As we traveled through Italy, we realized we started to pick up a few things about their culture and how they do their day-to-day. Realizing we'd probably find the same about other countries we pass through, we present the "Lessons From" series, a collection of the tidbits we learn as we travel, separated by country.
Apologies for this first bit, as its highly focused on food. I guess that's where our head was when we first got here...
Set in Their Ways
While talking after dinner one night, we asked our previous hosts Helen and Stuart if they missed anything from England when they moved to Italy. They both had a pension for Italian food, but Helen confessed that she missed the variety that was available. Apparently when ordering a sandwhich at the deli Helen had the option of ham and cheese, or cheese and ham, or ham or cheese and Stuart admitted there was only one Chinese restaurant nearby and no hopes for any Indian fare. The Italians like what they like.
Rise of the Moka Pot
It was hard not to get hooked on coffee over here. When our first host Nick would take us out, it was routine to head to the coffee shop first to shoot back some espresso. Literally shoot back. Nick told us a story about when he had first arrived and was asked to coffee by some coworkers, and how he anticipated sitting down and chatting with them. But getting coffee in Italy is more about getting the coffee, than taking the time to drink it so his coworkers got to the counter, slammed their coffee and turned to head back to the office.
We started with the small espresso, moved on to cappuccini and macchiati and then graduated to the moka pot. This nifty little contraption makes a nice dark little cup of coffee or a bigger cup if mixed with milk and works by passing boiling water through coffee grounds by steam. We had full access to one at Helen and Stuarts which started off great, but days later started making us sick. After one particularly stomachey afternoon I gave up the coffee for tea but Zach tried powering through, faithfully drinking the cups he made under the guise of practice. Days later (and cups later too) Zach was fixing his afternoon cup, went to add his milk as usual and on a whim gave it a whiff. The instant recoil told him everything, the milk was spoiled the whole time. A carton of fresh milk and a new pot of coffee later and I returned to the coffee club.
Snacks!
The few times we went out for a drink we were delighted to find easy access to snacks or that we were outright given them. And we're not just talking chips or popcorn here, these were little slices of pizza or little sandwiches or even pita and hummus dip. American bars, step up your game.
Winry also picked up a new appreciation for eggshells after watching her pal Reggie scarf them down every morning. Apparently the shells are rich in calcium and were originally a natural part of a wild dogs diet. Many websites suggest grinding the eggshells and sprinkling them over your dogs food, but Winry didn't seem to have a problem crunching the shells down into little bits. The shells we gave her were from hardboiled eggs, so for raw eggs we rinsed out the shell first.
Zach and Beans
As the headline suggests, Zach fell in love with Italy's assortment of beans. On our second trip to the grocery store with Stuart, Zach bought a whole case of beans (about 6 little boxes) and ate all but one over the week. He didn't mix them with anything either, just straight into a pot to heat then straight into his mouth. That should tell you how good the beans here are. So good in fact, that regions get really posessive about the beans grown there. When Helen and Stuart took us out for dinner to a restaurant up the road one night we were treated to their prized sorana beans, a delicacy sold only in that, and one other restaurant in town apparently. That's the power of beans.
Bring it on Home
As mentioned above, the Italians are set about what they like. The upside to that is that the foods they do like, they've taken the time to perfect. Pasta and risotto is their forte but don't underestimate their selection of cheese, meats or freshly baked bread. We didn't dine out often, but I think a country's taste can truly be told from what they stock in their grocery stores. So aisles upon aisles of pasta sauce and noodles. Though they are serious about the veggies they put in with their noodles and rice and we were never at loss for fresh produce.
For a great taste of Tuscany and if you'd like to try some of the dishes we were treated to, try some of Helen and Stuart's recipes on their website.
Thanks folks, and remember to not tip your waitress*,
H W Z
*No really, no tipping here. Unsure, we asked our waiter one night and he looked both a little shocked and embarassed saying "no they take good care of me here" which we translated to "they pay me a good wage I don't need handouts, thank you." Whoops!
