Fish day 魚の日

It was too warm to think it was already in December. Carmela told me that in the northern part of Italy, it is very cold. Sergio had a problem with his foot, he was lying on his bed whole day. We started our work with piping, dig soil, get rid of stones and cover where plastic pipe for water we buried. It was a simple work but heavy on back. Stones we took from the soil, we put them on the pavement to-be. It can still hardly be called as a pavement nor path. Before noon time Carmela came up and told us that we have to have lunch alone while she would drive to the city to pick her daughter up, everything was ready for eating. And she also added, “Sachito! Today is fish!” which made me absolutely happy.

12月にしてはあまりにも暖かかった。カルメーラが北イタリアはとても寒いと言う。セルジオは足を痛めたようで一日中ベッドで横になっていた。われわれは配管作業を始める。土を掘り、石を取り除き、そしてプラスチックの排水管を埋めたところに土を被せる。単純な作業だが腰に来る。土から集めた石は道の予定地に持っていって敷き詰める。まだ到底道とは呼べるようなものではない。お昼前にカルメーラが来て、娘を街に迎えに行かなければ行けないから、お昼ご飯は準備が出来ているから我々だけで食べるようにと言った。それから付け加えて、｢サチト！今日は魚よ！｣。これには喜んだ。

Picture by Evelien

We put lasagna into the oven, Evelien and I warmed pasta from yesterday on fire, Carmela also put whole panne into the oven. Addinionally we had a piece of salad and roast potatoes, then Carmela asked if we need some portion of meat. Slowly Carmela started to think that we can eat endless. It would be much enough without additional meat. Physical labor brought us more hunger, I ate much more than usual since I came to Biancavilla. And of course what Carmela cooked for us is always good. After eating them, I asked the others if they wanted to have some coffee, I found only a small portion of caffee beans and was not able to find another can. It was very thin.

ラザニアをオーブンに入れて、エヴェリンと昨日のパスタを火に掛けて暖め直し、カルメーラはパンを丸ごとオーブンに。サラダにロースとポテトもある。さらに彼女はまだ肉が追加で欲しいかと聞く。どうも彼女は我々が底なしに食べると思うようになってきている。肉なしでも食べるものは十分ある。肉体労働の後はお腹がすく。ビアンカヴィラに来てからは普段よりも遥かにたくさん食べている。もちろんカルメーラの料理がいつもおいしいせいもある。食べ終わった後みんなにコーヒーは要らないかと聞くが、コーヒー豆がほんの少ししか残っていなかった。とても薄かった。

Due to Rocco's advice, we mixed cement and sand, then put them where the pipe were connected. After that, we flattened the entrance of the restaurant where water pipe had been buried. We swept the main pavement full of fallen leaves and dirt, put soil to make the level even. Without Sergio we stopped the work slightly earlier than usual.

ロッコの助言に従い、セメントと砂を混ぜてパイプのジョイント部分を固める。その後、配水管を埋めたレストランの入り口を平らにした。落ち葉や土で一杯になった家の前の通路を掃き、地面が掘れたところに土を入れて平らにする。セルジオがいないので今日はいつもより仕事を早く切り上げる。

I was in the kitchen and saw Carmela was preparing fish for cooking. She cut tail or pectral fin　with scissors and the other fish was already ready to be grilled. She showed me the fish she was working on and asked me if I knew the one. It was horse mackerel. I told her that the yellow line on the side, we should get rid of with our knife in vertical direction and scrape it off, because it is very hard. She mentioned that it had very beautiful stripe and it was very fresh, I explained to her that Japanese people would see eyes of fish if they are fresh. She asked me of other fish. A big fish about 60 cm, some blue dots on side. Honestly I was not able to recognize it. Fish in Mediterranean sea may look different but I should know if I taste it.

台所でカルメーラが魚を調理しているのを見ていた。尾びれや胸びれをはさみで切り、別の魚はもう焼ける準備が出来ていた。さばいていた魚を僕に見せながら、見たことがあるかと聞く。鯵だった。彼女には、その魚は体の横に黄色いラインがあってそこが硬いから、包丁を縦にしてそぎ落とすんだと話す。とても綺麗な縞模様で、新鮮だと言うので、日本人は魚の目を見て新鮮かどうか見分けるよと言う。別の魚についても聞かれる。60cmくらいの横に青い斑点のある魚。正直何の魚だか分からなかった。地中海の魚は違った姿形をしているのかもしれないが、食べてみればきっと分かるはずだ。

We had dinner without Rocco and Raffaelle. Carmela told me that they do not eat fish. Sergio was there at the table, he still seemed to have problem on his foot. We had simple spaghetti with pepperoni, horse mackerel and a big fish. Looking at the meat of it and its color, it looked like mackerel, and it was. In Japan people would see how they eat fish to know how they had been grown up. In restaurants or in bistros, people working there would often say to me that I eat fish very clean. Only head, main bone would leave and nothing else. Maria was trying to take some meat from the big mackerel, I offered to help her. Took all meat off the fish body.

ロッコとラファエッレ抜きで夕食をとる。カルメーラは2人はあまり魚を食べないと話す。セルジオも食卓に付く。まだ足が痛む様子。シンプルなペペロンチーノのスパゲッティに鯵。それから大きな魚。身の色からすれば鯖のようだった。日本では魚の食べ方を見れば育ちが分かるという。レストランや小料理屋の人がよく魚を綺麗に食べますねと褒めてくれる。頭と骨以外何も残らない。マリアはその大きな鯖の身を取ろうと四苦八苦していたので、助けてやる。魚の身を全部ほぐす。

It is quite rare to see fish with whole body and head on a plate in Austria, except sweet water fish and many people do not eat fish skin. When I saw Agata stripping the skin, I told her that we usually eat all. She asked me if we also eat spine, so I told her that it depends on fish and how we cook, and for some fish it is also possible to eat spine, grill on the fire afterwards and would eat like snack. These fishes were very nice and I told Carmela that I never expected to eat fresh horse mackerel in Europe. Sure, the fish are quite popular in Sicily. I was totally happy with it. We ate up all mackerel and we had some horse mackerel left on the plate. Carmela asked me what she would do with it, I proposed her to cook rice and add horse mackerel meat. She promised me that we would do it for tomorrow for me.

オーストリアでは淡水魚以外では尾頭付きの魚を見ることは非常に稀で、普通の人は魚の皮も食べない。アガタが皮を避けているのを見て、日本人は皮も全部食べるよと教えてやる。彼女が日本人は骨も食べるのかと聞くから、魚と料理方法によるけれど、食べ終わった後で残った骨を焼いてスナックのようにして食べる魚もあると話す。頂いた魚はどちらもおいしく、カルメーラに、正直ヨーロッパで新鮮な鯵が食べられるとは思っても見なかったと話す。この魚はシチリアではごく当たり前のもの。とても嬉しかった。鯖を全部平らげて、皿の上には何匹か鯵が残っていた。カルメーラが残りをどうしたらいいかと聞くので、鯵ご飯にしたらいいと提案。明日僕のために作ると約束してくれた。