My New (Italian) Coffee Maker

Posted on December 28, 2017 by babbityjean

After more than 15 years of faithful service, my coffee machine gave up the ghost.  Made in Switzerland, the Jura Impressa C5, which had been a present from my sister, produced cup after cup of hot coffee, both tall and short, at the push of a button.  It had always responded well to my request for caffeine.  All I had to do was provide the beans and the water.  Even my Italian friends said that it made good coffee…well, decent coffee, according to them.

After a brief mourning period, I was faced with the decision of a substitute.  “Of course, an Italian coffee machine,” said friends without hesitation.  “And Gaggia is the best brand.”  At the push of another button, I ordered a Gaggia with all the bells and whistles.  From Milan to my house, via Amazon Prime, she was on her way!

That night I woke up in a sweat.  Did I do the right thing?  Swiss or Italian?  Was I too impulsive?  Was I testing my luck ordering another Italian machine?  After all, I already owned a Fiat and a pizza oven made by an Italian.  I really wanted a coffee machine that worked like a Swiss clock.

But when she arrived, all my doubts flew out the window.  I fell in love with her elegant design, one that only the Italians can do.  And everything seemed so simple—buttons for espresso, short coffee, tall coffee, cappuccino, latte, and “clean.”  This lady could do everything.

And, in fact, she did do everything…for about a week.  Then one day, nothing.  She wouldn’t even turn on.  Had I offended the coffee gods when I requested a cappuccino in the afternoon?  I called my Italian friend Giuseppe who made the pizza oven; he is an engineer and a coffee expert.  He is a machine whisperer.  And this lady responded immediately to him.  I’m sure she likes Italian men (I understand). It was as if she discovered that I was a pseudo Italian and that she didn’t have to take orders from me, especially if I requested caffè lungo (essentially American coffee) so often.

But who take orders from whom?  It seems that after every other cup, I receive a command in Italian (without an “excuse me,” without a “please,” without a “thank you”): Fill the water tank, empty the grains container below, close the coffee bean door, descale the machine, place the milk carafe in the housing, etc.

By now we have reached an understanding.  She is the brains of the outfit and I am the slave.  I am no longer a slave to coffee; I am a slave to La Signora.  But I must admit, the lady makes great coffee…especially if I give her only Italian coffee beans to work with.

 

Posted in Abitudini, California, Cucina italiana, Differenze culturali, English, Foto, Milano, Santa Barbara | 3 Comments

I Pet Detective

Posted on December 22, 2017 by babbityjean

Se avete mai perso il vostro migliore amico a quattro zampe, sapete come sia straziante.  Chiamate senza sosta il vostro amico, tappezzate il quartiere con i volantini, controllate i rifugi locali, e lasciate il loro premio preferito sulla soglia.  Nell’era dei sociali media, entrambi i proprietari e i rifugi usano Facebook con successo.  Next Door è una rete privata sociale a Santa Barbara dove voi e i vostri vicini potete condividere le notizie online e postare informazioni sugli animali persi e recuperati.

Sta arrivando una nuova generazione di strategie per trovare gatti e cani persi.  Il Pet Detective è un’agenzia investigativa con nuove idee per animali domestici.  Fondata negli Stati Uniti, ora arriva nella regione del Piemonte in Italia.  Dopo aver seguito corsi in America, Andrea Granelli, un educatore cinofilo, è ritornato in Italia per aprire una scuola a Bergamo e formare una squadra a Torino.

I Pet Detective usano le stesse tecniche che sono utilizzate dalla polizia per risolvere le indagini sulle persone scomparse.  Tra le più sofisticate ci sono l’uso di ragionamenti deduttivi, profilino comportamentale, teoria della probabilità di ricerca, la raccolta di prove forensi, trappole umane, e l’uso di attrezzature high-tech.

