Red Cross Parcel
It is Monday morning in Italy, it is raining, I am sat in my office sulking and I need a bacon butty (bacon sandwich).
Don’t tell Mrs Sensible, but from time to time I do miss bits of England, bits like crisps, real beer or a bacon butty.
During the summer two of my children came to visit me, “Dad, do you need anything bringing” they asked. The above photo shows the goodies they managed to fit in their suitcase. I think the only clothes Lucy managed to fit in her suitcase, were a pair of jeans and a bikini. We spent the rest of the holiday buying her summer dresses. On hindsight it might have been cheaper, to have air freighted my emergency provisions over and let Lucy fill her case with her own clothes.
Back to rainy Monday and life in my office, I have 25 industrial water pumps in Taiwan that should be sat in my stores, money sat in my customers banks that should be sat in my bank and I really, really need a bacon butty.
I really need a bacon butty
If I was still sat in my old office in England, it would still be Monday morning, it would still be raining and I would be dreaming of life in Italy. But, and it is only a small but. The sarni shop (sandwich shop) down the hill made fantastic bacon buttys.
I could order a pizza from the local pizzeria, if someone was here to phone them for me, last time I tried it was a total disaster. I never realised how difficult it was to mime down a phone line.
Io bisogno una pizza (I need a pizza)
Cosa? (What)
Mi scusi, Io bisogno una pizza Diavola, mio indirizzo è strada industriale… (Sorry, I need a Diavola pizza, my address is industrial road…)
Cosa, non capisco?
ARGGGHH! IO SONO INGLESE, IO FAME; IO BISOGNO UNA PIZZA, PLEASE. ( I am English, I am hungry, I need a pizza Please)
CLICK Brrrrrrrr
As I stared at the phone that was still brrrrr ing in my ear, Manzo the nice delivery man from Bartolini, arrived with a parcel. He understood that I was hungry and he phoned the pizzaria on my behalf.
This is a Pizza Diavola. Purchased during the summer from a local pizzeria.
The pizza, complete with a bottle of beer arrived. It was very nice, but I really wanted a bacon butty.
UPDATE….
I have just bust my glasses.
Just bust my glasses
As if the day was not bad enough, I have just bust my glasses.
Englishman in Italy 
So a bacon butty is a bacon sandwich, from what I gather from the photo?
Why not just call it a bacon sandwich? And what does butty mean? Please excuse this Canadian for having no idea…
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In Yorkshire, a bacon sandwich is called a bacon butty. I hoped the photo would explain what a butty was. A sandwich is called a sarni in Yorkshire.
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This post just made me want to eat a bacon butty too! Now excuse me while I make one for myself =p
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Nooooo, what about me?
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Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten you. I’m cooking enough for two! Will “magic” it over to you =)
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Thank you, I will now go and find a “Magic Nomination award” for you. It will have lots of rules one of them will be to send a bacon butty to 12 other bloggers.
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You mean send magic bacon butties? =p
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It is a bit more complex than that.
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Had to have a chuckle @jazz – a bacon sandwich, indeed!
Did your imaginary bacon butty have brown HP sauce on it by any chance? 😛
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A Bacon Butty (Bacon Sandwich) is not the same without HP brown sauce.
I have updated the post and added “(Bacon Sandwich)”
I forgot people actually read these posts, it still surprises me 🙂
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I was proud when I brought in reece’s pieces and several jars of peanut butter. Clearly have nothing on that first photo — my god!!
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There are even 2 family bags of Walkers Crisps.
We have quite a few friends come to stay from the UK. Entry fee to the house is always a jar of Piccalilli, or a bottle of HP Brown Sauce.
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I love bacon sandwiches (in my part of Scotland that’s what we called them 😉 ) or a bacon roll. No accompaniments are required – HP sauce or tomato ketchup just detract from the taste of the bacon as far I’m concerned – just butter. 🙂 I’m off to look in the fridge now, in the hope that I have a packet of bacon…
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Bacon butty or bacon sarni. Please get the name right. I think they were called bacon baps in Barnsley.
Lol, when I used to stay in Scottish hotels I used to have to remember, not to ask for a full English breakfast. 🙂 They used to get very upset.
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Oh yes – you would have been lucky not to have ended up wearing your breakfast asking for something like that! 🙂 I think asking for a full Scottish breakfast produces more or less the same plateful of food however. 😉
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Not as much fun though
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I’m from the potteries originally and living in Italy too. I understand the need for a bacon butty too, or as I’m a Stokie an oatcake with bacon. Our local Eurospin sells thin streaky pre-packed bacon that the Americans here like, but I need good thick cut middle bacon. Like you I have to have in my UK goodies cupboard HP sauce, Piccalilli and Yorkshire tea.
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Oakcake and bacon!! you will need to add subtitles for that. As long as it tastes like a bacon butty, it doesn’t matter what it is called 🙂
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I agree that it probably would have been cheaper for you not to have kitted your daughter out with summer dresses! It’s a bacon sarnie/sandwich or bacon roll in my house 🙂 My boys have tomato sauce, I have either brown sauce or just lots of cracked black pepper! Yum! By the way, just how many rashers of bacon are in that sarnie/sandwich? Looks like a whole pack! 🙂
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I think you might be right about the whole pack. I am glad someone else understands sarni 🙂
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Whole pack or not it does look mouth wateringly divine! 🙂
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Love this. But a chip butty is better!
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Mmmm a chip butty. But nothing beats a bacon butty, especially on a rainy Monday lunch.
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Thank you, PN. No really, thank you soooooo much for that huge dose of cold turkey and that lovely photo of not only a bacon butty (you forgot the ketchup), but a six pack of my favouritest crispies in the whole wide world. MM is now desperately pining for a pint or three of Bishop’s Finger, six bags of crisps and a game of pool at the pub followed by a pile of barm cakes and bacon butties with my little sis. Sniff 😦 By the way, any news on the driving licence saga? Resounding silence here in France…..
