Shelf Life by Livia Franchini

Author:Livia Franchini
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781473569188
Publisher: Transworld
Published: 2019-08-28T16:00:00+00:00

PRAWNS

Three Months Earlier

cumulonimbus

Sent: 20/11/2015 – 00:03

Dear Lili,

It’s so wonderful, each time, to hear back from you. I truly mean it. I was sorry, however, to hear about the guy at your work and I really would appreciate it if you’d make an effort not to conflate us. You are right, Lili, the world is full of weirdos. I am glad you managed to get him safely removed. But I have been nothing but honest with you: I genuinely cannot wait for us to meet, it’s just that I need to bide my time until I am ready. Please be patient. Besides, that guy, what a moron, if you excuse my language. What’s the point of queuing for Fasta if you’re not going to order the prawn linguini? (There’s a hint for you.) For bread rolls, I go to Tesco. And I never double carb, bloody hell, a man over thirty has to look after himself. (There’s another hint. I wonder if it’s enough for you to guess who I am or whether I remain in your eyes a more generic character than I’d like to admit.)

While we’re at it let’s talk about the menu choices in your particular establishment – and I am dying to know your opinion. It’s not that I don’t enjoy experimenting with food, for that would make me rather boring, but doesn’t it ever grate on you, as an Italian, our peculiar British habit of inventing our own version of things? It’s become a bit of a mania, hasn’t it? We always have to make it pop-up or fusion or I don’t know … a molecular version of a perfectly nice home-made dish … just to make up for the fact that we have no culinary tradition of our own. No one cares about authenticity these days. It seems so demeaning to your rich, nuanced food culture, which I learnt much about when I lived in Rome years ago. Don’t worry, I do remember you ‘manage that shit’, as you so eloquently put it. But I also know that Fasta is a franchise, so I assume you have limited freedom in making executive choices with regards to the menu, let alone the décor. If only you managed the whole thing! I’d sign a petition to have Lili as CEO of Fasta in a heartbeat. Am I right in assuming you would have long shed the chequered tablecloths and those syphilitic basil shoots stuffed in mason jars? There is nothing about you that is caricature. And this is what I love about you: the simplicity of your southern beauty, your humble Mediterranean charm, with all the temper and wisdom of your own sun-beaten land. Lili, I know you want something more from me, but I’m not ready to reveal myself fully, not yet. What I can give you, right now, is a confession, which I hope you’ll accept as a token of my good faith: I’ve been listening to the song you were named after endlessly, on repeat.

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