Compleanno, numero 31

FL is an old man, officially.  At least that's what he'd have you think.  I personally feel like 30's are prime years for men, years in which they become more handsome, fill out, learn to handle their masculinity.  And what a handsome birthday boy he was!

As brunch is our Sunday treat and his birthday this year fell on such, we decided to take our usual egg-in-a-hole party and kick it up a notch.  Bloody Mary's were added to the menu, as were pancakes (maple syrup and everything!), bacon (thick-sliced pancetta) and fresh fruit (i.e. oranges sliced pretty and displayed on plate, not just peeled at the table).  We invited his very best friend Pich over for the festivities, and I got to work. 

Decorations and color theme (naturally) were inspired by my very favorite photo of FL ever- a photo taken on a rock in Croatia: bright sunlight, electric blue waters, tanned shoulders.  He's laying on a bright orange towel and laughing, eyes closed.
I crafted a pretty banner reading "Happy Birthday" out of blue card-stock.  Glitter was involved, the wonderful, fine, powdery kind that can never, ever be vacuumed up (or washed entirely off the body).  The whole of FL's parents' house has a twinkly glow now, depending on the light.  Paola is patient enough to let it slide.  I think it's beautiful.
Little decorations were made for the Bloody Mary straws, strings of blue garland were (finally!) brought out of their box under the bed.  Iris' were bought at Friday's market, so by Sunday they had bloomed, fresh and bright.

The thing is, FL is possibly the only Italian who actually "gets" things like brunch and the deliciousness of Bloody Mary's.  Italians tend to be so picky about their food and dining schedule.  The idea of eating at 10:30 AM (?!?!), and eating things like floppy, disc-shaped cakes, topped with eeew butter and smothered in some odd "salsa" that is SWEET with hints of, what the hell is that, nuts?  tree bark?  These things don't fly.  Pich picked at his pancakes and refused the maple syrup, with an expression that led me to believe that he was absolutely confounded.  The pancetta was deemed too "heavy" ("This is good cooked on a grill...during a bar-b-q...in the summer time"), the "grits" just absolutely did not come together, and the Bloody Mary's...

To their credit, everyone tried a little.  Paola, Giorgio, Pich and even Matteo, middle brother who has a serious aversion to all things spicy, tried a sip.  I mean, I guess I understand- Bloody Mary's are a strange flavor combination, and an even stranger concept, what with the vodka and horseradish and the hour of the day in which they are served.  To a culture that has never heard of such a thing, I guess it's no surprise that the explanation of such a cocktail ("I put the...celery...inside the cup?") gets reactions ranging from polite nods to expressions of downright disgust.  Pich had about 3 sips of his, followed each time by a not-so-hidden grimace, so FL and I finished off the rest of the batch ourselves.  We were too thrilled with the accomplishment of finding Worcestershire sauce and ICE CUBES to let such delicacies go to waste.

The brunch may not have been for everyone, but I think FL was happy, and that's what is important.

And then!  Vodka tipsy and full stomached and a whole of a beautiful Sunday stretching ahead!  We set out for Gorizia, where there was a little celebration for Carnivale, complete with a 30-float parade and kiddies in costume.