Blogging has been a bit of a challenge the last couple days. The old stone walls of Fattoria Argiano don't allow wifi signals to pass through, so all web surfing and blogging has to be done in a courtyard by the farm office while sitting on a bench. One morning while doing so, my iPad took a flying leap out of its keyboard protector and landed face down on the brick floor. The glass screen shattered, of course, but thankfully the iPad is still working fine. After a couple days of picking little pieces of glass out of my hand after using the touch screen, I covered the whole thing with clear packing tape. It works perfectly, looks like a nightmare, and I have an appointment to have the glass replaced as soon as I get back to Buffalo!
Yesterday was our long-awaited class in Tuscan cooking. The class took place at Ristorante Marlborghetta, with chef Simone Municci as our instructor. We arrived a little late due to driving too far north to the wrong village. When we finally found the right place, we were greeted warmly by Simone and met our classmates Jenna and Ed from Manchester, England. We enjoyed cappachino and were given personalized aprons to wear and keep. Mine is purple checked gingham and Leroy's is red. Both are decorated with little ducks. No one should expect to see us weariing these again anytime soon! 
The class was fantastic. Simone is a very funny, skilled chef with tons of information to share about Tuscan cooking. His emphasis was on teaching basic principles of preparing Italian food, rather than showing us how to make specific recipes. We appreciated that and felt we learned a lot. Simone was previously an engineer with a chemistry background, so he taught us much about how the chemical reactions of various elements of cooking affect the final product. Something I learned in our cooking classes in both the south and north of Italy is that Italians like garlic but they virtually never put it in their red sauces. 
The meal we created included four courses: 1. Crustini with liver pate, 2. Gnocche (potato pasta) with bolognese (meat) sauce in a parmesan bowl, 3. "Salsicce e fagioli": sausage with Cannellini beans, and 3. Tiramisu. A table was set up outdoors for our meal. Simone joined us to explain more about Tuscan food and to introduce the wines that were paired with each of the courses. We went back into the kitchen after each course to complete final preparations for what we would eat next. In all, we spent five hours at the restaurant, made some new friends, ate great food, and hopefully came away with some new skills!
Not far from the site of our cooking class is the Brolio Castle. Prior to Italy's unification in the mid-1800s, the country's political leadership was divided between forces that often warred against one another. Siena was a major merchant city and a rival of Florence. The Brolio Castle was a key fortress during the frequent battles between the two cities. We walked uphill on a winding gravel road through a forest to reach the castle. Only the outdoor gardens and a chapel were open for us to explore. The castle itself is a private home owned by the Ricasoli family that has occupied it since the twelfth century. Last night while checking the news I learned of the demise of an organization called Exodus International. I suppose most people may not have heard of Exodus. For LGBT persons of faith, Exodus is very well known. For nearly forty years, Exodus has been the primary organization working to convince gay men and women and youth (and their families and friends) that "change is possible." In other words, it has existed to try to "cure" homosexuality. I was personally involved in a local chapter of Exodus prior to accepting my orientation and coming out in 2003. Alan Chambers, president of Exodus, issued a public apology yesterday for the damage that has been done to LGBT persons and their families through this "ministry." The apology - and the dismantling of Exodus - has been a long time coming and is overdue. Nevertheless, I am grateful for the acknowledgment of harm. I am also grateful that people will no longer be able to uncritically urge gay folks (young and old) to seek "healing" from an organization that was founded on bad science and bad theology. Progress is being made in society as a whole and within the Christian community toward reconciliation and justice for LGBT persons. The end of Exodus is one more sign, and it is a reason to celebrate.
