When’s the last time you stopped at Ben & Jerry’s for a cone a mere two hours before dinner time? Italians do it all the time. On a day like today, Italians take to the streets in droves – they are outdoor people. Socializing and entertaining take place at neighborhood cafès and in the nearby piazza. Take a walk around 5 pm in any Italian town or city and you will see young and old, men and women strolling in the late afternoon sun enjoying a decadent gelato.
In a cup, in a cone or, if you are in Sicily, stuffed into a brioche. Nobody is worrying about the calorie count or how many hours will be spent on the treadmill to burn off the afternoon treat. Gelato is an excuse. A reason to go for a walk, to stroll arm in arm and to talk about the events of the day. It is less about the ice cream and more about spending the afternoon together, be it with your family, your friends or your partner. Today is a glorious, sunny day in New England, day in which one could actually contemplate taking a stroll outside to soak up some of that early spring sun. So put off dinner and eat gelato first.
(If you are in NYC, try GROM – a gelateria from Milan located in both Greenwich Village and Midtown.)