Food Rant

  You know what America's problem is? We lack the ability to appreciate food in its natural and intended state. We insist on adding sugar, salt and grease to EVERYTHING, which inhibits our taste buds from experiencing the simple & beautiful taste of food. We also eat excessively fast. I, personally, can attest to this. Food is better when it is savored, when every bite is treated as a new pleasure and not only as a comfort or supplement for happiness. Food can change your life if you let it.
  Believe it or not, the girl who eats everything in sight did not just come to Italy to indulge in a large amount of eating. But I also won't lie and say it was a major draw. I didn't know what to expect in when the first Italian pizza was placed in front of me, but after the first bite I knew I was in good heaven. Tomato sauce, mushrooms, mozerella cheese and oregano--the simplicity of this pizza was its perfection. So, sorry Pizza Hut, I will never eat you the same way again.
  Another favorite part of Italy is the importance of coffee, especially espresso. The coffee in Italy puts the finest American coffee maker to shame. The espresso causes such instantaneous heart palpitations and the richness of its taste is incomparable--and honestly I only need a small size to get a buzz. A small sized cup costs a maximum of 1 euro--quickly putting the insane amount I spend on Starbuck's in perspective--we may or may not be getting ripped off. The coffee culture is so different here too. No one plans a coffee date with the intention of chatting about the deep meaning of life for hours, coffee instead is meant to be an on the go occurrence. You walk into the shop, order, and then stand up the entire time you drink the coffee so you don't get charged an extra fee. Coffee normally happens in between breakfast and dinner, usually right after lunch.
  Dinner by far is the most important meal of Italian culture--it has several courses, all loaded with carbs and yummy vegetable goodness. Families eat dinner late here, usually not sitting down to eat together until 8:30pm-9pm. The meal courses are supposed to be enjoyed slowly--no one should ever have to feel rushed. Bread, wine, and water must always be on the table. I had my first full-course Italian meal. And while I had to unbutton my pants and waddle home, it was so worth it.
  Food is great.
I'll be talking about the rest of my Genoa adventures tomorrow. I'm a little behind as I'm in Rome now, but trust me, you don't want to miss the story about the water polo men in little bathing suits. It's a classic.
 Ciao