A sure way to tell a real classical music lover...

...is whether they loathe or not the Classical Brits - a terrible awards show dedicated to elevator music under a vaguely classical guise, and designed for people who have never heard one whole symphony but remember vaguely liking the tune to Elvira Madigan or An American in Paris when they were kids. I do not know whether similar abominations exist elsewhere, but believe me, this one is bad enough for every Philistine on Earth.

Two things I had forgotten

1) How much I like gefilte fish.
2) What scary awful prices kosher foods cost. I guess that is one thing that stokes the legend of Jewish wealth - if they can afford to pay four pounds for a bag of gefilte fish or two or three for a few slices of salt beef, they MUST be well off!

This is not really about patriotism...

...because Sardinia is no more Italy than Wales or Scotland are England. She is a country apart, different language, different culture, only really entered the orbit of Italy proper in 1711 when the Dukes of Savoy became its kings. This is just about admiration for an amazing choral performance equal to the very best I have heard - in Italy, Wales, Zululand or anywhere.