Did you take your friends on a tour of Piazza del Duomo in Milan?
«No way, I didn’t know the ones in the photo…».
Eleonora Riso, did she crash into a group photo?
«Exactly, they were English or American boys. They are tourists, I am a tourist too.”
The interview starts from here. That is, from the post in which Eleonora Riso, volcanic winner of Masterchef 13, former waitress, from Livorno with an officially undeclared age (it seems that the years are 27-28, but she defines herself as “eternal. Not that my age is such a thing interesting, but I started acting mysterious to see the effect: it amuses me a lot”), put an end to a catchphrase: “I won’t come to live in Milan.”
Who has already lived there.
«In a residence during the filming of the program: special situation, does not count as a curriculum».
Let’s start from scratch. Did you want to live in Milan?
«After finishing Masterchef I was asked every other day if the move was in the offing. In fact I was toying with the idea: Milan is the city of job opportunities, plus I’m spending a lot, too much time on the train (last week six hours going there and six hours returning out of 24). So I made a budget: should I move or not?”.
And it’s all in that post. He says no, first thing, “because I’m lazy.”
«Very lazy. It’s midday and I just got up: In my favor there is the fact that I worked last night. The matter is actually more complex…”.
He therefore drew up the list of pros – “how beautiful the pros are” – and above all the cons with respect to the hypothetical migration from the center to the north. An ironic stream of consciousness in 12 points that garnered droves of likes on Instagram. She explains: «I’m lazy and it’s a fact. I mean, let’s be clear, I tried to tell myself that it was just a superstructure, that I’m not really lazy, that if I make to do lists, that I tell myself I’m lazy just to continue being lazy…”. And again: «In the last two years I have made about five moves, a long series of bums, short stays, long stays. Oblivious to all this, I had half an idea of trying to move to Milan…”. And instead. «But instead I’m lazy». He’s really lazy. Thus, «in Milan I will only be a tourist (hence the photo with the strangers)». In the middle there is a reasoning – from the cost of rent to smog, from lampredotto to parents – which is worth exploring further.
The bums: how did it go?
«Before arriving on Masterchef I lived in the countryside, in Santa Brigida. I moved to Florence for love, then the love ended and I found myself practically thrown onto the street: from one day to the next I had to find a place. I hang out with friends, among friends of friends. Suddenly the waitress manager of the restaurant where I worked offers me her house: nice! I exaggerated a bit: I invited people, here I am again on foot, thrown into the street for the second time. More or less here Masterchef begins and Eleonora Riso arrives in Milan.”
Where does he answer the phone from now?
«From Florence city. I live here. The idea of returning to Milan was there: it’s the crucial place if you want to work on TV.”
There are also great chefs.
“After the broadcast, no one called me.”
But really?
“I think they’re looking for discipline, it’s not exactly my strong point.”
Is there anyone you would like to work with?
«I will certainly gain experience and improve myself at the Alma school. Now I’m busy with other things (including the presentations of the book “Laboratorio di flavours”, with its 80 very cool recipes, for Baldini+Castoldi) and there isn’t much time».
Let’s go back to what discourages her from looking for a house under the Madonnina. Laziness aside, at number one he notes: the move.
“It makes me sick just thinking about it.”
The wardrobe change.
«Already from my parents in Colle Salvetti there are remnants of two migrations, I would have to collect stuff everywhere and bring stylish clothes to Milan, because in Milan you have to be pretty-pretty, do the pierres. I don’t have many suitable for the task: they would barely be enough for two days.”
The lampredotto.
«In Florence it is a specialty but in Milan no one would dream of eating something that is offal. You don’t want to get dirty. What would I do without lampredotto?».
The parents.
«Eleonora and Alessandro. Where do I go without it?”.
The car.
«I have a 1997 Micra. I’m afraid it won’t survive the journey, among other things it’s a Euro less than zero: they won’t let me enter Areas B and C, I’d only get fines».
The bike.
«I wonder: is it dangerous to cycle in Milan? No, because no one goes there.”
It is not true!
“It’s a jungle, friends tell me.”
This one is easy: rent.
«The other day with my sister I was looking at the offers in the city: a place I would like to stay where you can reach everything in 40 minutes at most, for less than 800 euros a month you can’t even find a hole. I know people who have been in impossible conditions, then little by little they settled down. I was born a worker and I remain a worker: even if one day I earn a lot of money, spending 1,500 euros to rent a two-room apartment in the center will continue to seem unthinkable to me.”
Heating.
«It costs more than in Florence and you use it more».
The shoes.
«I have at least forty pairs, I would like to bring them all. Where would I put them in the hypothetical two-room apartment?
The smog.
«I don’t think there’s any need to explain. Then the smog fills you with blackheads.”
Let’s come to a classic: anxiety. He writes it in all capital letters.
«Anxiety, people, anxiety. In Rome I go calmly, in Florence even better. In Milan, however, it seems like everyone watches Masterchef: they recognize me everywhere. Help”.
She said she suffered from impostor syndrome and didn’t think she was good enough to win on the show.
«Milan is the city of public relations, therefore of comparison, of “be hyper-performing”. Here we go again: how anxious.”
Do you always dream of opening a guesthouse with your own kitchen?
“Yes. I also dream of being able to travel with my work.”
She worked as a waitress.
«For six years, from Cibrèo in Florence I learned a lot, including how to overcome the problem of uneducated customers. If I hadn’t done Masterchef I would have stayed in the branch, aiming to move up the ranks.”
Has finding staff for restaurants become difficult?
«Work in the dining room has lost its appeal, it has also declined because it is often underpaid by small entrepreneurs who struggle to stay afloat. On the other hand, young people give little value to the profession, it is not seen as a destination. It’s a shame, in general: I was a waitress with passion for years.”
He wrote about “very delicious” recipes. Which one do you choose in Milan?
«Stir-fried rice: it allows you not to waste».
He won’t live there, but would he open a restaurant here?
«I would like to open a stall. It’s a project I have.”
He posted a photo with the Atalanta shirt, is the truth that he wants to move to Bergamo?
«A pandering photo after the Europa League. Let’s say so…”.
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