Crunchings and Munchings
By far the most frequent thing that I get asked about is the food in Rome. So here is an entry all about food!
Food is interesting to me, especially the way it is dealt with in other cultures. I’ve learned a lot about food since I got here. There is one key thing that I’ve realised about the food here. Everyone raves about food in Italy, and that is with good reason. However, in order to really experience Italian food here you need one of two things: either (a) money or (b) the ability to transform raw materials into delicious meals. As far as I can tell, in order to achieve (b) you basically have to be a tiny Italian grandmother. Sadly, I don’t have tons of money, and I am not an Italian grandmother. This closes off a lot of delicious avenues.
On the plus side, I have had some really amazing food that is affordable and still delicious. Pizza here is very cheap and very awesome. I’ve had pizza with all different types of toppings. I’ve had eggplant parmasean pizza, as well as sun-dried tomato pizza, sweet pepper pizza, and “marinara” pizza, which is just the dough covered with tomato sauce, olive oil, and oregano.
The way you eat pizza here in interesting as well. Pizza is basically the fast food of Italy. If you want a quick lunch, you go into a pizza shop and look at what they’ve got. They keep huge sheets of square pizza behind a glass counter. You point at whatever looks the tastiest and say “questo, per favore” (this one, please). The person behind the counter will hold their knife and spatula across a random span of the pizza (Maybe they decide this based on how hungry you look? I’m not sure) and ask if that’s how much you’d like. You just say yes regardless, because you don’t know how to say “more” or “less”. The counter person will cut your slice and weigh it. Unless you specifically ask, or they are feeling generous and ask you, they’ll wrap it up for you just like that: cold. For those savvy in the ways of pizza culture, you can say to the counter person “riscaldo, per favore,” which will let them know that you’d like it reheated. Once it’s done, you pay. They cut your square slice of pizza in half, and then they fold it over like a sandwich. The pizza sandwich is then wrapped in wax paper. You’re meant to stand at the counter in the store and eat it, but as an American with a schedule to keep I always just munch on it on my way out the door and down the street. They is, without a doubt, the best way to eat pizza. I don’t think there’s any way to go back to Burger King after that.
Some other interesting things that I’ve noticed about food in Italy:
- It’s relatively easy to buy an whole octopus at the local grocery store, but exotic things like Peanut Butter and Soy Sauce can only be found at special foreign food stores called Castroni.
- Italians have managed to embrace some American foods. Oddly, they have Kit Kats but no Snickers, they have Philadelphia Cream Cheese but there isn’t a bagel on the entire peninsula, and (although I never knew it before) turkey is an entirely subjective description for lunchmeat.
- Arancine: Another delicious Italian fast food. Arancine are Sicilian rice balls that have varieties of inside fillings. They’re crispy, salty, cheesy, and sometimes meaty or vegetable-y. Basically, they’re completely fantastic.
Plus, I did get a really delicious week of Italian cooking when my parents came to visit me. With a perfect excuse to dine out every night, we got to try some really fantastic pastas and pizzas. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Ok, that’s it. I’ve made myself way too hungry. Time to go get something to eat!
Food is interesting to me, especially the way it is dealt with in other cultures. I’ve learned a lot about food since I got here. There is one key thing that I’ve realised about the food here. Everyone raves about food in Italy, and that is with good reason. However, in order to really experience Italian food here you need one of two things: either (a) money or (b) the ability to transform raw materials into delicious meals. As far as I can tell, in order to achieve (b) you basically have to be a tiny Italian grandmother. Sadly, I don’t have tons of money, and I am not an Italian grandmother. This closes off a lot of delicious avenues.
On the plus side, I have had some really amazing food that is affordable and still delicious. Pizza here is very cheap and very awesome. I’ve had pizza with all different types of toppings. I’ve had eggplant parmasean pizza, as well as sun-dried tomato pizza, sweet pepper pizza, and “marinara” pizza, which is just the dough covered with tomato sauce, olive oil, and oregano.
The way you eat pizza here in interesting as well. Pizza is basically the fast food of Italy. If you want a quick lunch, you go into a pizza shop and look at what they’ve got. They keep huge sheets of square pizza behind a glass counter. You point at whatever looks the tastiest and say “questo, per favore” (this one, please). The person behind the counter will hold their knife and spatula across a random span of the pizza (Maybe they decide this based on how hungry you look? I’m not sure) and ask if that’s how much you’d like. You just say yes regardless, because you don’t know how to say “more” or “less”. The counter person will cut your slice and weigh it. Unless you specifically ask, or they are feeling generous and ask you, they’ll wrap it up for you just like that: cold. For those savvy in the ways of pizza culture, you can say to the counter person “riscaldo, per favore,” which will let them know that you’d like it reheated. Once it’s done, you pay. They cut your square slice of pizza in half, and then they fold it over like a sandwich. The pizza sandwich is then wrapped in wax paper. You’re meant to stand at the counter in the store and eat it, but as an American with a schedule to keep I always just munch on it on my way out the door and down the street. They is, without a doubt, the best way to eat pizza. I don’t think there’s any way to go back to Burger King after that.
Some other interesting things that I’ve noticed about food in Italy:
- It’s relatively easy to buy an whole octopus at the local grocery store, but exotic things like Peanut Butter and Soy Sauce can only be found at special foreign food stores called Castroni.
- Italians have managed to embrace some American foods. Oddly, they have Kit Kats but no Snickers, they have Philadelphia Cream Cheese but there isn’t a bagel on the entire peninsula, and (although I never knew it before) turkey is an entirely subjective description for lunchmeat.
- Arancine: Another delicious Italian fast food. Arancine are Sicilian rice balls that have varieties of inside fillings. They’re crispy, salty, cheesy, and sometimes meaty or vegetable-y. Basically, they’re completely fantastic.
Plus, I did get a really delicious week of Italian cooking when my parents came to visit me. With a perfect excuse to dine out every night, we got to try some really fantastic pastas and pizzas. Thanks Mom and Dad!
Ok, that’s it. I’ve made myself way too hungry. Time to go get something to eat!