Move frequently and you’ll realize
that a handful of strategic people have the power to transform a new city into
a new home. A trusted fioraio is one of them. Neighborhood vendors who sell things
that grow are great friends to have; humans, like plants, have growing seasons,
too. I believe in flowers for special occasions and at all other times, which
means I see Angela each week at the least. If you live nowhere near her stand,
my unsolicited advice is to try to find someone just like her.
‘No signora, Lei non vuole quelli, they’re not as fresh as these over here.’ That’s what your vendor
should be saying by the third time you visit; if he doesn’t, then keep up the
search. Angela may well be in the very next shop.
Angela’s palms are greenish from her work and her face
is pink from the pleasure of it. She squints instead of wearing glasses. Who
can be bothered with specs, when the strings that move the human marionette are
virtually invisible? Life is for births, burials and baptisms, holy holidays
and lovers’ days. Then there are those daily occasions where a brand new plant
can transform a room or change a whole outlook. Like most people who spend
ample time with beautiful things, Angela is often quiet. Her sole questions are
healthy ones: What are you celebrating? Should these be wrapped for home or for
giving? Allora, che fai di bello? This last one
makes me smile. How can one not be happy in a country where a simple greeting
becomes a question as lovely as ‘What are you doing that’s beautiful?’ In
English, we prefer to ask ‘What’s new?’ Italians will settle for hearing old
things as well. Beauty, not novelty, is best.
Che faccio di bello? Well, for one
thing, I’m researching expressions about happiness. The study has been a rather
long one, as the mere intention to write about la felicita has offered me various weeks of secret delight. Train your ear to hear
gleeful phrases and inevitably some of the fun will rub off on you.
Today, as I prepare to share all the findings, I
realize that the resulting theory is plain as day: when people are cheerful,
they say bizarre things. In English, we are ‘tickled pink,’ ‘thrilled to bits’
and ‘pleased as punch.’ Otherwise, one can be ‘a happy camper,’ ‘on cloud nine’
or ‘happy as a clam.’ Ammettiamolo, only truly
pleased people are capable of conjuring metaphors such as these.
When Italians have cause for contentment they are ‘felice
come una pasqua'(as happy as Easter) or ‘vanno a nozze,’ which means
they’re on their jolly way toward a wedding banquet. But hold on tight for an
all-time favorite: andare in brodo di giuggiole. And if you are happy enough to attempt pronouncing the word giuggiole
without fear of failure, then you deserve to be doing a leisurely backstroke in
a jujube broth. I find this phrase particularly appealing. Even as a child, I
remember thinking that ‘jujube’ is very likely the most tempting word in the
world-a chewy candy capable of cementing your jaw shut and a red date-like
fruit that’s better talked about than eaten. How lucky to find that its Italian
translation is an equally gummy word that’s also sweeter than the rare
olive-sized fruit it describes.
But speaking of happiness, my last visit to the flower
vendor is worth the space on this page.
As I approached, Angela stopped her watering and
looked at me straight, ‘Do you know that di questa stagione, some women take vitamins and some buy peach blossoms? Which are you?
Do you want blossoms?’
I smiled. ‘They’re wonderful, but I don’t have a vase
that big.’
‘I’ll give you a vase. You can bring it back next
week.’
I thought for a moment, ‘Maybe I can just buy it.’
She shook her head, argumentative, ‘Then you’d have
one and I’d be without.’
As I grinned, she watched me, wiping her hands on her
apron. ‘Do you want spring in your house or don’t you?’
It’s as simple as that, really. La luna
storta, or a badly bent mood, can be solved with the right
fistful of flowers. Likewise, if you’re feeling chipper and want spring in your
house, all you need is a big vase and blossoming tree branches. For Angela, a
client’s needs are always clear: chrysanthemums mean you’re feeling la
crisi; choose calla lilies and you’re seeking inner peace.
If your disposition is sunny, then there’s still room to go deeper: a sunflower
confirms you’ve recently washed the windows. And roses-well, con le
rose, si sa, everything’s going just swell. Happy in words and in
deeds. Everything’s going ‘large’ and well. Tutto va alla
grande.
