Practice Italian by Listening to the Radio

When I was first learning Italian and listening to someone speak, I could barely figure out where one word ended and the next one began. It sounded like a blur to my ears.

A great way to practice simply listening to the language and parsing out the various sounds, words and sentences, is to listen to the radio in the background. Maybe you'll want to leave it on while you are cooking dinner or working on the computer. 

Wikipedia has a great list of Italian radio stations. Start there and see where it leads you.

I hope you'll share what you find below in the Comments section. 

Sichuan Pork Noodles & The Splendid Table

What is your favorite foodie program to watch, listen to or read? I enjoy cooking and listening to The Splendid Table on Michigan Radio. If I miss an episode, I can download it or catch up through the newsletter.

Since Sunday night is pasta night, last night I swapped the traditional Italian-American “macaroni and gravy” for the Sichuan Pork Noodles from a recent Splendid Table newsletter. The recipe was surprisingly quick and easy. The sauce – a mixture of ground pork with chicken broth, peanut butter, fresh ginger and other flavors, was cooked in one pot while the water boiled for the noodles in another. The result had a kick and was satisfying for a rainy spring night.

I wasn’t the only one who was taken by the recipe. The blog As Kat Knits also tried it – thanks to her for the photo!