To all the strong women in my family: To my great grandma, who not only was a woman in another century, but was the youngest of four sisters.

To my grandma, who lived in Rome during the war, who grew up during the bombing, who tasted white bread for the first time when she was 12 years old.

To my mum, who is the smartest in all her family, even though my grandpa never wanted to admit that. To me, that I am even smarter.

It takes days for a banana to reach the right degree of ripeness.

I hate bananas when they are green, as hard as a rock and difficult to bite into.

They leave that bitter aftertaste in your mouth and you can't go to the toilet properly for days. When they start getting yellow it's slightly better, but still not great.

When they get spotty, that's when we are talking. They release all the fiber and leave you feeling satisfied with your healthy snack.

But sometimes you cross the line, and forget a banana lying around. It gets overly soft and starts smelling rotten. It lies there, all abandoned on one side of the table.

And you wonder… am I gonna age like that too?

Mmmm yummy, juicy,
thick, saucy spaghetti,
get in me.

There is no other pasta shape I like more than spaghetti. They give so much satisfaction.

They soak up all the tomato purée and slowly make their way in your mouth, on your clothes, on your face.

They are a wild spirit, they can't be ruled. Just like me.