The Legend of the Fishermen of Sicily

This restaurant is very small, with only four round tables inside; calling it a family restaurant would be an exaggeration.

Leo categorizes it as a family restaurant because it was converted from the dining and kitchen areas of an ordinary house, while the rest of the house remains a living area, giving it a homey feel, and every corner and detail is very clean.

Here, the owner is both the chef and the waiter, and he can manage everything by himself.

There was no partition between the dining area and the kitchen. When Leo ordered, the elderly female owner was wiping down the stove.

The stove was gleaming, shining like a silver coin under the light.

The boss looked to be in his forties, with his hair neatly combed back, giving him the appearance of a very capable person.

She stopped wiping the stove, took the menu to Leo, wiped the table again, and then put the menu down.

"No seafood available. Let's see what you'd like to eat."

Leo thought to himself, "Interesting."

In Marzamemi, there are restaurants that don't sell seafood?

He opened the menu and found the whole thing even more interesting.

The menu is entirely handwritten in a rounded font, and each page is adorned with cute illustrations, making it seem as if you're opening a children's storybook rather than a menu.

"No seafood... then what kind of meat is there?" Leo asked while admiring the illustrations.

The woman above shook her head:

"There's no meat either. Sicilians are only used to eating meat on major festivals. They might eat it at other times, but restaurants don't serve it."

So that's how it is... This answer solved the mystery that had puzzled Leo for a whole day.

This shows that there are significant cultural differences between the Apennines and Sicily. He needs to pay more attention to these details in the future, as this may be an opportunity for him to integrate into the local community.

Seeing Leo silently flipping through the menu, the female owner took the initiative to introduce:

"Although there's no seafood or meat, you can order vegetables, eggs, soup, and desserts. My cooking skills are pretty good."

Leo's stomach was protesting badly, and he didn't have the patience to finish flipping through the entire "picture book":

"I'd like to try some eggplant, any recommendations?"

This is another cultural difference between the Apennines and Sicily.

Eggplants aren't that popular in Florence, but every resident buying groceries in the morning bought these round, plump little purple things.

"Mint eggplant salad, eggplant fettuccine, secret-recipe roasted eggplant, stuffed eggplant with cheese..." The owner rattled off more than a dozen dishes. "I recommend you try the mint eggplant salad; it goes very well with sesame bread."

"Okay, then I'll have a mint eggplant salad with sesame bread." Leo readily agreed, and was about to ask the owner if there were any other recommendations when the person above him snatched the menu from his hand.

After taking two steps, she belatedly realized her 'rudeness,' handed the menu back, and said somewhat apologetically:

"Sicilians eat very simply; bread and a salad are often enough for a meal... Would you like to order anything else?"

"Oh, I don't need it anymore." Leo pushed the menu back forcefully.

Although he didn't know how this habit formed, he really wanted to shout:

I love the Sicilian perspective on food!

For a poor person like me, being able to eat like this is simply amazing!

......

The mint eggplant salad was delicious, with a savory and slightly sour and spicy flavor that was quite appetizing.

The kitchen was open, and Leo saw the entire process of making the food.

First, cut the eggplant into chunks and cook it until tender. Then, squeeze out the excess water and add seasonings such as tomato sauce, white vinegar, and mint. The process is very simple and looks healthy, without any of those complicated high-tech gadgets.

The second surprise was sesame bread.

This is something I've never heard of or seen in Florence.

Italians are masters of dough making, with a vast array of bread varieties, which Leo initially didn't take seriously.

However, upon tasting it, he was pleasantly surprised to find that the bread's texture was very similar to Chinese sesame flatbread. Each bite was filled with the aroma of sesame seeds, and when paired with mint eggplant salad, it inexplicably tasted like Chinese food, which suited his palate perfectly.

But the biggest surprise tonight is the price—

"5500 lira," the middle-aged woman announced, then slowly gathered up the sesame seeds that had scattered across the table.

Leo handed over a banknote with a broad smile.

I only ordered a salad, and eggplant is the cheapest vegetable in the area. The price of this meal wasn't much more expensive than the bread, tomatoes, and sausages that Leo would eat at home... but it was more delicious and nutritious.

"I'd like to buy a few more sesame breads, how much are they?" Leo pulled out another banknote.

This bread smells so good, he plans to buy a few more to take home.

The female boss sniffed nervously a few times, her brows furrowing unnaturally, her eyes darting back and forth between the objects in front of her, looking as if facing a formidable enemy. Her mind was far from being on Leo's problem.

"Go to the kitchen and get two, no need to pay... What's that smell? Is something spoiled?"

Leo quickly grabbed the bread and left.

The boss, who was trying to find the source of the pollution, suddenly shouted from behind:

"If you like the food here, you can take a business card. I'm not open every day, so please contact me in advance if you want anything."

Leo really liked the chef's cooking and obediently took a business card from the small table by the door.

Although it's called a business card, it's actually handwritten.

The restaurant's name, Lighthouse, is written in chubby font at the top of the business card, next to an illustration of a lighthouse.

It was an uncommon restaurant name, but Leo remembered it immediately.

Below is a person's name.

"Elena Ragusa..." Leo repeated the name to himself several times, and remembered the boss's name.

......

Having thoroughly enjoyed the meal, Leo pondered questions related to "eating" on his way back to the shipyard.

In my previous life, food delivery existed, so whether I could cook or not didn't matter. Even if I was poor, I could always find a place to eat.

Now that there are no food delivery apps... In order to save money and get through the difficult early stages, Leo's original plan was to rely on his strong willpower to get through it.

So what if we eat worse and eat less?

Endure it for a while.

Just think of it as a way to lose weight!

However, that's not the case at all...

I went into the coffee shop in the morning after smelling the aroma of coffee.

The aroma of someone cooking at night was enough to break my willpower after only a few minutes.

Although I hate to admit it, the truth is—he's a big glutton.

Leo really wanted to make the "Lighthouse" his canteen because the food there was delicious, but he didn't have enough money to support it.

"I'll be cooking for myself from now on."

Cooking skills are easy to improve; people with a sweet tooth are usually good cooks, and they can improve sooner or later.

So what to eat is crucial – it needs to be good, filling, and inexpensive.

Leo decided to go to the beach tomorrow. Sicily is the largest island in the Mediterranean, so he shouldn't go hungry.