Stopping first at the Leaning Tower of Pizza in Minneapolis, where he met and fell in love with his girlfriend, Katy, Dregni (English, Concordia Univ.; In Cod We Trust: Living the Norwegian Dream) then persuaded her to move to the northern Italian town of Modena, where their interest in eating amazing food was bankrolled by teaching English to Italians and writing a weekly newspaper column. Their own education in cultural differences encompasses the mores of coffee drinking, victimization by elderly ladies in the supermarket, the notorious vagaries of bureaucracy, and the physical limitations of guests' stomachs to ingest massive quantities of food proffered by insistent hosts. Somewhat similar in tone to Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence, Dregni's essays easily and deftly draw the reader into the rhythm of his Italian community-a trait he shares with Frances Mayes (Under the Tuscan Sun), although readers will find him rather more attuned to the quiet humor of the everyday. VERDICT This witty and evocative culinary memoir will appeal to food lovers, those interested in Italy and Italian culture, and anyone who enjoys a good travel narrative. Highly recommended.
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