On the Menu

Since we've been in Italy, I don't think that anyone has taken the time to write specifically about the food. Everyone knows at least a little about Italian food and most people like the familiar items: pizza and pasta! But really, it has not been anywhere near that simple. Food is very important to the Italians and to everyone really, so who better to hear from than the pickiest eater of them all: ME.

Breakfast is probably the least frightening meal of the day. Our hotels so far have always had breads and pastries as well as yogurt and juice. In Rome breakfast gets a little strange when you put milk on your cereal only to find out that it is not straight-outta-the fridge like at home but at room temperature instead. They had some decent pieces of fruit which helped to make up for this slight problem. Other than that you can usually find something to eat and people tend also to stash packs of crackers in their pockets for later.

Lunch is different because you really have some options available. This is the meal that we eat on our own, outside of the hotel which means freedom to not only choose a restaurant but also see a menu first! There are more than enough options available here, anything from a sandwich right from a street vendor, to a pizzaria with tables out in the piazza, to whatever type of sitdown restaurant you can find. The group I've been eating with has tried all of these, with the most interesting probably being the Argentinian restaurant we happened into. Lunch has definitely been fun.

Then there's dinner, which for us has been a very long, elegant experience. The restaurants we've gone to have been very nice places with multiple courses brought out one-by-one. This, most of the class was not prepared for. If we are getting a full meal -- as we did at the Roman hotel -- dinner starts with an appetizer-type course, something very small usually such as cheese, lunch meat, or a petite sandwich. The next part -- first course -- is usually a pasta, in smaller portions than we are used to getting at the Olive Garden. Still, after this, most people are full because we are used to pasta being the meal! But the second/main course is the next to appear, the meat and usually a vegetable as well. These have tended to surprise us, being prepared in ways that may look unusual but end up being delicious. The odd thing is that the salad comes next, rather than being prior to the meal as we would expect. And finally, the grand finale, what we've all been waiting for: desert! Our meals always came with something sweet at the end, in the form of fruit the first few days until they realized our overwhelming desire for chocolate. An example: provalone and bread with spinich pesto and a cold onion(?) salad on the side; rigatoni with marinara sauce; breaded pork with a vegetable of some green sort; salad with vinegar and oil; and peach halves and pineapple.

Each of the courses has brought at some point a completely unfamiliar food, but being brave has been key; trying it shouldn't kill me, whether I end up liking it or not. I ended up making many of my table-mates happy with the foods I rejected but they enjoyed! In the end it has all worked out and no one on this trip is malnourished by any means. Whatever happens with the meal, there's usually a gelatto place to be found just around the corner.


- Kelsey