Food and Fun in Florence

---

We have officially been in Florence for a little over a week! Time flies when you’re having fun! Being in a different country means eating different foods. As a picky eater who generally does not like to try new things, this was a little intimidating at first. I knew Italy had pasta and pizza, but what I didn’t know was how different the same types of foods could be.



Eating is typically an experience that I would consider positive… I LOVE FOOD! Although Italy has different options for meals than I am used to back home, I have found it pretty easy to find foods I enjoy eating. Besides not having access to Taco Bell (which is probably the first thing I’m going to get when I’m picked up from the airport), my diet hasn’t changed drastically while being abroad.

Since being in Italy, I’ve discovered many new foods that I like: a few of those being gelato (I seriously hope this is in Heaven), magherita pizza, and a new pasta that I tried last night that has an over-easy egg and bacon in it. So far, I’ve been eating more pasta and pizza than anything else. My favorite pasta is tortellini, usually bought from the grocery store and made with my roommate in our apartment. My favorite pizza is the spicy salami from Panetteria E Stuzzicheria on Via Dei Neri. I also learned the very first day here that I don’t like chicken liver. During the welcome dinner, our waiter brought pureed (I guess that’s what it would be considered) chicken liver on toast to our table. I didn’t know what it was until someone told us, and I only tried it because I promised my dad I would eat something crazy for him. One taste was definitely enough for me.

Although I usually drink water, I’ve tried a few different wines while out having dinner. One of my favorites was from our tour of the Antinory Winery. I can’t remember the name, but it was the last red one we tried. It was made in 2013, so it had more time to age. When I got my glass, it smelled sweet, but when I took a sip, I got the acidic, bitter taste of red wine. I’ve learned I prefer the red wines because I like the bitter taste better than the sweet taste of white wines. I’ve also tried a couple of Cokes, but I think they taste different than Coke in the U.S. The Coke here tastes more like a diet or watered-down Coke compared to the almost-too-sweet kind you get back home.



Here, meals are cooked and purchased to be enjoyed: not rushed through. It’s very common in Italy for people to go into a coffee shop or bakery and sit down to eat for breakfast. Italians take their time eating croissants, muffins, and various other pastries and drinking coffee. Lunch, however, is very different: most places open during this time are sandwich shops and pizzerias. I’ve noticed this is the meal that most people “grab and go” on their way. There are many options for dinner: sit-down restaurants or grab-and-go places. During this time, sit-down restaurants are typically very busy, and it can be difficult finding a place to eat if you choose to go out. I have also noticed that if you go out to eat, you have to ask your waiter for your check. This was a new custom we learned because when you eat at a restaurant back home, they typically bring the check before the meal is finished.

In the U.S., I typically spend meal times eating something quick and convenient. Most of my meals are also eaten in my car while I’m driving to work or school. The only meal I sit down for (sometimes) is dinner, and even then, if I have homework I try to eat quickly so I can finish it. My lifestyle hasn’t changed drastically since leaving the U.S. Breakfast is still small, and eaten quickly before leaving my apartment for class. Lunch is usually a small pizza or a sandwich from a small sandwich shop nearest to wherever I am when I’m hungry. Dinner is the main meal I spend the most time on: whether eaten at a restaurant or at the apartment, I sit down and enjoy my meal with a glass of wine or water and friends.



One challenge I have found while trying to eat in Italy would be the meal times. At home, I wake up around 5:00 a.m. on the days I work, so I was used to eating breakfast at 5:30, having a snack at 8:30 a.m., eating lunch at 11:00 a.m., having a second snack at 4 or 4:30 p.m., and eating dinner at 6:00 p.m. Being in Italy has completely shifted my eating schedule, and has made it challenging to adapt to the changes. Here, I don’t wake up until 7:30, and I try to eat two clementine oranges before leaving the apartment or when I get to class. They don’t fill me up, so I usually stop at ITIT after class and grab a blueberry muffin and an Americano with caramel. Then, I’m hungry again by 2:00 p.m., and eat lunch. I go as long as I can without eating so I don’t have to eat twice after lunch and before dinner.



I’m glad Italy has pasta and pizza, because without it, I would probably go hungry within the first couple of days. I’m also glad I decided to step out of my comfort zone, because if not, I wouldn’t know the glorious taste of gelato.



Steps:

January 12, 2018: 20,746



January 13, 2018: 23,981

---