Whatever happened to the Veneziana?

Tonight, we went to Pizza Express for dinner, to meet my wife's friend who wanted to introduce her new fiancé to us. I always loved Pizza Express: the food may not be fancy, but the quality is always reliable. But recently, there is something that has been bothering me: the Veneziana, my go-to pizza when i go there, is no longer on the menu. The Veneziana has everything I love in a pizza: capers, olives, and well, that's it. They also give a discretionary 25p to the Venice in Peril fund for every Veneziana sold. Well, they still do, except for every mushroom pizza sold, because they don't sell Veneziana anymore.  My question is why? Why is it no longer on the menu? Because I don't care about mushroom pizza. I mean I really don't. And I am all for saving Venice, mind you, but I will donate to the charity directly rather than eat a mushroom pizza. In the end, the Veneziana allowed me to make a good deed while enjoying a dinner out. Since it is gone, I don't find the menu of Pizza Express so appealing anymore.

Veneziana Pizza

Last week for my wife's birthday, we went to Pizza Express. It is a sort of almost acidental tradition for her birthday: we often end up there, even when we don't plan it. But Pizza Express is always reliable: it serves good food at decent price, Wolfie is sure to enjoy it and we are never disappointed in the meal. It is especially true for me, as I always go for the Veneziana, so I know exactly what I am going to have. It has black olives, capers, red onions and 25p is given to the Venice In Peril fund. So I feel like I do my good deed of the day every time I go there and order it. And my wife is happy because it means that I eat vegetarian.

Pizza Express, troubles and tribulations

I haven't been to Pizza Express since the birthday of my son. This is where we went for his birthday meal. We don't go there, yet we all love it. It's nothing outstanding, but it is a reliable chain and we always eat well. Recently, Pizza Express has been on the news and on my mind for all the wrong reasons. Firstly, it got into financial trouble. When a pizza chain is in trouble, it is never a good sign. Then, I learned that Venice is literally drowning. That looks like it is unrelated, but you see, when I go to Pizza Express, I almost always have a Veneziana. Because it is delicious and has everything I love in a pizza (see the picture) and because it gives 25p of  its price to Venice in Peril. And now I feel guilty that I have not eaten there more often, or visited Venice, for that matter. All these 25p they gave to a worthy cause, maybe for nothing. And then, the worst happened: Prince Andrew said that he was in the Pizza Express in Woking when he allegedly sexually assaulted a teenager. I know this stupid, arrogant, sinister aristocrat has a lot more grievous things to answer for, but tarnishing an honourable restaurant chain by using it as an alibi (and a stupid one at that) was downright crass. So I feel very bad for Pizza Express. I don't think they deserve all this.

Time for a Veneziana pizza

My wife had a great idea about tonight: we should go to Pizza Express for dinner. She has some vouchers that we need to redeem there and tonight is as great a time as any. As I am a man of habit, I will order a Veneziana pizza. Not only because it is delicious, with everything I love in a pizza: capers, olives, onions and some other stuff that makes this one so unique, but also because 25p is given to the Venice In Peril fund every time I have one. Or you, or anyone. So yes, I am plugging it shamelessly in this blog. I did plug it before in 2013, but it is good to remind people about this, because the city is indeed in peril and I would like to visit it before it drowns. But charity notwithstanding we have not been to Pizza Express in a long while and I am in the mood for a Veneziana.

Sensuel (la photo du mois)

Ce fut difficile de trouver une photo pour ce thème, choisi par Lau* des montagnes. J'ai finalement opté pour une photo d'un tableau dun peintre argentin Fabian Perez. On peut pas faire plus sensuel que ses peintures, je trouve.

Pour ce qui est des autres expressions de sensualité, les voici:

Akaieric, Alban, Alexinparis, Amartia, Angélique, Aude, Autour de Cia, BiGBuGS, Blogoth67, Brindille, Calamonique, Carole en Australie, Chat bleu, Chiffons and Co, Christophe, CécileP, Céline in Paris, Danièle.B, DelphineF, El Padawan, Escribouillages, Estelle, Eurydice, Evasion Conseil, François le Niçois, Frédéric, Gilsoub, Gine, Giselle 43, J'habite à Waterford, Je suis partie voyager, Jess_TravelPicsAndTips, Josette, Josiane, Kellya, KK-huète En Bretannie, Koalisa, Krn, La Fille de l'Air, La Tribu de Chacha, Lau* des montagnes, Laurent Nicolas, Lavandine, Lavandine83, Lilousoleil, Luckasetmoi, Lyonelk, Madame Rêve, magda627, Mamysoren, Mirovinben, Morgane Byloos Photography, Nanouk, Natpiment, Nicky, Pat, Paul Marguerite, Philae, Philisine Cave, Pichipichi Japon, Pilisi, Renepaulhenry, Sous mon arbre, Tambour Major, The Beauty is in the Walking, Tuxana, Xoliv', écri'turbulente.

