Going to Italy? I've a top tip for you...

[PeaGreene]

In a restaurant, don't get polpette and polpetti confused

Cos what you thought were going to be lovely little meatballs, maybe in a yummy tomato sauce, turn out to be....

A steaming plateful of baby octopus, almost whole and intact. Suckers everywhere. Gloopy little heads with barely removed internal bits. Like eating worms with slime.

BLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I 'm sure the staff were giggling at us....

oooo yumm .. I love octopus .. so does DS

• that's the octopus noise from Peter Pan II

My father told me about a similar mistake he made (back in the 70's) in france - he ordered Steak Tatare (sp?) thinking it would come with tartar sauce - and obv. ended up with a plate of raw meat.

I swear I could feel them wriggling in my tummy...

oh I like polipetti if they are fresh, of course

Peagreen, how was the weather, anyway? It's been so unseasonably here in Milan, I hope you didn't get too soaked!

is unseasonably an actual word?

Weather wasn't too bad thanks Franca. We only had a couple of rainy days - the day we arrived and the day before we left, so not as bad as I'd worried about We wanted to do a lot of sightseeing so we were glad of the clouds.

The polpetti taste wasn't too bad - nice and fishy. it was the texture that made me boak. Am feeling quite proud that I ate half of them though.

Yes, I suppose that texture is the problem with polipetti. My aunt makes a fab salad of octopus and potatoes (and lots of garlic...).
Great that the weather has been cooperative. It rained for days in Milan (mind you I was dreading the possibility of having 40 degrees in May, like it's been happening in the last few yrs)