Simpatico Chef Andrea Gabin (left) of the famous Ristorante La Taverna posed for my camera with Chef Lachlan at last night’s obligatory dignatory dinner, regrettably a sine qua non of these government-sponsored trips, held at the picturesque Castello di Susans in Maiano (Udine).

The food was surprisingly good for a dinner where more than 200 guests were seated, including all the fat cat pols who revel in their their Rolex and 12-ply cashmere habits at such functions. That’s Chef Gabin’s EXCELLENT “white chocolate sphere and white grape sorbet” paired with Bianco Tal Luc 2007 Friuli Isonzo by Lis Neris, one of my favorite wineries here.

That’s Andrea Di Giovanni (left), director of the Friuli department for development and Francesca Ghersinich, program director for the MIB school of management, who was asked to address the large group of foreigners gathered for the event because of her command of the English language. They were very nice although completely disinterested in our group of top-flight American restaurant professionals (enogastronomic tourism does not seem to be a priority in this duly industrious region).

The one pleasant surprise of this otherwise entirely ennui-driven event was my discovery that young Friulians are wonderfully proud of the great 20th-century poet, cineaste, novelist, and essayist Pier Paolo Pasolini’s association with his native Friuli.

The cast of last night’s event certainly could have made a cameo in one of his films… I’ll let you ponder which one…