Hodgepodge

I Google translated “porca miseria” today.  “I hear this word ALL the time,” I thought as I listened to my roommates and their friends talking. 

Translation: G** D*****

Moral of the story – don’t always use words you don’t know the meaning of just because you want to fit in.  Who knows what you could be saying!

traditional carnevale dress

Yes…I really did go to Venezia about a month ago.  I am sorry I never wrote about it, but life just got crazy this month.  So much for my trying to blog more, right?  Looks like my posts will be few and far between from here on out.  Honestly, Carnevale wasn’t all that exciting, but Venice was beautiful and staying with a family for the weekend was wonderful.  I rode in a car for the first time in months, was cooked homemade meals and tucked into bed by Ilaria’s mamma.

Apparently I look like a completely different person without my wool winter coat that I have been hiding behind for the past 5 months.  I think I am going to have to get used to the shameless stares of Italian men, both young and old, all over again.

“There comes a time when you no longer want shaky guys staring at you thinking God knows what, whispering things in Polish you're really glad you don't understand.” – Under The Tuscan Sun

True. Statement.  (Just substitute ‘Polish’ for ‘Italian’)  Only difference…I can generally understand what it is they are saying now.

The castel where we did our winetasting.

Another exciting thing I did this past month…Wine tasting in Chianti!  We took a bus 50 minutes outside the city to Chianti and got a light lunch, a tour, and wine tasting all for 20 Euro!  No, I will not complain too much about being a cute, young girl in an Italian bartering society.

Another winery across the way.

In just 10 days……I WILL SEE MY PARENTS!  It has been just shy of 8 months since I have seen those amazing folks who gave birth to me!  If you had told me a year and a half ago that I would go this long without seeing my parents I would have straight up laughed at you.  Ok, ok…maybe I would have tried to have been polite and given a simple, “Oh!  Yeah, maybe,” but that is just because I wouldn’t have felt like arguing about it and I knew that it wouldn’t be true, plain and simple.  Well, I did it and now we are finally going to see each other!  Our agenda?  Roma, Firenze, Cinque Terre, and Venezia.

My latest song recommendation: Mushaboom by Feist

Un Pranzo della Domenica Italiana

So I have this issue that when I get really busy and I am continually doing things of substantial blogworthyness,  I stop blogging.  I always face the predicament of whether I should blog about my amazing day or if I need to catch up on back-blogging first.  Today was too wonderful to wait.  I'll have to tell you about Carnevale in Venezia, wine tasting in Chianti and my day in Siena another time.

On this Italian Sunday I had one of my few true Italian home culture experiences of the year.  After the service at church I made a point of introducing myself to a few English speaker who were sitting next to me.  They, in turn, introduced me to the pastor's wife (he is Italian, she is American) who introduced me to a group of Italians in their twenties.  After a while of feeling awkward, only being able to listen as they all conversed I told them that I had to leave.  They responded by asking me if I would like to go to lunch with them.  What were my plans for the day? Why not?  Isn't this what I have been wanting; to spend time with Italians?  "Eh...Si!"  With that, my day with my new friends commenced.

After debate on where to go to lunch (this restaurant, that restaurant, someone's house...) I wasn't really sure what the decision ended up being, but I was game for anything.  We divided people up into cars and it ended up that we were headed to someone's house.  Events of the day:
Lunch
Talking...talking...talking...
Coffee ("Qualcuno senza zucchero?" -"Io!" -"Wow!  Brava Carolina!")
Talking...
Cake/bread type dessert (Apparently it was someone's birthday?)
Talking...talking...talking...talking...If you thought going to someone's house for lunch meant, well...lunch, you were wrong.  It was about 4:30 by now and they were asking, "Who wants to play games? Who wants to watch a film?  Niccola is out, who wants him to bring back connoli?  Apparently at four hours into lunch the day was still young.  Good thing I didn't have plans today.
Next...cards and more talking and then Risiko (Risk, the board game) for a few of us. (Note: Playing games with Italians is very loud and lively and involves a lot of "Ehhh!!!'s"
7:00pm - Connoli arrive!  Buonissimo!  Man, a cookie filled with cream/ricotta cheese, if that is not amazing/fattening I don't know what is!
7:45 - Some people were leaving and were my only ride in sight for hours so I left with them.  I was loosing Risiko (like always) anyway.  Most people were staying and sad we were leaving.  Wasn't it about time 8 hours later?  Or was it dinner time now?  I don't really know.
Moral of the story, people are more important than any plans you might have and apparently Sunday lunch is an ALL day event!  I had a great time though and loved every Italian minute of it!

