The ANNOTICO Report
SO Italian: An evening passeggiata, a leisurely stroll,
with a friend, to
your favorite gelateria, and exchanging pleasantries
with friends and
neighbors.
SO Often we become so frenetic in our pursuit of enjoyment,
over
complicating matters, so that we are blind to the fact
that the simple joys
of life, are often the most rewarding, and best for our
feeling of well
being, and the nurturing of the soul.
Temple News
Student Newspaper of Temple University
Philadelphia, PA
By Felicia D’Ambrosio
Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Everyone knows Italians live better than Americans. They
take long lunches
with family, drink vino with every dinner, and enjoy
an afternoon siesta
without feeling guilty for not working. Part of the lush
life of Italy is
the evening passeggiata, a leisurely stroll to your favorite
gelateria with
a friend. The gelateria makes fresh, delicious gelato
every day - it's the
Italian take on ice cream. However, there are several
major differences.
Ice cream is just that - cream. Gelato is made with milk,
and possesses a
lower fat and calorie content. Air is whipped into both
frozen confections
in a machine, but gelato has much less air whipped into
it. This creates a
denser product with much more flavor in each bite than
in conventional ice
cream. Gelato is NOT the soft-serve that is heaped atop
water ice at
Rita's.
Keeping these differences in mind, I think gelato is suffering
from a
perceived value problem. Servings of gelato are smaller,
since it is a
denser and more flavorful creation. They are also more
expensive than your
standard Jack & Jill pint, since far more ingredients
go into each bite.
At Capogiro Gelato Artisans, owners John and Stephanie
Reitano are
determined to overcome the image hurdle and share this
luscious Italian
treat with Philadelphia. The day I visited, Stephanie
was in the basement
kitchen roasting peanuts and black walnuts for the next
day's batches as
the staff gracefully mixed ingredients, cut fruit, and
attended to the
gelato machine, dancing around each other in the tiny
kitchen. Capogiro
uses only the most seasonal and local products available,
and the milk
comes from grass-fed, hormone-free cows. This reflects
the Italian
aesthetic of USING THE BEST POSSIBLE INGREDIENTS..
Capogiro sits at the corner of 13th and Sansom streets
in the heart of
Center City. When you step inside, the toasty smell of
La Columbe coffee
lures you right to the swooping glass cases full of homemade
gelato
flavors. There are familiar friends, like Cioccolato
Banana (chocolate
banana) or Nocciola (hazelnut), but Capogiro truly shines
in its
unexpected, original creations like Basil or Moro (blood
orange). Though
Basil may seem an odd choice for dessert, it is strikingly
fresh and
carries the lightly sweet spice of the summery herb.
Another concoction
that has gained notoriety is the Rosemary Honey Goat
Milk, a gentle melding
of the sweet and woodsy.
Even if you dare not try the elusive Caped Gooseberry
- a sweet member of
the tomatillo family - there will be a creamy confection
that calls your
name. Gazing at the stainless-steel containers heaped
with pastel gelato
and sorbetto is an exercise in approach-approach conflict,
a psychological
term for being attracted to two goals simultaneously.
Every single one
tempted a different pleasure. John dug mini plastic spoons
into each
container, letting me try the various fruity or rich
flavors. Each bite was
like a cool burst of clear flavor - clean green basil
or satisfying coffee
alive on the palate. This is good stuff - it all tastes
like it is made
with love.
Capogiro isn't just frozen fun. They offer handmade panini
sandwiches like
Italian tonno (tuna) with artichoke hearts and black
olive tapenade. There
is the full range of La Columbe coffee and espresso,
and little Italian
chocolates and fruit jellies. With Capogiro's dainty
café seating outside,
I can see it being an original, non-drinking, non-boring
date spot.
The balmy weather of May has almost arrived, and long
evenings designed for
walks in the park. The day after graduation, I will be
strolling along
Rittenhouse like it's Roma, with my Pompelmo Rosso con
Campari sorbetto,
enjoying the sweet life we were meant to live.
Felicia D'Ambrosio can be contacted at Caspian@temple.edu.
http://www.temple-news.com/news/
2005/04/26/OutAndAbout/La.Dolce.Vita
-937898.shtml