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P.S. I see we drink the same tea. I’ll now who to threaten when I run out now.
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Drunk it, all gone..
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What, already? Gosh. That was quick 🙂 Simon and Garfunkel appears to be the appointed European melody for licence applications…. Do you think that they are sticking pins in MM and PN voodoo dolls in the respective countries? With ten thousand people, maybe moooooore…?
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In restless dreams I walked aloooone,
because I was waiting for Snr Cretinooooo
Ok Enough
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Dear MM Sorry about spoiling your Monday.
Regarding Senor Cretino and my driving licence, I am reminded of the song by Simon & Garfunkel, I think it is called The Sound of Silence.
On a footnote have you read the lyrics of the song? Quiet profound.
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A perfect duet! We’re the new Pavarotti and Maria Callas! Get eating those bacon butties….
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Bacon butties !!!!!!
You’ve got me drooling now. Stop it !! This post should be barred from Expats’ eyes 😉 Ralph 😀
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Expats of wordpress unite. We could become a political group.
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A bit like the Raving Loony Party voting with the LIKE button 😉
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A great idea.
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you should use a pizzeria which offers Skype video service…. so you can mime to the camera (imagine that?… “hey Giovanni, that crazy Englishman on skype again”… as for bacon butty? baaaaahhh british food, you can’t beat a good pizza anytime!
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What a great idea. I love pizza, but I think the grey rainy Monday morning made me think of England and a bacon butty
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Don’t they know how to make a BLT in Italy, well its not a bacon butty, but close enough! You could discard the lettuce and tomato!
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They don’t have bacon, just a poor substitute called pancetta. A Pancetta butty doesn’t even sound nice let alone taste nice.
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Love your Red Cross parcel. I see it has two of the essentials, Lea & Perrins and Marmite. I can get L&P here, but very expensive. Peanut butter would be a goer for me.
Fancy people not understanding bacon butty… The world is really falling to wrack and ruin.
AV
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I am looking for a ‘sub title’ widget that will translate my mumberlings, (writings on my post) into several different languages.
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Must defrost some more bacon. Mmm, bacon. So easily accessible… 😉
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I think I am going to un follow you…..
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Oh no! Don’t do that! I’m sorry – I’ll never mention bacon again! At least you get real Italian pizza – I get frozen Dr. Oetker – ‘real’ Italian pizza…
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Amazingly enough Dr Oetker pizzas are the best selling frozen pizzas in Italy…
And I am off to the UK in July,,, with Alitalia, not ryanair woopee
PN
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I doubt Mrs Sensible would allow them in the house!
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Now I’m the jealous one! I’ll be going to the UK in July also, but most likely with Ryanair or Wizzair!
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I couldn’t believe the flight was cheaper than Ryanair 🙂
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I miss HP sauce! It has become too expensive for me to justify getting. And family just laugh at me when I put it on my Christmas list.
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Hi, I am not sure how you feel about awards, but I have nominated you for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award, you can check it out on my blog, would love if you would acccept. Joan
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Thanks for the award Joan, I love receiving them, Although I am not sure my blog is very inspiring.. 🙂
It is just about everyday life in Italy.
Thanks again
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So, first I’m wondering what sort of rock I live under (an American one) that I had no idea that it was kosher (in not at all the real sense of that word) to eat a bacon sandwich. Without the lettuce and tomato!
How cool is that.
I need one.
Then I read comments and see that apparently french fry sandwiches are a thing even if it takes my brain a second to register the whole chip/ F.F. thing.
Now I think I need one of those too.
AND then. And then, my world is totally shaken when I find you live in a country with no bacon.
I’m sorry.
I think I may need a glass of bourbon to wrap my mind around it all. Or maybe… bourbon bacon on a sandwich… we can do that right?
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Welcome to the madness of Italy and my little blog. The English tend to stay clear of non fattening food such as lettuce or tomatoes. The local sandwich shop in Sheffield UK used to sell a sandwich called BEST, It stood for Bacon, egg, sausage and (fried) tomato all on the same sandwich. Very hungry people could add mushrooms and or black pudding for an extra 50p
Chip butties are also wonderful. I was taught a wonderful way of eating a chip butty.
First visit the local bakery with a friend and buy a small un-sliced loaf. Ask the shop to cut the loaf in half. Give half the loaf to your friend. On the way to the chip shop, using your fingers, hollow out the soft white bread and eat it leaving the crust intact . This should take the same amount of time as it takes to walk to the chip shop. Buy some chips and insert them into your half of the hollowed out loaf. Squash and eat.
Bourbon bacon sandwich sounds great. I find alcohol goes well with everything…. except of course driving.
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I scanned the pile very carefully… no battenberg?!?
Not that I’ve got a one-track mind…
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Battenberg!!!! Sunday tea time cakes.
I don’t think they are available in Italy either.
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Next time I eat a bacon butty, I will do so in your honor!!
!
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It would be better if your sent me one, maybe I could exchange it for a pizza.
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I do know the craving feeling for something from home. I have that with Old Dutch cheese.
Luckily the Queens day party hosted by the Dutch ambassador in Riga had provided a big wheel of “Old Amsterdam” cheese. But the craving will always be there.
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Lol, If the British ambassador had an open day over here, we would be lucky to get a bag of tea bags let alone a bacon sandwich 🙂
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I am American (but of half-English descent from around 350 yrs ago) and love bacon sandwiches. Now I know why, it must be a recessive gene. Thank you for the morning chuckle. And thanks for following my stories at 1950 Suburban Adventures.
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It must be a recessive gene. 🙂
I am glad it made you chuckle. Life is too short to be sad
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