The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

Tomatoes are a specialty of Sicily, and July and August are the peak season for local tomatoes.

This crop, whose cost-effectiveness is second only to eggplant, is the thing Rio buys most frequently in Marzamemi.

One day, he went to buy tomatoes and saw from afar that the tomato army had "conquered" Marzamemi.

Centered around the grocery store and within a small square, baskets of fresh tomatoes were laid out on the ground.

In the sea of ​​tomatoes, many villagers are picking and choosing.

"What's going on here?" Leo asked Nicholas, who was weaving through a sea of ​​tomatoes.

Nicholas spoke very quickly:

"The weather forecast said there would be heavy rain, possibly accompanied by hail. The farmers rushed to harvest this season's tomatoes before the hail, otherwise the quality would be affected."

Leo also saw the news about the heavy rain in the newspaper.

Just a few days ago, it was just a series of ordinary heavy rains, but in the last two days, the meteorological bureau suddenly upgraded its level and even predicted extreme weather such as hail.

"Isn't this too much? Can we finish eating all of this?" Leo felt dizzy as he was submerged in a sea of ​​tomatoes.

"Of course we can't eat it all, but we could sell even twice as much." Nicholas wiped the sweat from his brow. "People will buy it to make tomato sauce, enough to last the whole winter."

Tomato sauce is an indispensable condiment in Sicilian kitchens, and people are used to making it themselves. In fact, some people even make their own tomato sauce to sell.

"How many baskets do you want to buy?" Nicholas asked Leo.

Leo said awkwardly:

"I just want to buy a few..."

Nicholas's advice to his major clients:

"We locals buy them by the dozens of baskets at a time. You should buy more too. Tomatoes are cheaper than eggplants right now, so it's good to stock up."

Due to overproduction, the price of tomatoes has been driven down, making them much cheaper than eggplants.

After asking about the price of the basket of tomatoes, Leo felt that not buying them would be like losing money, so he also bought a basket of tomatoes.

But tomatoes alone couldn't satisfy his hunger, so he went to choose some fast food.

God knows what this rain will be like.

Nicholas waved to Leo, signaling him to hurry to the grocery store:

"Buy it, buy more. If the heavy rain washes down the roads, the deliverymen won't be able to get in this week."

......

After buying a basket of tomatoes, Leo wanted to try making some tomato sauce himself, just like everyone else.

But he didn't trust other people's cooking skills, mainly because he had never eaten it before, so after sending the tomatoes and fast food home, he went to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse opened its doors this time, but Monica wasn't there; only Elena was inside.

"Please, make yourself at home." Elena, who was sweeping the floor, didn't show the usual enthusiasm. "The menu is on the bar, help yourself, my hands aren't clean."

Leo didn't get the menu; he sat down at the outermost table.

"I'm thinking of making some dishes with tomato sauce today, can you recommend some?"

Elena put the broom aside:

"Would you like it stewed, roasted, or—"

Leo answered quickly:

"Make it the flavor that locals love."

This was the third time they had the same conversation.

Without looking at the menu, Leo named a vegetable and asked Elena to recommend one.

Elena asked him what flavor he wanted to eat.

Leo replied that it was the flavor that locals liked to eat.

Then Elena would ask—

"What about the main course? What would you like to eat for the main course?" Elena went into the kitchen to wash her hands.

Leo sighed silently, wondering how many more times he would have to try before he could remember.

"Sesame bread, your sesame bread is absolutely delicious!"

......

Elena served Leo a local Sicilian stew.

The vegetables used are not fixed and depend on what is available in season, but the main theme of tomato sauce will never disappear.

The seasonal stew that Leo had today included eggplant, bell peppers, and onions, all of which are the most cost-effective and freshest in July and August.

After stewing, Elena put it in the oven for a little "reprocessing," and the cheese melted onto the eggplant and tomato sauce, making it look incredibly tempting.

Of course, it tastes even more tempting.

Leo finished the sesame bread in just a few bites.

Having tested Elena's ketchup-making skills, he ate it while asking:

"Can you teach me how to make tomato sauce?"

Surely ketchup isn't more complicated than sesame bread?

Elena, who was tidying up the kitchen, asked:

"What flavor would you like to eat?"

"Ketchup comes in different flavors?" Leo asked, somewhat surprised.

Elena looked out from the kitchen and explained to him:

"Every local family makes tomato sauce in their own way, and they put different things in it. I can make every kind, depending on what flavor you like."

"What flavors are available?" Leo asked.

Elena explained as she washed the dishes:

"If you want it sweeter, add more sugar; if you like the flavor of spices, add basil and bay leaves; the amount of onion and garlic used varies greatly depending on taste and preference; if you like the aroma of oil, add chopped pistachios; there are also vanilla, spicy, Palermo, and Trapani almond flavors..."

Elena rattled off more than twenty different flavors of tomato sauce before stopping:

Which one do you want to do?

Leo swam around in the sea of ​​tomato sauce, then poked his head out and asked:

What are the locals' favorite flavors?

He wants to eat them all, it's a tough choice.

Elena looked at Leo and said:

"These are all things locals really like. How many tomatoes do you have?"

"A basket," Leo replied.

Looking at it now, we realize we bought too few; no wonder the locals bought so many baskets.

"Then I suggest you choose one or two flavors." Seeing Leo's hesitant look, Elena suggested, "Don't rush to make a decision. Before making the tomato sauce, you need to dry it first. You can ask the locals for their opinions during this time. Just make your choice before the end of the month."

......

More than 9% of Sicilians who make traditional tomato sauce will first sun-dry it, which is the most authentic and essential step.

But after buying baskets and baskets of tomatoes, they didn't rush to do this step because heavy rain was coming.

In the past few days, the entire Marzamemi area seems to have been put on pause.

Fewer and fewer fishing boats are going out to sea, and the catch traded in the morning is getting lower and lower.

For two consecutive days, Aesop proactively raised the price of Rio's Atlantic blue crabs.

Atlantic blue crabs are considered a by-product of the catch, but the price increases for other seafood are even higher, fully demonstrating the principle that "the bigger the waves, the more expensive the fish."

Moreover, there is basically no haggling in the fish market; fishermen can sell their fish quickly no matter how much they ask for. But even so, fewer and fewer people are going out to sea... because everyone is afraid of dying.

Leo has had a very happy time these past few days.

The work on the shore was not affected by the heavy rain. He wished the rain would last a few more days to scare away more fishermen, so that the price could continue to rise and he could make a fortune.

But one cloudless morning, after he took the crabs to the fish market, Aesop told him:

"Don't go out tomorrow."

"Why?" Leo took the 63000 lira from his hand.

Aesop fanned himself with his hat:

"It will definitely rain tonight, or at the latest tomorrow night. The fishermen I work with are not going out to sea, and I won't be coming tomorrow either."

"But the weather forecast says it will rain tomorrow afternoon or evening." Leo had just finished reading the newspaper this morning; he's been paying extra attention to the weather lately.

Aesop lit a cigarette:

"I felt the air pressure was off as soon as I went out this morning. If you don't believe me, go ask other people. You should trust experienced fishermen, not newspapers."

......

Aesop isn't coming tomorrow, so today is Leo's day off.

He first spent some time with Andrei at the coffee shop, then chatted with Marco about the flavor options for tomato sauce, before returning to the shipyard to sleep.

Leo hadn't had the chance to sleep until he naturally woke up in a long time, and a smile played on his lips.

About half a minute later, his eyes suddenly opened, and his smile disappeared.

"Won't anyone who's not afraid of dying go out today?"