Just say no

Well it's official. I am finalmente on a diet. For real this time. I've been talking and complaining about it for a few months but now, e' il momento. Time to get serious. It's time to say "no" to dolce.

Remember panettone? For those of you who don't remember, panettone started to be served in early December, in honor of the various feste, leading up to Christmas. Well it didn't end at Christmas. It kept going through March. And not really because there was a festa, but because it was on sale. And Mamma G. can't say "no" to a sale.

In February, I made a pact that I was going to give up sweets for quaresima (better known as "Lent" for all those Catholics out there). Mainly because Mamma G. kept promising we would give up sweets for this holy time. I must say, I am Catholic (I joined the Catholic church in high school) but I became a Catholic drop-out in college, when I started realizing that maybe I didn't agree with everything they were preaching. But here in Italy, everyone is Catholic. There are no other churches besides the Catholic church. So whether you believe or not, you follow the Catholic holidays. And this means, for the most part, that you eat alot on days that celebrate particular saints or events in the Catholic history.

So quaresima started and I thought, "Good. Now no one will be eating sweets." Nope. Mamma G kept serving dessert after lunch and I would look at her confused and say "Come mai?" (How come?) And she would look at me and say "Eh...era in afferta." (It was on sale). Like it was perfectly normal. Well needless to say I soon learned that quaresima was just something you said and not something you actually did. After 7 days of no sweets, I caved in. Mamma G. was just like, "Non preoccuparti. Non sei ingrassata - solo qualche kilo. Non e' niente." (Don't worry. You are not fat. Just a few kilos. It's not anything). Yea right. Try telling that to my spring pants which are now tight.

Then I thought, "Well after Easter, I'll start dieting again." Mamma G. confirmed this affirmation also with a "Si, si, basta dolce dopo Pasqua." Eh...famous last words. So what happened? The day after Easter Zio Giuseppe brought over a colomba that had gelato in it and was covered with fresh cream. What is colomba you might ask? Well it's like panettone except it has big pieces of sugar and almonds on top. And you only eat it on Easter. Well you also eat it leading up to Easter and of course after Easter when there are sales, but who's counting?

So of course I can't say no to having a piece. It would be rude because Zio Giuseppe paid a lot for this huge colomba filled with gelato and topped with fresh cream. Plus Mamma G. kept screeching, "Che bella!" And then when she tasted it, she was like "Che buona!" So, I ate a piece....and it was delicious. For once, I wish something here didn't taste good.

So after lunch, we decided to go for a bike ride. Thank God, because I need some aiuto (help) to burn off this massive amount of calories I just ate. The bike ride was long too- like 2 hours but the whole way Mamma G. kept asking me, "Vuoi un gelato?" Like we hadn't just eaten another huge meal AND dessert. I kept saying, "No" but it didn't matter.

So today, April 7th, is the first day with no sweets. I am hoping soon the cravings will go away and so will these 9 extra pounds I have gained since moving here. Maybe if I make my efforts public I'll find the courage to say "basta" to all the wonderful food here.

Easier said than done in a country where food is not just a source of energy, but a way of life.