Semplice è Meglio, semplice è meglio, semplice è meglio is a mantra I will adopt from now on. It means, ‘simple is best’ and is a favourite saying of our Italian teacher, Irene in her online podcast, Italiano Bello. It will serve to remind me when Hubby and I are grappling with the Italian language, as we have been doing, one evening per week for the last two years, which is, to use the simplest conversation to convey meaning and not to try and overcomplicate things. Whilst we both understand much of what we hear and read; speaking is more difficult because the words just don’t come quickly enough in the moment. Irene’s advice will be heeded from here on in.
With that in mind then, semplice è meglio, was very much in evidence on a short visit to Italy last weekend. We were only there for three nights, yet at very short notice our wonderful Italian neighbours invited us to join them for supper twice in that time. As far removed from my usual dinner party planning and, the angst involved therein as could possibly be. While I scour delis and specialist food shops looking for elusive ingredients that I’ll only need half a teaspoon of, the remainder which will then hide at the back of my pantry for another decade, our neighbours’ attitude was the epitome of semplice è meglio and so much better for it. Our hostess didn’t look as though she was about to have a nervous breakdown because she hadn’t been able to locate ras el hanout, urfa chilli flakes and black garlic and thus, ruin dinner. On the contrary- wrapped in coats, we ate home-made pizzas cooked in the outside wood oven, pork chops, chips and salad. There was no stressing about who was invited, who should sit next to whom, or any of those shenanigans. We just slotted into their extended family and loved every minute. Everything is all about family in Italy – you eat with whoever is there that night – sons, sons-in-law, daughters, daughters-in-law, grandparents, and grandchildren. They all come. It helps that the simplest foods in Italy are outstanding. Bread toasted over an open fire, drizzled with olive oil and salt is a game changer. Great food extends itself to great conversation, helped along with a couple of glasses of the homemade limoncello.
With the importance of family at the forefront of my mind, three generations of women were extremely lucky when Mum and I flew to the USA to reunite with my daughter who is studying there. It was a wonderful, if emotional reunion but after a few tears on our arrival, we three girls hit Manhattan. We walked the Highline, had afternoon tea at a restaurant on top of the Edge, went to MOMA and the Natural History Museum, did a little light shopping at Macy’s, and then, after my dear mother took out a mortgage on tickets, saw Hamilton on Broadway. The joyful tears on our arrival however were nothing compared to the sobs as we were about to leave – nothing compares with your mummy and granny’s enveloping love. I thought at one point that she would be coming home with us but in the end, sufficiently buoyed with familial love, she returned to California, and we are all counting the days until she is home again for the summer.
Our simple dinner in Italy and its almost zero carbon footprint – the food and alcohol all have been either home-reared or home-grown – made us realise that ‘simple is better’ would be an ideal motto to put into practice in our work at Limelight and to that end we are intent on, simplifying. Conscious of the ‘reduce, re-use, recycle’ incantation, we have pioneered floating refills – you slide a scented refill into existing glassware. Online, we are to go live shortly on our packaging-free option and, we are delighted to announce, there is some really lovely hand-blown reusable glassware coming very soon. We are however fully aware that these are tough times for everyone – buying candles is a luxury after all but, we hope to remain an affordable one, the simple, packaging-free option a help when every penny counts. All our suppliers have put their prices up and the cost of our materials has rocketed, and we are trying really hard to absorb these price increases and as ever very much appreciate each and every one of our valued customers.
I am about to go and make dinner now and you can be assured that its component parts will be very limited. “Simple is most definitely best darling”, said Hubby, smiling as he saw how much cheaper life is without mystifying ingredients….
Cathy x
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