I have avoided writing about Italian cuisine until now, since it seems everything about Italy is just simply delicious! Italian cuisine from Italy is characterized by its simplicity, with many dishes having only four to eight ingredients rather than on elaborate preparation. Its focus is always on fresh, local ingredients prepared simply, so the cuisine is very regional.

We will focus on the Ragù alla Bolognese today. According to this Wikipedia article, original dish is a little bit different from the Bolognese sauce we are familiar with in the US. It is customarily used to dress "tagliatelle al ragù" and to prepare "lasagne alla bolognese". Genuine ragù alla bolognese is a slowly cooked sauce, and the ingredients include a characteristic soffritto of onion, celery and carrot, different types of minced or finely chopped beef, often alongside small amounts of fatty pork. Red wine and a small amount of tomatoes are added, and the dish is then gently simmered at length to produce a thick sauce.

If you try to order “Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce” in Italy, you will probably be disappointed. If you are a TopGear fan, you will likely remember The Perfect Roadtrip 2 episode where Richard Hammond tries to find Spaghetti with Bolognese sauce in Bologna, Italy, and getting the “no” answer everywhere. That is like calling fried potatoes “French fries” in France. In Italy, the tomato meat sauce is simply called “Ragù” or "Ragù alla Bolognese".

How about trying out this classic Ragù alla Bolognese recipe by Mario Batali?!  With a simple salad with olive oil and vinegar, you are set for dinner!

So why is everybody so interested in Zoe Saldana’s husband changing his last name to her last name? In this article on BBC magazine, it seems trendy these days for people to choose unconventional ways to show their marriage union. Some have decided to combine 2 last names to create a new one, to start an entirely new family. It appears like a new trend, but what are some traditions around the world? The video in the article highlights some interesting traditions around the world.

In mainland China, most Han Chinese women keep their maiden name, and their children take on the father’s last name. Not knowing this, my husband and I created Chinese names for ourselves in China with the same last name. Every time we introduced ourselves, people always had a slightly confused look, then right away would look a little relieved (figuring out we are foreigners and so we just don’t know things). Most people with the same last name are immediately considered siblings. With the different minority groups in China though, the traditions vary. The Dai people of SouthWest Yunnan province didn’t really have a family name tradition until recently, so all women have the last name “Yu” and all men have the last name “Ai”. As you can imagine, last name is not really an indicator of familial relationship in this case, just an indicator of male or female…

So what we consider to be common or appropriate, may not be so common to other cultures. Getting to really know other cultures is always a path to enlightenment. 

If you are an expat, chances are you have relocated with your spouse or even an entire family, and you are very aware of the important role that the accompanying spouse has for the success of an assignment. However, we rarely hear from them, their perspective, their adventures and challenges they face which they have to battle on their own. If you are interested in gaining more insight into their lives, take a look at this blog article by Terry Wilson who has lived in a number of countries and had careers, raised 3 children and also been through identity crisis at times.