No. Really.
The food.
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| Carrot pate |
was.
PHENOMENAL.
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| Ristorante Torino |
Being so small had the extraordinary perk of having a very flexible menu. Items changed on essentially a daily basis, which made for quite the tasting experience. The typical spaghetti one day
Or a unique black rice and seafood dish the next
And each meal was just as fabulous as the last.
Lunch and dinner in Italy are definitely an art, as far as I can tell, and not in the hipstery artisinal way that you get a diners on the East Coast. First of all, the meals are huge. The portions aren't US super-sized, and yet you walk away from a meal feeling very satisfied, probably because each meal is expected to come with multiple courses - a primi (note, this is NOT the appetizer. It's usually something like a pasta or rice dish), and secondi (the "entree" if you well, typically meat), a salad or soup, and if you're a bit indulgent, dessert.
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| Dessert spread, available every day!!! |
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| Custard tart with candied chestnuts. Divine. |
I often opted just to get a primi or a secondi, which is viewed as being a little weird. But, had I eaten everything, though, I would have gone into serious food coma every day.
Lunch every day was almost on the order of 1.5-2 hours, which is astronomically long to me. At home, I maybe only take a half hour every day, often squirreling away in my office with a sandwich or some other finger food as I check emails and get caught up on administrative work. I get the feeling that my Italian colleagues would find this blasphemous. If nothing else, the impression with which they furnished me is that food in Italy is taken very seriously. Food and drink are meant to be enjoyed and not treated as an afterthought.
In this way, my own family would probably appreciate the customs around food. When I was growing up, dinner at home was supposed to be a family gathering. Every night around 6 PM, whether you still had homework or not, it was dinner time. Everyone sat down at the table to share their day and talk about their thoughts. Even when you were finished eating, you were not excused until everyone had finished. It wasn't about filling your stomach and rushing off to the next thing. Dinner was very much a social affair.
My father used to make fun of what he called "American meals" - cold cut sandwiches and chips, salads. "Those aren't meals. Those are snacks. Bu guo sai ya fang." (Loosely, "That's not enough to fill the gap between my teeth.") He always lamented about having to take cold leftovers to work the next day. In his opinion, meals should always be fresh, hot, and plentiful.
I tried to keep those same values when I went to college. For the first few months, I made it a point go to the dining hall with my dorm mates to catch up on gossip, talk about classes, and just have a good laugh to brush off the stress of the day. But as time went on, it became harder to coordinate. Everyone was busy and trying to keep their head above water. More and more, I found myself in Starbucks, Panera, Cosi -- wherever I could get a nook to squirrel away for hours while I nibbled on grilled cheeses and sipped double shot espresso.
And that was ok. It was what you needed to do to get by. But sometimes I think I would have benefited from remembering to let my brain reset, if only for a short while.
I've learned to come back to center, somewhat. Every night, DG and I have dinner together, whether it be takeout or something I've cooked. Sometimes we just talk. Often, we watch an episode of Avatar or Dragonball or something else that's not too mentally stimulating. It ultimately doesn't matter. The point is, even when we're both busy (and we often are), we still take the time to just be.
Next time -- the conclusion of my Italian adventure and coming home.
Until the next.
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