Now, let's talk truffles. Sure, to the uninitiated, it may just be a foul fungus, but to the gourmand (neither of us qualify), it represents the ultimate in gastronomic delights. I know you kinda scrunch your nose up at them - actually a very appropriate response. What we would categorize as offensive olfactory onslaught, others consider fragrance of the gods. Oh those poor Gods!

Anyway, Alba is quintessential truffle country, a virtual mushroom mecca, home of the tuber triathelete, the Mozart of the Mushroom, the Fellini of Fungi, the Travolta of Tubers - ooops, sorry, got carried away there.

Back to the dogs. A canine's first exposure to the "white diamond of Italy" is low-key. The truffle hunter tosses around a bag containing a dry truffle inside for the dog to retrieve. As the dog progresses, the bag is buried deeper and deeper in the ground.

Like any good professor, Giovanni illustrates the qualities necessary to complete the job: he gets down on all fours, pawing in an appropriate manner to reveal -- but not bruise -- the desired goal. Personally, it was a sight I preferred not to picture. The dogs, on the other hand, seemed to dig it It's a tricky pas de deux between Man and Dog, and Dog and Truffle. The hunter mustn't let his four-legged partner dig too deeply for fear of marring the truffle with a slightly misplaced paw -- and the dog must learn the subtleties of truffle-excavation.

But it is the truffle hunter himself who is ultimately responsible for the quality of the truffles extracted. Giovanni, a 4th-generation truffle hunter, has been plying his trade since he was a small boy -- and he knows its many tricks. Truffle hunters are as protective of their search techniques as pro football coaches are of their plays. A deer hunter may boast of his conquest, but the truffle hunter plays down his success in order to avoid others trespassing on his territory. Truffle hunters make used car salesmen look like pillars of the community.

Different hunters have their preferences. Some prefer a white dog because it's easier to see at night; others, a black dog, all the better to hunt with, my dear, because no one else can see him. Some opt for the blackness of night; others, the early dew of dawn.

As we know, people are ambiguous about truffles - they either love 'em or hate 'em. But even those who do not appreciate their culinary excellence may still value their appeal as relationship enhancers. Scientific research has revealed that truffles contain pheromones, subtle communicators of sexual attraction. Wouldn't you want to cunningly ensconce a truffle or two in the appetizer course of your next romantic dinner with Ted. I suggest a fine Italian wine with a nose to rival Lady's -- to complement the seduction.

For more information about truffle-hunting, visit www.Langheroero.it

Until my next destination –

Fyllis

Fyllis Hockman is a Washington, D.C.-based freelance travel writer. She writes regularly for The Washington Times, is syndicated by the Copley News Service, and is a feature columnist for several online travel magazines. Ms. Hockman's travel stories also have appeared in the New York Post, Memphis Commercial Appeal, Providence Journal, Halifax Herald, Boston Herald, Gazette Newspapers, Asbury Park Press, New Hampshire Sunday News, Buffalo News and many other publications. She is the author of AAA Guidebook: A Photo Journey to Washington, D.C. and co-author of the Pelican Guide to Maryland. Ms. Hockman is a member of the Society of American Travel Writers and Travel Journalists Guild. Photos courtesy of Fyllis Hockman.

© 2005

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