A Flirty Italian Snack

As a single girl, most of my cooking is for friends, family and coworkers. Cooking to seduce a guy? Not so much. Quite frankly, I’m more likely to seduce a guy over a drink or while watching a football game.

In case you’re wondering, it turns out that guys do, in fact, appreciate a girl who knows the difference between a wide receiver and a running back. Well, at least the guys I flirt with do. I’ll resist lumping all guys into a category of football obsessed.

Not the point though… The point is, finding my way to a guy’s heart through his stomach has not been my style. That’s in part because I think cooking for a guy is pretty intimate. I’ll save that for the guy who manages to make me go all googly-eyed. (friends who know me & my commitmentphobia too well, you can stop laughing about the concept of me being all googly-eyed.)

So, what’s a girl who doesn’t cook to seduce to do when the #LetsLunch bunch honors my friend Mina (aka Rashda) Khan for her first published book, The Djinn’s Dilemma (it’s a paranormal romance!), by writing about Foods of Seduction? Well, in this for instance, I’m lucky because I just got back from Italy, where I’m fairly certain life revolves around food and drink.

I’ve been lucky to visit Italy a few times now, each with its own distinct food-related memories. For me, somehow food in Italy seems better, more exotic, more enjoyable and just … well, just more of everything. And let me tell you, those foods seduce me. The clementines I bought at the market when I visited my cousin last Thanksgiving? They’ll live in my memory as the best clementines I’ve ever had. The yummy little Italian crackers we bought at the grocery store? Yeah. Good luck beating them. And the joy that comes from sitting outside, watching the world go by and sipping a glass or two of prosecco? Immense.

The best clementines ever

On this last trip to Italy, my cousin and I went back to the Cantina do Mori in Venice. It’s this tiny bar off the beaten track where you can have a glass of wine, a little snack and some great conversation with the folks you come in with and with the guys behind the bar. My cousin and I found it last year when we purposely went in the direction with the fewest tourist and/or the most interesting sign. We loved the ambiance and it has become one of our favorite places in Venice.

Last time, the guys behind the bar were friendly and nice. No doubt about it. But this time, one of the guys behind the bar was awfully easy on the eyes. And, wouldn’t you know it, I found several reasons to ask him about the different cheeses, salamis and other assorted snacks available. And, shock of shocks, my cousin and I stayed for more than just a single glass of prosecco. Better yet, he was flirty in a rather flattering way. So yes, I spent the better part of an hour batting my eyelashes at him and managing a bit of conversation despite the language barrier.

A flirty snack and some prosecco in Venice (sorry for the fuzzy camera phone picture. i was too busy flirting to take a proper picture.)

Did I seduce him? No. Did he seduce me? No. But will the flirty encounter live on as a vivid memory for a while? Yes. And, in part, that’s because a glass of prosecco and a plate of cheeses, salamis, and lardo-topped bread provided just the right opening for some enjoyable flirting.

And really, when you’re in Venice, what’s better than flirting with a cute guy while enjoying a glass of prosecco?

Now, if you’re interested in a book that’s more than a little flirty, you should download Mina’s e-book. Personally, I liked her book and can’t wait to read her next book. And do not be bashful about reading a Harlequin novel. In fact, if you do have a significant other, maybe you should read it together. If you purchase the book before Nov. 16, you can also enter to win some Release Day prizes, including an Amazon gift certificate and chocolates.

Lastly, congratulations on publishing your first book, Mina! I’m so happy for you.

More #LetsLunch Bunch Posts

• Mina’s Red Hot Smokin’ Fiction and Seafood Soup
• Cathy’s Roasted Red Pepper Spicy Jelly
• Linda’s West African Groundnut Stew
• Emma’s Carbonara
• Lisa’s Pavlova
• Joe’s Swordfish Stew
• Grace’s Pasta Puttanesca
• Leigh’s Baked Apple Cider Donuts