Days 26-29: The Final Push and Overeating (June 8-11)

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It was another one of those crazy weeks. I cannot believe how fast the semester just flew by! My week began by making my third round-trip in four days to Castelfranco Veneto train station, where my dad would embark on his return journey. I offered to get him a cab. But he didn’t like the idea of a €90 cab fare. Instead he would take the train to Venice-Mestre (less than €4) and a bus from Mestre to the Marco Polo Airport (€3).



The one word that encapsulates this final week is “overeating.” There was so much good food and I ate it all. Here’s a quick summary.

Monday: I went to cooking class at Linda’s home. She is a friend of Molly and offered a couple cooking classes this summer session. I wasn’t able to make the lunch session. But I wasn’t going to miss the dinner one. It really was the best food I’ve eaten in Italy. Let’s see if I can remember the menu: olives sautéed in fresh herbs grown in Linda’s garden (rosemary and tarragon), pancetta-wrapped pineapple skewers, tempura-fried sage leaves, carrot pâté with raw veggies, strawberry risotto, lentil salad, baked cheesy-mushroom-artichoke squares, and strawberry tiramisu for dessert. It was sooooooo good. And her home is breathtakingly lovely.

Tuesday: Every year, CIMBA hosts a Formal Dinner where students and faculty get dressed up and spend the evening together at a fancy dinner at hotel in none other than Castelfranco Veneto. The dinner started with a music performance called “Opera Scenes” where the music students performed various songs from different operas. Overall, it was quite nice. But there was one woman who completely blew me away. I had heard that people cried at opera, but I never thought it could happen to me. For one thing, I don’t understand the language. But there I was with tears dripping from the corners of both of my eyes. Her voice was just so beautiful and compelling.

As for dinner, there was an appetizer buffet set out in a huge outdoor tent: veggies, fruits, meats, cheeses, fried things, baked things, and overall yummy things. The buffet in itself could have been a whole meal. Some of my students had told me that they skipped lunch to save room for the dinner. Inside, we had two courses of pastas, chicken (if I’m remembering correctly), grilled veggies, and dessert. And with every course (dessert included), servers would come by and ask you if you wanted more of anything. And did I mention the three different kinds of wines served with dinner?

Wednesday: For those people who think that two nights in a row of stuffing your face is not enough, there is the Faculty Dinner on Wednesday. This was a more casual function. (I didn’t get “the memo” and ended up dressing up in my little black dress. But better to be overdressed than underdressed for the occasion.) Even though it was more laid back, the food was just as good and plentiful. We had a mushroom risotto, pasta with meat sauce, baked chicken, pork ribs, sliced steak, two side salads, and a berry-topped cheesecake-like dessert. Like the previous night, we also had three wines: prosecco for starters, red wine with dinner, and a light white wine for dessert.

Thursday: Several faculty couples invited me along to a last night pizza dinner in Crespano. I ordered the Toscana pizza. It was such an intense taste: an olive sauce, mozzarella, spicy salami, and cherry tomatoes. I also treated myself to a big fountain Coke, which in Italy is far more expensive than wine. But I think that my body was craving caffeine and all of that sugary goodness. Plus it really complemented the spicy and super-salty pizza I was eating. After dinner, I followed Bob and Hirta down to the gelateria in Castelcucco for a late-night treat. I got the “black chocolate” flavor—which basically tasted like frozen Hershey’s syrup. It was good. But I think that I’ll stick to fruit flavors from here on out. Or maybe cinnamon if I can find it.

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Photos

Linda's Cooking Class
Linda, hands down, has the best food in all of Italy. For our cooking class, she prepared the menu, bought the groceries, and invited us into her lovely home.

Cheesy Mushroom Artichoke Squares
These were absolutely delicious! And except for all the grating and chopping, quite easy to make. I've memorized the recipe. Any takers?

Dinner At Last
After a few hours of prepping, we finally sat down to eat on a HUGE table on Linda and Tonino's outdoor patio. (Linda is the woman standing and wearing a black shirt.)

A Room With a View
Imagine if this was the view out *your* kitchen window. It sure would make cooking and doing dishes a lot more enjoyable.