09-12-2010, 06:29 PM
GeneL wrote:
The best basil that I ever had!
Back in the '70s, I was friends with Merle Brigante, the drummer from Loggins and Messina.
I was thrilled when he invited me and my wife to Thanksgiving dinner at his dad's down in San Pedro.
His dad had been a commercial fisherman and now mended the nets. For years, when he came home from fishing, he loved to "cook." Amazing!
In front of the house were these big bushes, which turned out to be basil. I'd never seen anything like it before.
The basil had been grown from cuttings brought over from Genoa and were from plants that had been in their family for centuries.
I've never tasted anything else like it.
That was a happy memory.
Thanks, Merle, wherever you are. That was a special experience for me.
Gene,
My wife hails from a San Pedro Italian family that has been there since roughly WWII. Her grandfather (passed on now) was very well known in the community; in fact, an annual memorial picnic is held in his name. Lots of Pedro families go way back, and the Italians especially have strong to the community and one another. I wonder if your friend's family knew my wife's family?