Something about my life in Italy - Gelato

搬到義大利這個美食天堂，僅僅四年的光景，然而我在周遭朋友的耳濡目染之下，一張嘴越來越難伺候，義大利麵一定要煮成有咬勁的al dente，義式燉飯要用carnaroli的米來煮才夠味，咖啡非得要用從威尼斯老店買回家的特選阿拉比卡種原豆，就連吃個冰淇淋，都得是傳統方法做出來的原汁原味。
Time flies. I've moved to Italy for four years. With all the "bad" influences I've had around, my appetite is getting more and more difficult. Pasta has to be cooked "al dente", risotto has to be prepared with carnaroli rice, coffee has to be the "sposa dell' arabica" from my favorite cafe' in Venice, and ice cream has to be the ones that are made with artisan ways.

〝冰淇淋之角〞是我吃遍四方各種美味冰淇淋以後選出來的第一名。每個星期，我們必定會專程開個二十多分鐘的車，就為了店主瑪莉芮所精心製作的各種美味。在威欠札這一帶，東西方異國聯姻仍屬少見，店主夫婦瑪莉芮與葛拉齊安諾兩人笑容可掬又熱情的態度，加上我那口子健談開朗的個性，我們很快便熟稔了起來，從一開始的點頭之交，成了談美食、聊生活的好友。
All these years we've been tasting all the possible ice cream shops wherever we go. After all the tests, "L'Angolo del Gelato" is my No.1 regarding ice creams. Every week, we drive about 20 minutes to get to the shop, just to taste the variety of ice creams that Marine makes. A mixed couple like us is still rare in Vicenza. Friendly and enthusiastic as Marine and her husband Graziano are, we soon become more and more familier with each other, from just acquaintance into close friends.

瑪莉芮的那雙巧手，是冰淇淋之角最重要的“資產”。她的冰淇淋創作，是生活靈感與巧手實驗的結合。喜愛烹飪的瑪莉芮，常常收看各種介紹美食的烹飪節目，從中尋求線索開發新口味。每次新口味一出現，就到了我最愛的猜謎時間。有些名稱是顯而易見的，不過，也常常出現那些天馬行空的稱呼，光看名稱，既讓人猜不透也摸不著邊，只得用行動來體會，瑪莉芮這次又加了什麼好料的在裡頭！也正因為如此，冰淇淋之角在瑪莉芮的創意與巧手下，總會出現一些與其他地方不一樣的口味，不論是時令水果、烈酒、各式蛋糕西點、甚至於嬰兒餅乾，到了這裡，都成了入口即化的冰淇淋，私房特色讓店裡常常是高朋滿座，顧客絡繹不絕，好不熱鬧。
The most important "property" of the shop is Marine and her hands. Her ice creams are combinations of inspiration in life and creative experiments. She enjoys cooking and watching various gourmet programs, and looks for clues and inspiration from everyday life. Every time when new flavor appears in the shop, it's time for a quiz. Some are obvious and easy to guess, and some are just difficult that you don't have a clue from the name. The only way to know is to taste it so that we can try to understand what she addes inside this time. For this reason, there are many "specialties" in her shop, something that you won't find in other places. Seasonal fruits, liquors, cakes and cookies all become mouth-melting ice cream. It's quite a popular place and people always come here to look for something special.

妙的是，瑪莉芮本人並不嗜甜食，更不愛吃冰淇淋，小時候曾經因為不像其他小朋友一樣愛吃冰，還讓媽媽誤以為瑪莉芮是因為零用錢不夠，才沒去買冰吃。某次閒聊之際，瑪莉芮娓娓道來她開冰淇淋店的心路歷程。六年前的某一天，瑪莉芮偕夫婿兩人至米蘭探親，當時這個親戚剛剛獲得一位有幾十年經驗的冰淇淋師傅傳授秘訣，在米蘭開了一間頗受歡迎的冰淇淋店，盛情難卻之下，瑪莉芮品嘗了最經典的焦糖義式奶酪口味，一吃之下驚為天人，連不愛吃冰淇淋的她，都為其手工與用料實在而大為感動。回到維欠札，左試右試就是再也找不到相似的口感，在親友鼎力相助之下，瑪莉芮決定開起冰淇淋店，將她心中最好吃的冰淇淋，帶到她所居住的城市。
The funny thing is, Marine is not very found of sweete, neither ice creams. When she was young, she didn't ask for ice creams like other children and even made her mom worry that Marine didn't have enough pocket money to get an ice cream she would like to have. One time, Marine told us the story regarding where the idea of an ice cream shop came from. Six years ago, Marine went to Milan with Graziano to visit a relative who just opened a popular ice cream shop in Milan. Trying not to embarrass her relative, Marine tasted the ice cream in his shop even if she doesn't like it. She tried the classic "panna cotta" and was surprisingly touched by the texture, material and quality of the ice cream. After she came back to Vicenza, she couldn't find anything that could bring her that special sensation, and decided to bring this No.1 ice cream in her mind back to where she lives.

有朋自遠方來，我們必定會帶去品嘗瑪莉芮的冰淇淋，吃過的人往往也都贊不絕口。當瑪莉芮和葛拉齊安諾得知我將以冰淇淋之角為題撰文時，還打趣到，如果哪一天有誰拿著這本雜誌、這篇文章來到店裡，不論吃多少買多少一率五折招待。真有那麼一天，你若是恰巧到了威欠札，帶著這篇文章走一趟冰淇淋之角，絕對會得到店主熱情的招呼與擁抱！
When friends come for a visit, we always take them to Marine's shop to taste our favorite ice cream, and it's always appreciated. When Marine and Graziano got to know that I'd use their shop as the topic of my article for the magazine, they excitingly said that if someone brings a copy of the magazine with the article to the shop, she/he would receive 50% discount no matter how much she/he spends. If you come to Vicenza, bring a copy of the article (on the magazine) to the L'Angolo del Gelato", you'd definitely receive a warm welcome and hug from Marine and Graziano.

L’ANGOLO DEL GELATO
地址：PIAZZETTA SAN MARCO, CREAZZO, VICENZA

本文原載於ARCH雅砌雜誌2004年11月號
This article was originally published in the ARCH magazine (2004 Nov. issue) in Taiwan.