Buona Pasqua!

On that same Italian trip, where I learned the wisdom of NOT naming one’s food before it comes to the table, I finally had prawns. I’d had shrimp, of course, but never these giant, prehistoric appearing sea beasts. Cindy’s right -- if I lived in Italy I’d be a total vegan. I just can’t deal with things on my dinner plate which look like either:
A) a pet  or  B) a creature out of a horror flick
no matter HOW fabulously tasty they might be.

It was Pasquetta, the day after Easter which, in Italy. is a bigger family day deal than Easter itself. Cindy, Giovanni, Jen, Oscar (their giant Bernese Mountain dog) and I headed down the Mediterranean coast to Giovanni’s brother’s for the big family celebration. We met everyone (a party which included Giovanni’s mother, his brother, sister, their respective children and mothers in law) at a restaurant on the water with outdoor seating (natürlich). I was seated across from Giovanni’s sister, Lucia, a senior high math instructor in Bari (my mother’s name, Lucia that is, as well as the city she’s from, coincidentally).

Lucia speaks English -- haltingly but FAR better than my, pretty much, nonexistent  Italian.

The trip happened while the very sad, big dust up over Terri Schiavo was going down in Florida.

Politicians inserted themselves into the fray. The case was the catalyst for Florida's controversial "Terri's Law", which gave Gov. Jeb Bush the authority to have Schiavo's feeding tube re-inserted when a court ruled that her husband could have it removed. The U.S. Congress quickly passed legislation allowing federal courts to intervene, and President George W. Bush flew back to Washington to sign the bill into law. It should be noted that this is the same George W. Bush who, as Governor of Texas, signed into state law the power of hospitals to remove a patient (in identical situations as Terri's) from life support -- a critical factor being the family's ability to pay the hospital bills -- even if such removal was against the family's objections.[3]

This inevitably and challengingly came up during the festive luncheon. I do try to never assume anyone holds the same opinion as me, you can, likely, tell what mine is on this, so I attempt to proceed softly. I don’t always succeed at the 'softly' stuff. Yeah, giant surprise, I'm sure.

Lucia was passionate in her belief that Schiavo should be kept alive artificially no matter what she reportedly had requested while sentient.

Oops, diplomacy time for Donna. I allowed that: 1) we all deserve the dignity, the honor of having our wishes honored -- especially those wishes which pertain to our existence's end. 2) It was a dirty rotten shame that Schiavo didn’t put her wishes into writing and have them notarized -- whatever those wishes might have been. And 3) it was magnificently sad that a parent could lose a child -- a child otherwise in the prime of life.

Lucia agreed and we moved on to the pasta course. SEE, I can SO be diplomatic, nice and socially ept!