"Democratic decisions can be wrong, unjust and impractical, violate the country’s constitution and even violate basic human rights. They can even relate to issues for which the democratic system is quite simply inadequate".

This is a citation from the article in openDemocracy which discusses the Swiss plebiscit againt the construction of minarets in switzerland.

http://www.opendemocracy.net/thomas-w-bechtler/danger-of-majority-tyranny

Also Italy is nearer to a tyranny of the majority than to a constitutional state under the rule of law.

Today people start to make noodles from everything (my friend Boris also from raw zucchinis :-). I normally don't like this. Pasta has to be from wheat and normally from "Granum durum", I neither appreciate very much the wholemeal variations....

For my last birthday, I got a new cookbook with Asian Recipes from an Australian Chef, delicious stuff. Chinese cooking is not simple, so a Cookbook should help :-). But after having followed some of the recipes, I am already again experimental. The following is a well succeeded one.

You need: a china cabbage, Shiitake Mushrooms, Grated Palm Sugar, Garlic, Ginger, Chinkiang Vinegar, ShaoXiang, which is a Rice Sherry. I found here in my Chinese Shop Hua Diao Wine, what is quite the same.

I am getting a duck specialist. "L'anatra" al mirto has become part of my repertoir. Last week I tried a "steamed duck" derived from a Chinese recipe. I still have to finish the write up, what shows that it was complex :-)

I am normally frontrunner regarding ICT innovations. When I moved in 86 from Germany to Italy, I already came with my PC, well PC, it was more a typewrite with screen. When Internet came ppublic, can't remember the year, I had one of the first accounts. I still remember the emotion when after painstaking attempts finally the modem brought you into connection. I remember Mosaic. I programmed one of the first data driven ASP applications at FAO. I have cabled our flat and we have 4 internet connected PCs for three inhabitants :-).

Between home made sauces and bought one, there is a difference. Unfortunately it is a lot of work preparing them and the home made also deteriorate quicker. The moulds prefer stuff without preservatives :-).

This is one oily, cooked and one fresh sauce, but both delicious. The base are the long red chilies as they are grown in Italy. They are not very hot after being deseeded. To get the sauce hot I add little pieces of Thai Chili, which burns you already at sight.

I like brain, preferable lamb brain, and it is possible to get it again after the "mad cow disease panic ebbed away
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Normally I avoid any severe treatment, some butter, some grappa, that's it. At the moment I am on the Asean/Italian fusion cooking trail. So I marinated the brain in Shaoxing. This is a Chinese Rice Sherry.

For this dish you are free to take the cheap "polipi non veraci" which do have only one "fila di ventose". They are less tender than the polipi veraci, but with this cooking method, it makes no difference.
You may cut them into pieces. put them into a pot and add slices of non treated lemon, also some green celery is good, you can carots too, anything what you imagine good with lemon flavor, obviously no patatoes, but I could try cassava next time.
Close the pot thoroughly to avoid that vapour comes out during the cooking process.

My daughter always complains that I insist too much on "Resteverwertung" (I was sure that "leo" did not know this, it means re-use of stuff). I always try to re-use the duck fat that I took away from the main duck dish.

In this case I got no criticism. I used the duck fat to deep fry sliced Zucchini. When they were nicely brown and cross, I added simply a handful of cashew nuts - Ready to serve.

This is Vincent's (my nephew) favorite, but also Matilde likes it a lot.
Get quails from the supermarket, They are not wild, but from intensive breedings, but they are still much more tasty than the rubber chicken you get as an alternative.