I have several updates on Italy, including all of our adventures, fun, and my internship! First up, my favorite thing, the food!
The food in Italy is amazing, as I expected. Pasta, bread, cheese, olive oil, fizzy water! The grocery store, restaurants, cooking Italian food at home, all fabulous. Also, much less preservatives, additives, and processed food than in the US. Delicious!
Italians have an overwhelming preference for Italian things, and this includes food. In Siena, there is just one lonely Chinese restaurant just outside the town, and thats it. I considered the biggest sign of Italian’s love for Italian food when I saw that Italian Ikea has Italian food… not Swedish.
I’m becoming more Italian by the day, I happily eat Italian food every meal and olive oil goes on everything. We have Italian every night at home, and I’m loving it. In addition to having Italian food at home, lunch is, of course, also Italian. It is four courses (items), as is customary.
Lunch:
- First, the “primi” several choices of pasta and sauces, including a special of the day. The specials have included gnocchi, seafood risotto, penne pesto, ravioli, cannelloni, and vegetable cous cous. An interesting cultural element that I’ve now adopted, the Italians eat all their pasta before touching anything else.
- Next, the “secondi” - meat choices (sometimes fish or a ‘hearty’ veggie option like eggplant or baked tomatoes or fritatta) or I often go to a refrigerated cabinet of antipasto plates with cheeses and meats.
- Then you get two of the following ‘contorni’ (sides)
- hot vegetable options, typically overcooked, frequently fennel, spinach, chickpeas, potatoes, zucchini. occasionally have surprisingly good American-style french fries.
- salad bar - minimal by american standards but good. two kinds of lettuce, tomatoes, usually cucumber or bell peppers.
- fruit - fresh fruit, lately there has been various melons, pineapple, apples, bananas, pears, etc.
- dessert - there are pudding cups that are good… something i wouldnt buy or eat in the states but they are delicious.
- a bottle of water (naturale or with bubbles) (but this means giving up one of the other food options)
- ‘Unlimited’ bread, packaged breadsticks.
- Olive oil, salt, pitchers of tap water and a clear vinegar are on the table. Balsamic vinegar, over-sweet ketchup and other condiments are available too.
Oh and did i mention lunch is free for us?? Its fabulous.
