Matt’s Magical Mystery Gadgets, Revealed

A couple of people over at that other blog have asked, so here are answers: 1. The portable cloth high chair I used in this video came from Moe Bimbi in Milan. (They don’t have much of a Website, but their clothes are really cute.) I remember it costing about €30 or €35, and supposedly …

Dining Tips From the FrugalWagon

So, some of you may have noticed that the New York Times this weekend featured a lengthy story about a lone father and his young daughter traveling on a budget in San Francisco. My day job: Whee! This week, however, I figured I’d share (I hate saying “share” like that, but oh well) with you …

Una Sera Con Margherita Vittoria

Last night I ate dinner at Da Danilo, a traditional Roman trattoria that makes what’s supposed to be one of the city’s best spaghetti alla carbonara. (It is very good.) I arrived just about 9:30 to find Margherita Vittoria waiting for me. Now, she was not actually waiting for me, per se. In fact, she …

“Io Sono Casalingo.” (Cue Laughter.)

As part of my top-secret, undercover assignment here in Italy, I have to repeatedly lie about my work. That can be easy in certain parts of Europe, particularly France, where asking “What do you do for a living?” is considered the least imaginative question possible. Indeed, friendships and even marriages last decades with neither participant …