Italy food/drink 1

In Italian, when there are two consonants together, the vowel before it is elongated and there is extra emphasis on the consonants. So, the pasta shape – penne – is pronounced pehhh-nneh. I pronounced incorrectly but they were kind enough to not bring me a plate of penis. This, of course, occurred during a dinner with new friends My error was quickly pointed out and corrected. Of course I remembered this is an issue after it had already happened.

A few notes on the food I’ve enjoyed thus far. Trust me, it’s all delicious. If you’re following my stories you’ll see I mostly take pics of the desserts try. Of all the sweets “Babà” is my fav. Tiny cakes smothered in rum syrup. They say these originated in France and made their way to Naples in the 19th century. I could eat these for every meal.

Babà

The pasta? My first meal in Italy (starving from my journey) was spaghetti carbonara from a stand in Venice. Fast, cheap and DELICIOUS. My first night in Florence I was served wild boar tagliatelle with the most exquisite glass(es) of Sangiovese I’ve tasted. In Rome, after mass with the Pope, I found another side street pasta stand outside the Vatican. This time I tried tagliatelle with a spicy ragù. A recipe I’m sure they’ve perfected over many years. Pasta in the states is a joke. If you want to debate this I challenge you to make me your best pasta dish for comparison. I’ll be the judge!

Of course I’m enjoying the gelato! I have tried lemon, tiramisu, cookie, After Eight, pistachio and mandarin gelato. Lemon gelato has been my favorite, so much so I tried it with limoncello which is called “Sgroppino”. I thought I came up with this, but apparently someone beat me to it. Still may pretend I came up with the idea.

I both love and hate that Italians eat croissants (aka brioche/cornetto) every morning. I’m generally an egg and oatmeal guy. That’s just not a thing here. If it’s not espresso and cornetto (stuffed with chocolate, pistachio, marmalade, etc.), it’s espresso and a cigarette for the Italians. A different world.

For lunch one day, I had a simple meal consisting of a pistachio cannoli and a cappuccino. The cannoli was perfect but the gondola passing my table and American 80’s music playing in the background heightened the experience (Italians love our 80’s music as much as we do). Food can definitely be enhanced by atmosphere! There is beauty everywhere in Italy. You don’t have to look far.

I’m not a pizza person. I know, I know… settle down. I’m the guy who thinks the rectangular pizza we had in high school was top-tier (and THAT pizza casserole… other worldly). I can say the pizza I had in Florence was terrific. A sourdough tuna with red onion pie and a sausage w rapini pie. So so cheesy. In Italy I tell myself I’m not lactose intolerant. The lies we tell ourselves...