Get Out Of The Kitchen

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Florence, Italy
Monday, October 19, 2009

My Adventures in Italian Cooking have come to an end, and it was a fantastic two weeks. Some new lessons learned, including the secret to making pasta simple and good. I hope to never purchase pasta again. In the course of the week, there were many new dishes learned, some new compatriots met in the class, some new stains added to the apron and even a little cursebreaking along the way. No, I wasn't the cursebreaker, but rather there's a batty gentleman who runs around Sant' Agnello every week with a can of incense and a top hat and throws blessings onto businesses. In exchange, he sells lottery tickets for a lottery that has already been drawn. It's tradition, and according to the folks in the kitchen it's something you'd only see in Sorrento. I think it might even be a good second career for me when I return to the states.

In the past week, I've managed to catch a few more sights (the Archaelogical Museum in Napoli, the Amalfi Coast), do a little bit of Christmas shopping and go dancing with the kiddos from the cooking school (the ones on externship for 3 months) at a disco in Sorrento. Quite an interesting time, I'd say. More recipes have been learned, some new techniques and even a batch of moonshine finished up (limoncello). I'm sure that there are folks back in Austin who are thinking "man, I can't wait until he gets home and cooks up a good Italian dinner for me." Relax, folks, I'll be returning after all. The plane ticket back has been purchased. Details on that to emerge later.

I plan on spending the next 4 weeks in Italy, starting with a week in Florence and the surrounding area. I'll be vising Pisa on a day trip, heading to Eurochocolate in Perugia for a day, might be going to Siena for a day trip and of course exploring Florence. I intend to spend the better part of a day inside the Uffizi museum taking in the art, hit the Duomo and Ponte Vecchio today and will be wandering about town looking for the finest in Florentine cuisine. Now that the end is in sight on the trip, I'm filled with mixed feelings. On one hand, I've seen and done things in the last few months that I didn't think I would ever get a chance to see. It's definitely a life-changing experience, and I recommend long-term travel to anyone who has an opportunity and an open mind. On the other hand, it is somewhat tiring, and the thought of having my own bed again without strangers in the room starts to look good. The trip will end up in Rome, where I'll see my sister off after giving her a brief tour then head out myself a short while later.

Lessons Learned:
If you were to go into the culinary arts as a profession, you need a thick skin. The kids who were at the cooking school on externship had some horrible stories of verbal abuse by their instructors, the type of which I never had to deal with from engineering professors.

If you're traveling with someone, and they annoy you to the point that you start to snipe back, it's best to remove yourself from the situation. Just walk away, be it for a few minutes or forever. Life is too short to be frustrated to that point.

European Fall arrives overnight. Just 10 days ago, I was walking about town in shorts and a t-shirt. Now I'm bundled up in my fleece and have even resorted to the skullcap. Be prepared for cold if you arrive here in October.

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Photos

Napoli
Statue in the National Archaeological Museum

Delici di Limoni
The classiest dessert I've ever made: Delici di Limoni

Amalfi
The Amalfi Coast

Amalfi Model
A model of the Amalfi Coast I found inside Amalfi

Pasticceria!
Tasty treats inside a pasticceria (pastry shop)

Custard
Making lemon custard

Comments

[anonymous]

great looking food
Jim the pastry looks really good. It looks like the cooking school was a big hit. ENJOY THE REST OF THE TRIP> Mom/Dad

[geoffy]

the delici di limoni looks delightful!