Venice and Fabian Perez

The title of this painting is... Venice, by Fabian Perez, my favourite painter. It is a recent one, I believe. I recently learned from the local art gallery (well, not exactly local now as they have relocated in a nearby town) that Perez lived for seven years near Venice. I always thought there was something Italian about him, both in his art and in his culture. Which makes sense, since he is Argentinian and there is an important Italian diaspora there. But anyway, when I saw the painting, I knew I had to blog about it. This masked lady is different from the courtesans he usually paints, yet in many ways very similar. There is a vulnerability and a certain loneliness about her that is akin to many other women painted by Perez. But while most of the courtesans and femmes fatales lived in hot Argentinian nights, this one exists in cold Venice. And like in every painting of Fabian Perez, there is a narrative with the character: she is of course about to take a letter. Was the letter meant for her? Why is she wearing a mask? Because it is carnival, or because she wants to hide her identity?  This painting is set in a different place and a different time, but it is the same artistic sensibility.

Venise sur les traces de Corto Maltese

Je suis récemment tombé sur cet article dans La Presse. Intitulé
Venise sur les traces de Corto Maltese, que j'emprunte pour le titre de ce billet sans aucune honte, il a attiré mon attention. Je n'ai pas tout lu Corto Maltese d'Hugo Pratt, mais c'est seulement parce qu'il y a tant d'auteurs à lire. Car je considère Hugo Pratt un auteur et son oeuvre une oeuvre littéraire, dans tous les sens du mot. Je pensais un jour écrire sur le personnage, je ne croyais pas écrire sur lui en parlant d'un livre touristique que je n'ai même pas. Mais enfin bref, Venise-Itinéraires avec Corto Maltese est à la fois un guide touristique et un guide littéraire, puisqu'il nous montre la ville à travers l'oeuvre et le personnage de Pratt. Idée inspirée, surtout pour quelqu'un qui compte visiter Venise avant qu'elle ne soit engloutie. J'ai déjà blogué sur les livres à lire en fonction de là où l'on est. Alors ce sera mon livre vénitien, lorsque je l'aurai. Je n'aime pas le tourisme facile et l'exotisme cheap. Je veux du tourisme littéraire. Alors ce sera mon guide vénitien.

The Veneziana of Pizza Express

Remember when, a long while ago, I had decided to start a new tradition here on Vraie Fiction, of plugging a menu or a meal from a restaurant or a pub every Friday or Saturday (or even Sunday sometimes)? Last time I did it was on August 30th. So it is a long, long lost tradition, or a long interrupted one. But I am starting it again. I might not be very original, as tonight I am plugging a pizza from a British pizza chain, Pizza Express. Not exactly the Crown in Cookham from my first post. That said, I have found my pizza, in fact my favorite pizza in the UK and the one I eat pretty much every time I go to Pizza Express. And it is not only for the taste, it is for what it does. The pizza is called the Veneziana and you can see a picture of it on the left.

So why do I love it so much? Well, there is of course the taste: olives and capers are always a big winner for me, and the Veneziana has plenty of black olives and capers. it also has red onions a plenty and sultanas, which gives a bit of distinctive sweetness to the savoury whole. I'd love it no matter what would come next, but something comes next: when I order it, I also give money to charity. Because every time you do, a discretionary 25p goes to the Venice in Peril Fund. I have never seen Venice, but I do want to see it, preferably before it drowns. If we could avoid letting drown, I would be even happier. And I know it is very modest a contribution, but I love to contribute to it all the same, 25p at a time. According to Wikipedia, the Veneziana was introduced to the menu in 1977. I have only discovered Pizza Express a few years ago, but I have been eating Veneziana ever since, pretty much every time I go there. My way of connecting to Italian culture.