Buon Appetito!

Italian food.  One of Italy's biggest claims to fame.  Is it really as good as everyone says?  The simple answer? Yes.  However, there are many things that have surprised me about real Italian food because of the way I have grown up with American-Italian food.

#1.  Garlic.
I have not eaten one Italian dish where the taste of garlic was clearly prominent.
There is no such thing as garlic bread in Italy.
As Ilaria told me, her grandpa is the only person she knows who even likes garlic.

#2.  Sweet and Simple.  Few ingredients. This describes Italian food well.
Unlike the U.S., dishes are made with far less ingredients here. When looking at our Thanksgiving dinner we realized this.  In the U.S. so many different things are combined in each dish.  For big meals, Italians are all about how a meal will best be digested, and the American way is certainly not it. This simplicity goes for everything from panini to pasta, lunch to dinner.  Expect to get whatever it is that you order and nothing more, but nothing less.  If you order a prosciutto and cheese sandwich...that is what you will get.  Bread, prosciutto and cheese.  The same goes for dinner.  In the United States we are used to choosing a meal off the menu from a single item.  Here, if you want more than one dish for your dinner then you order a full course meal.  Antipasta (Appetizer), first plate, second plate, then a vegetable, and then dessert.  And don't forget your caffe (espresso) or other digestivo (digestive wine or liquor eg: limoncello) at the end.  I have done this only a few times at the prepaid dinners when on field trips with my university.
When ordering a single dish, however, they really are exceptional.  The sauces are wonderful and everything is always so fresh.  The specialty dishes of the region you are dining in are always some of the best.

The biggest gelato ever!

#3. Gelato.
It is everywhere.  I am not sure if it is everywhere because it is famous or if it became famous because it is everywhere.  Either way, gelato is wonderful.  The difference from gelato and ice cream is that it is more creamy and more dense.  You can tell if it is good quality gelato by the amount of air holes you can see in it when you take a lick off your cone.

Chianti wine festival in Greve, September 2010

#4. Vino.
In this department, all I can tell you is that it is good.  I didn't like wine and didn't drink wine before coming to Italy, but I definitely have a taste for it now.  I don't think you could really come here and not like wine.  It is just such a large part of the culture.  I don't drink much white wine but when I do, it is very refreshing in comparison.  Red wine is the wine of Italy and Chianti is the wine of Tuscany.  I have to say, and not because I live in Toscana, Chianti is my favorite so far.  I have learned a lot about wine this past year and I don't know if it is just because I drink it now or if it is because I am in Italy.  Probably a little of both.

#5. Pane e Formaggio. Bread and Cheese.
No, I will not be an obnoxious snob when I come, but yes, both bread and cheese are better here.  Yesterday I couldn't resist buying a 59 cent baguette in a bag that was still beaded with moisture from the heat of being freshly baked.  The bread is fresher and the taste is...less artificial.  That is the only way I can put it.
What type of cheese would you like to talk about?  I think the biggest difference in every type of cheese is the amount of moisture it contains.  In comparison, many cheeses in the U.S. are very dried out.  My favorites are pecorino and brie.  Well...the mozzarella and the parmigiana are pretty good too...and the ricotta...and...

Cappucini and Buccelato in Lucca (a specialty bread of Lucca)

Every city and region of Italy has different foods that they are famous for and your tongue will thank you for ordering the specialty.  I am speaking from experience.
I didn't even mention the coffee.  Next time.