Then, a Sardinian fisherman told me “As far as Sardinia’s history goes, Sardinian’s were constantly being invaded. There were quite a few Sardinians that were taken as slaves to North Africa. When this happened, the rest of the Sardinian people were forced to leave the coastal front and head to safer areas in the mountainous regions of the island that were located inland. In those areas, their main sources of food became goats, sheep, pigs and wheat.

As I dipped my bread into the zuppetta for a taste, the man working the fish stand gave me a look. In a typical Italian mannerism he waved his index finger at me with a discerning look scolded me saying “Non tocare!” He looked pensive for a moment and with sad eyes said, “You remind me of my younger sister. She would always try to taste food without asking and my grandfather would scold her.

I learned a lot about Sardinians culture and why their diet is more directed towards meat and cheese. It was shocking to hear about Sardinians captured as slaves and the encounter with the fisherman reminded me of how much I can learn from older people.