A Torino, la squadra, in primis, crea un profilo dell’animale.  “Ogni soggetto ha caratteristiche precise,” spiega Dario Maffioli, un direttore di Pet Detective.  “C’è una bella differenza tra il comportamento di un gatto o di un cane in fuga.  Poi bisogna fare una distinzione tra la razza e il carattere dell’animale, se è timido o ha tendenza a impaurirsi.”  Quindi, il primo passo per il proprietario è compilare un questionario sul sito dell’associazione (www.petdetective.it), si inserisce una foto dell’animale da cercare, e si risponde ad alcune domande: il luogo della scomparsa, se vive in casa o in giardino, ed i suoi gusti.  Questo passaggio è gratuito.

Se il proprietario decide di usare i servizi di Pet Detective, ci sono diversi pacchetti che si possono acquistare; i prezzi vanno da 59 a 159 euro.  L’agenzia prova a coinvolgere il più possibile il proprietario in modo da ridurre al minimo i costi.  La tempestività è essenziale: le ricerche iniziate entro 5 giorni dalla scomparsa portano nell’82 per cento dei casi ad un risultato positivo.  La pioggia cancella le tracce, che vanificherà gli sforzi di entrambi il detective e il proprietario.

In base alle abitudini del fuggitivo, si circoscrive la zona in cui potrebbe trovarsi.  Poi si posizionano delle esche (il cibo preferito), che vengono monitorate con telecamere a infrarossi.  Nulla è lasciato al caso.  I Pet Detective inviano al proprietario una mappa delle zone strategiche dove appendere i volantini con la foto dell’animale smarrito.  Alcuni pet detective utilizzano persino strumenti di ascolto amplificati, monitor per bambini, cani addestrati alla rilevazione di gatti, e cani addestrati a tenere traccia dei cani persi.

Posted in Animali, Foto, Italia, Italiano, Piemonte, Santa Barbara | 2 Comments

The Pet Detectives

Posted on December 22, 2017 by babbityjean

If you have ever lost your best (four-legged) friend, you know how heart-breaking it is.  You call incessantly for your friend, you paper the neighborhood with fliers, you check out local shelters, and you leave favorite treats on the doorstep.  In the age of social media, both owners and shelters use Facebook with some success.  Next Door is a private social network in the Santa Barbara area where you and your neighbors can share news online and post information on lost and recovered animals.

Now comes a new generation of strategies to find lost cats and dogs.  It’s called Pet Detective.  Initiated in the United States, it has now come to the Piedmont region of Italy.  After taking courses in America, Andrea Granelli, a dog whisperer, returned to Italy to open a school in Bergamo and form a team based in Turin.

Pet Detectives use the same techniques that the police use to solve missing-person investigations.  On the sophisticated end, they include deductive reasoning,  behavioral profiling, search probabilty theory, gathering of forensic evidence, humane traps, and use of high-tech equipment.

In Turin, the team, first and foremost, makes a profile of the missing animal.   “Every subject has precise characteristics,” explains Dario Maffioli, project manager of Pet Detective.  “There is a big difference between the behavior of a dog that runs away, and that of a cat.  You need to make distinctions according to breed, the character of the animal, and if it is shy or has a tendency to frighten easily.”  Therefore, the first step for the animal owner is to complete a questionnaire online (www.petdetective.it), include a photo, and answer questions like where the animal disappeared, if it lives in a house or in the garden, and its tastes in food.  This part is free.

If the owner decides to use the services of Pet Detective, there are different packages to purchase, which range from 59 to 159 euros (approximately $66 to $180).  The company tries to involve the owner as much as possible to help minimize costs.  Timeliness is of the essence: searches initiated within 5 days of the disappearance carry an 82% success rate.  Rain erases traces and will frustrate both the detectives and the owner.

Based on the habits of the fugitive, a zone is delineated in which the pet is likely to be found.  “Bait” (the pet’s favorite food) is strategically placed, and the area is monitored by infrared cameras.  Humane traps are included depending on the case.  Nothing is left to chance.  The Pet Detectives even send to the owner a map of the strategic zone where fliers are posted with a photo of the missing animal.  Some pet detective services even use amplified listening devices, baby monitors, cat detection dogs, and dogs trained to track lost dogs.

Posted in Animali, California, English, Foto, Italia, Piemonte | 1 Comment