Hello! This post is all about my love for food, and my appreciation of the Italian lifestyle of food. Since my last post, I’ve taken my first cooking class (called Florence for Foodies, essentially 1 unit for watching a top 3 MasterChef contestant cook in front of me and then for eating). The next day, for my Growing Up American, Growing Up Italian class, we went to the market to pick out fresh ingredients and prepared a meal together. So yes, quite a bit of food. Zero complaints about that.
What a real foodie is
See, in general I’m a huge fan of food. I was a very picky eater when I was younger (may or may not still be), where my mom had to find creative ways to put vegetables in food without me knowing, because I refused to eat anything green. I had a huge fascination with junk food (my favorite being all types of Cheetos) and would sometimes not eat actual meals at all. About fifteen years later, I’m much less high maintenance with regards to food, but I’ve also come to appreciate the significance of food beyond just its taste. No matter how bad of a day I’m having, if I have an amazing meal, I’m happy for at least the next few hours.
I think as you grow older, your capability for synthesizing memories and information grows. Especially now that I’m moving around so much (between San Diego, Stanford, going abroad, internships, etc.), I’ve come to associate certain meals with significant periods of my life. For example, Lobster and Fried Squid at Imperial Mandarin, a Chinese restaurant back in San Diego, isn’t just my favorite dish because it makes my taste buds sing – I love it because it means I’ve likely just landed back home after a crazy week of finals, and finally have the time to be fully present with my family as we share a meal. It’s the first thing I’m craving when I land at the airport, and my parents know that without me saying a word to them. An Acai bowl at Del Mar beach isn’t amazing just because it’s basic and so Instagram-able – it’s great because I’m fully enjoying the highlights of my lovely hometown.
There’s so much more to food than just the dish. For instance – going to a restaurant with a large group and buying a few dishes to share and eat family style means that I’m with a group of people who I’m very comfortable with. My old a cappella group actually has a tradition of going to Mountain View some weekends and getting Pho and Boba, then singing in a garage nearby. With some friends, I explore different “hipster” cafes. Obviously, the latte doesn’t warrant five bucks just because of the pretty heart the barista made in the milk foam – it’s about consuming the adventure and ambiance of a new place.
A required reading for my culture class
But the Florence Foodie culture, like I said, is a lifestyle. “Foodie” here doesn’t just mean that you take pictures of all your food with such angles and filters so that you can get a million likes for making your dish seem more impressive than it is – in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen an Italian person take a picture of their food. According to one of my class readings by Beppe Severgnini, Italians are “consummate professionals of culinary consumption” (21). Quite a lofty claim to make, but a few weeks in Italy and you would know that his claim is rather on point. For example, it’s not socially acceptable here to walk while eating food or even drinking coffee (Hence the confusion my host parents had when I gave them a coffee cup with the California flag on it). Besides gelato, nothing is meant to be consumed quickly or on-the-go. That’s also probably why the only fast food places here are American. A lot of thought goes into preparing a meal – families, like my class group did this week, go to street markets together and pick out fresh ingredients together. They pay close attention to which foods are in season, much like we do to seasonal fashion trends.
“Consummate professionals of culinary consumption.”
Back to Severgnini – in a nutshell, Italians have very strict rules about how food should be consumed to maximize satisfaction. This so called “food fascism” apparently isn’t pretentious though – it’s just that Italians are very sure that their way is right, and therefore don’t see why anyone wouldn’t follow these rules. “She had ordered a cappuccino after her evening meal, and the waiter refrained from calling the police,” recounts Severgnini about a woman he’d met (26). Or this one – “If we chose the wrong starter, it’s so we can complain about it later,” as he believes sums up the Italian foodie mindset. At the dinner table for example, my host family won’t let me have the next course until my first plate is finished, and there’s always exactly three courses. On menus in restaurants, it’s very common to have sections labled “first course” or “second course” – in other words, they want to tell you how to think. It’s also common to devour your food instantaneously – as I’ve discovered that I’m apparently a very slow eater.
“Around an Italian table, people reason, argue, and learn to defend their points of view”
The food culture here is strongly tied with family values. “Around an Italian table, people reason, argue, and learn to defend their points of view” (52). You’re not meant to go to the table, eat, and then head straight back to your room. You’re meant to sit for an hour afterwards and talk about your day – in a very straightforward manner. Unlike in American culture, you don’t adopt a “customer is always right mentality” and keep smiling when you’re actually annoyed – you let people know what’s on your mind. This teaches youth to form their own opinions and be able to defend them confidently. Families really stick together here. It’s not uncommon to have “adult children” who still stay with their parents, not necessarily because they haven’t found jobs or their own paths in life, but just because it’s a cultural norm. Among other things, Severgnini describes the Italian family as a counseling service, an employment agency, a “market where nothing is sold, and lots of stuff is given away, everything haggled over” (60). Moving is a lot less common, as your home is indeed where your heart is. Once you unpack your stuff out of packing boxes, you’re likely there to stay.
Mama, I learned to cook!
So, as I mentioned, I got to take a cooking class this week at a school called Desi Nare. It was led by Chef Enrica Della Martira, who placed third at MasterChef. I may or may not have a mom who gets on my case for having zero homemaking skills. She may or may not have been right – up until I took this class at least! We made these things from scratch –
· Potato Gnocchi with Ragu Meat Sauce
· Veal Rolls with Tuscan Ham and Cheese
· Think Chocolate Cake
Spoiler alert – everything was absolutely delicious. Nothing quite helps me bond with people like cooking and eating a meal together.
Food week for my Growing Up Class
Then there was my actual class where I don’t just eat for a free unit. My group was told to go to Mercato Centrale and get the following ingredients:
· Cured meat/cooked beans
· Cheese and olives
· Caprese Salad (tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil or parsley)
· Fruit or Dessert
· Bread
· A Non Alcoholic Drink
This activity just added to my admiration of the foodie culture here. There’s very specific types of meat, and I sadly didn’t know the difference from one to the other – I decided to just go off the seller’s recommendation. It’s also fun to watch them cut fresh ingredients right in front of you. I also really love that commerce here is very much based on relationships rather than competition. It’s the reason that gelato shops can exist literally 10 steps away from each other and not go out of business. If one tender didn’t have something, he would point us in the right direction of a friend at the same market who did. If someone was short 1 Euro for something, they would go ahead and give them the stuff they purchased and trust them to come back later. I could not see that happening anywhere in the Bay Area.
Other Updates
· Started some projects in art class
· The competition for the best pizza place in Florence has ended. Thank you to all the diligent contenders but I have to give it to Gusta Pizza
· I’m going to be a tour guide! I’ll be volunteering with Ars et Fides, a nonprofit that gives tours of churches and museums here in Florence. Starting next week, I’ll be giving tours at the Duomo.
· Went back to Rome for my High Renaissance Art History class. We hit the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, and went to a dorky Ice Bar. Also, thank goodness that Slim (my roommate) and I are both into photography, because for once I actually have nice pictures of myself from a trip, not just pictures of other people and empty landscapes. Two as a sneak peak -
Colosseum
Back to the Vatican - though it feels like years ago that I was last there (it was 2 weeks ago)
· Went to a Florence and the Machine concert at the Unipol Arena in Bologna. She is amazing live.
· Coming up: a day trip to Venice tomorrow, a soccer game on Sunday
Thanks for reading! xoxo