Lizelle, South Africa and La Torta di Noci

Aerial view of Cape Town.

Before leaving Milan and moving on to Brussels,  I wanted to mention my South African friend, Lizelle.  We met by chance at the park.  I recognized her as a fellow foreigner.  She was tall, fair and dressed differently than Italian women.  They had a tendency to be more sleek and chic.  Lizelle was a bit dowdy.

I was strolling around the park, pushing a baby carriage when I noticed her.  She was sitting on a park bench rocking a pram with her foot.  I took the plunge and said hello.  She smiled and seemed thrilled to meet an anglophone.  Her little girl was the same age as Marie-Juliette. In the months to come we did a lot of strolling and had lengthy discussions about babies, diapers, sleep schedules and the like. 

The two little girls playing at the park, Marie-Juliette on the right.

Lizelle’s husband Pieter was second or third in command at the South African Consulate.  They led a very busy social life and Lizelle often complained.  They attended parties almost every night.  There was the 4th of July party at the American Consulate, the Bastille day party at the French Consulate, Kenya’s Independence Day festivities and the Brazilian Dia de Tiradentes reception.  You get the idea.  Pieter and Lizelle were expected to attend every party.  She complained that it was always the same people making the same guarded conversation.

One evening we were invited to their home for dinner.  As it turned out it was not simply a friendly gesture.  It became evident that Pieter had an agenda.  After the dessert of canned mangos and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, he made a strong pitch to us to move to South Africa. At that time, apartheid still had it’s grip on the country. The whites wanted to maintain their dominance and they encouraged educated whites to move to South Africa to populate the country.  Since Vincent was an engineer with a masters degree, they offered him airplane tickets, a job, a house with a pool and servants to cook and clean.

Surfers at Muizenberg, South Africa. Wouldn't you think they would bump into each other?

In retrospect, maybe that was Pieter’s job: to recruit educated caucasians.  He had great pictures, strong arguments and a winning personality.  Nevertheless we didn’t take him up on his offer.

Before I leave Milano, I must mention a totally unrelated delectable treat:  La Torta di Noci.  In a salumeria located near the Duomo di Milano, I discovered this savory torta that consisted in layers of gorgonzola, mascarpone and walnuts.  It made a nice addition to a cheese board.  It was creamy, delicious and probably contained one jillion calories! 

This Torta di Noci looks similar to the  one I remember. Maybe I should try making one.