Greek for ground
South America's rhea is taller
Thank God, our Darwin rhea, here, is smaller

Most people here have no idea
About the truth, about the rhea
Except of course, for me and you
Like emus, we've no work to do

We look up facts, so we are clear
In case we ever must confront
Bravely, without a tear, nor fear
That dear, but very dangerous rhea

Thousands write to support its cause
It doesn't have big teeth, lion's jaws
But don't shake hands, evade its paws!
It catches, clasps, kills - with long claws!

On good days it just eats long grass
So if you're bothered by too much grass
No time at down to mow the lawn
Just let your rhea march, munching, past

One lady thought it would be fun
To own a rhea, just start with one
It's lonely, so then you get two
But what d'you think two rheas do!

A year goes past, while drinking tea,
You look up, gasp, "Hey - I see three!"
They breed and breed, you've soon got four
Let's split them up. please shut that door

'We've not got room, what shall we do?
I'm sure they'd like some at the zoo
So take a picture. Shut that gate!'
'Sorry, one's gone - I was too late!'

Cute in National Geographic
Not fun, running round in traffic!
It's run, done something in the field
I hope that helps the farmer's yield

It's not good news, not a good day
It's dangerous - on a motorway!
They're lost, they're breeding, two, four, five
The good news is that they'll survive

It's like an ostrich, and will eat
All kinds of plants, but sometimes meat
Rodent, reptile. It's friends with deer
Stands calm by cows, if herds are near

An 'emu' was glimpsed far from home
Caught on camera, then mobile phone
Escaped rheas at first sound fun
Delays, expense, police - with guns

Although, from far, a rhea's cute
Shyly running, in its feather suit
Now it's escaped, they'll prosecute
Stop car crashes. Game keepers shoot

We should know more, we all agree
To talk this over, over tea
I'll go off to scan the media
Please read more in Wikipedia

Because there's lots more I could say
But we've not enough time today
Let's go out looking, all of us here
Before laws ban them and they disappear

Learn more about the backward rhea
See which facts we can muster
The prime use of its feathers
Is to make a feather duster

If you fly to Argentina
You'll find the rhea is no stranger
You see it on centavo coins
There they're not rare, nor endangered

Gouchos would trip up rheas with ropes
Eat eggs and meat, make leather cloaks.
Farmers are angry, rheas eat crops
Not bad, they're good! Here shooting's stopped!

If soon, the world's rheas disappear
Don't drown sorrow in tea or beer
Come to England, amigos, Hertfordshire
You'll see two rhea rears running here!
-ends-

copyright Angela Lansbury.
Inspired by controversy caused by escaped rheas by the English motorway, pursued by gunmen, eventually recaptured, or returned for lunch, instead of ending up as dinner.
Please share links to this post.
For the story about the escaped rheas causing trouble to motorway traffic, see
UK Escapes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/27050298
https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/what-s-going-on-rhea-yorkshire-police-find-an-emu-on-patrol-1-9014419
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/police-warning-over-aggressive-escaped-rhea-bird-on-the-loose-in-nottinghamshire-10345553.html

Escapes in Germany
http://www.10000birds.com/greater-rheas-germanys-new-big-bird.htm

For info on rheas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhea_(bird)_

ENGLAND, UK
To see rheas go to Woburn Safari Park, England.
woburnsafari.co.uk
http://www.woburnsafari.co.uk/discover/meet-the-animals/birds/greater-rhea/

SCOTLAND
http://www.edinburghzoo.org.uk/animals-and-attractions/animals/darwins-rhea/

https://www.visitscotland.com

NORTHERN IRELAND
http://www.belfastzoo.co.uk/animals/darwins-rhea.aspx

vistibritainshop.com

CHILE, SOUTH AMERICA
Or Parc Nacional Pali Aike, Chile
https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g2615237-d2461967-r346309803-Parque_Nacional_Pali_Aike-Magallanes_Region.html
https://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport
http://www.visitchile.com/en/

ARGENTINA, SOUTH AMERICA
https://www.audleytravel.com/argentina
https://wikitravel.org/en/Argentina

The Future of Food Production and Diets - What Would Benefit the world?

Travelling around the world you encounter different diets in different cultures. The Muslims and Jews don't eat pork. The Jews don't eat shellfish and won't mix meat and milk at the same meal. Hindus don't eat beef.

Animal lovers avoid battery farmed eggs and veal. Vegans avoid eggs and milk. Vegetarians eat vegetables and fruit and grains.

Health-conscious people aim for organic food.

Dieters go fro fruit juices and avoid starches. (Other diets avoid fats, or sugars.)

Americans avoid Malaysian vegetables, grown in 'night soil' - manure or sewage; whilst Malaysians avoid Australian vegetables 'grown in chemicals'.

Arab countries and poor countries admire the fat and wealthy, well-fed look.

Western countries like the thin and energetic look this century. (In the painter Titian's day fashions in female forms was obviously different. Maybe painters preferred patrons who were and looked wealthy.)

Shakespeare did not like the lean and hungry look. (But Shakespeare and Marlow also liked drinking in taverns.)

As for drink, Muslims and Hindus are against alcohol. But the Irish and British are fond of alcohol. In the last century it was safer to drink alcohol than polluted water.

What of the future? We hear and read a lot about global warming. The UK is now proving wines.
Foods from distant lands are imported.

If you were a visitor from Mars, what would you think would be the best solution?

Hindus who don't eat meat, to preserve cows and oxen, work animals which roam freely, eating wherever and whatever and belong to the ruling classes?

The Chinese and / or there view that you eat anything with four legs except a table? (That would include stray dogs.)

Certain African tribes which eat insects?

Eating game? This would include lions, birds of prey, and so on.

Eating domestic pets? Rabbits?

Licensing all animal owners.  Marking animals, not just sheep and cows, and dogs, but also cats and chickens.

Killing animals which eat or attack humans? This would include crocodiles, some elephants, lions, jaguars, leopards.

Killing animals which eat others? This would include killing lions and foxes. Large snakes. Crocodiles.

Killing animals which eat crops or damage trees. This would / could include d e e r, birds.

Introducing animals which eat others?

Moving animals which eat others' eggs? (Removing hedgehogs to new places when they eat birds' eggs.)

Allowing everybody to eat everything like the Chinese?

Making everybody vegetarian like the Hindus?

Having meat-free days, just as the Catholics used to eat fish on Fridays. Copying some Indian groups have vegetarian day? Giving up wheat food which was given up in Lent after using up the wheat leftover from last year in pancakes, to ensure no contamination by mould of the new crop?

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, researcher, author and speaker.

Drive South of London across the North Downs

We drove around London on the circular M25 then turned across the North Downs. Why are these hills called downs and not ups?  I don't know. The South Down are on the South coast whilst the North Down are North of them nearer London. The area in between has been eroded into a hollow or plain called the Weald. I think of weald rhyming with field.

Having suffered many dull journeys along motorways I was delighted by the views over the treetops and hilltops through the forested North Downs. We drove towards Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells and Tunbridge which I shall describe later. 

Signs on the road warned us of cows and sheep.