The Better Bacon

Guanciale (gwon-cha-leh), the cheek of a pig, the pig's jowl - is not to be confused with pancetta or speck or any other bacon-like meat in Italy. This is distinctly Roman, a regional delicacy normally only available in Lazio (aka Latium) and boy am I lucky to be here because these people really know something about the nuturing and harvesting of bacon trees, let me tell you! (I hold fast to the belief that bacon is a fruit, not a meat, thereby eliminating any conflict with my vegetarian ideals.)

Last Sunday The Man and I went to get a coffee at our friend Isa's bar over in Trastevere. Then, our dearest friend Giacomo came in. The next thing I know, we were over at Giacomo's house having lunch with he and his wife, Virginia.

Giacomo had made the MOST INCREDIBLE pasta all'amatriciana that I'd ever tasted - and I've been to Amatrice twice and eaten that town's signature dish. But, this was better! I asked what gave the dish such distinctive flavor. Both Giacomo and Virginia answered in unison: "Guanciale." I've seen the name in butcher shops, but I never knew what it was used for. It's one of those defining foods that culturally identifies one Italian from another. These people are very serious and proud of their regional foods.

And, if that wasn't exciting enough, toward the end of the meal Virginia turned on the television to watch, I assumed, the 2:00 news report. But, then, there was her brother, Marco, right there on tv. He was at some big gala dinner wearing a tuxedo, standing up smiling. Then I saw Donatella, his wife, sitting beside him. And, there in the audience I recognized the actress Judy Dench. Virginia explained that it was footage from the European Film Awards, the equivalent of the Academy Awards held the night before in Copenhagen, and that Marco had won the Best Cinematographer Award. Not only that, but his son, Matteo Garrone, won Best Director for his film "Gomorrah." In all, the film swept the awards winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Cinematography.

It was a big night for Italian cinema and Virginia's film-making family. Virginia herself is a director of documentaries for RAI, the state-owned television company. The Man knows the family well and I've met Marco several times at his wife's restaurant. Donatella has run the restaurant for many years and serves some of the best food in Rome. It's a private dining club, you pay a yearly membership and then can eat there, lunch or dinner, whenever you like. I don't think we've ever paid the membership, but we've eaten there a lot. Donatella's place is often full of film people and film wanna-be people. She also runs a casting agency from this location. It's a place that attracts a mix of talent, casual but chic in its exclusivity. I don't care about any of that, though. All I know is when we go there I'm going to stuff MY guanciale!

Anyway, I was so excited to see Donatella and Marco on television. I've never known anyone who had received such a prestigious award. "Gomorrah" is a potential nominee for Best Foreign Film at next year's Academy Awards and I sure hope they get the nomination.