ANYWAY, backing up to Sunday: pretty lazy, as all Sundays should be. It was a beautiful day, which is of course due to the fact that all I needed to do was massive amounts of reading and Mother Nature enjoys mocking me. But we did go out a bit in a shopping attempt that was a bit of a failure, as most shops are closed on Sunday. It was good to get out. There were some other beautiful views:
OATMEAL! With bananas and pear confettura. Yummy :)
I have also discovered something:
Orange-carrot-lemon juice. Spiked with seltzer water. It's the best mocktail ever! TRY IT.
And just to make sure you are awake...
EWWWW! Haha, I know, that was mean of me. Sorry. Note to all readers: NEVER give a lefty a bread knife. Bad things happen.
Now, for the most part, we have been enjoying our tiny apartment kitchen and cooking dinner alla casa:
Brussel sprouts! YUM!
BUT, as neither I nor 2 of my roommates had yet to actually go out to a ristorante for dinner, we decided that tonight was a good night. We asked some friends for a recommendation, I called and made a reservation (yes, in Italian...I think I amused the guy on the other end, but hey, I got the job done.). Off we went!
I ordered the tortelli freschi (fresh) with pine nuts, pear sage and pecorino:
It was good, but nothing superb. Missing a wow-factor. Never fear, we will find it!
Coincidentally (perhaps), this restaurant was located a street or two away from what is rumored to be one of the best gelaterias in Florence, and we couldn't help but drop by - it would be rude not to, no?
GROM Gelato.
That would be a heavenly combination of EXTRA dark chocolate sorbetto and nougat gelato. Be still my heart! It was by and large the BEST gelato I have ever had. I don't know where to begin to describe it...and therefore you (yes YOU!) must come to Firenze and experience it for yourself.
Now, we have heard of another (supposedly) equally as good gelato place, and of course it would be unjust to crown Grom before giving the other contenders a shot. We also know where the World Champion Gelateria is (not in Florence, but we agreed that it's worth a train ride to try it). So stay tuned, there is MUCH more creamy deliciousness to come...
You may be sitting there thinking "ok, this girl is eating bread, pasta, cheese, chocolate, gelato...how will she even fit on the plane ride home?!" I would like to point out that I am in Italy, not the U.S. Portion sizes are actually humanly feasible, ingredients are totally fresh, and my sole means of getting around this city is by foot. It makes a BIG difference.
Have you ever heard of the American paradox? A country full of unhealthy people obsessed with being healthy. Somewhere, around the time food became an industrial endeavor instead of a natural part of culture, that innate sense of how and what to eat got a little lost, and then completely forgotten. I mean, we as a race are here, right? Our ancestors somehow made it through without nutritionist, health specialist, and vitamin supplements. It's so interesting to me how different cultures see and use food, such a basic building block of life and a common essential thing for everyone.
I hope I'm not boring you too much! Yes, part of this rant is a direct result of my Food and Culture class, but really all it is doing is putting words to how I have felt for a long time, but unsure of how to explain it. Food was a big enemy of mine for so long, and I pin a lot of my recent interest in food on my efforts to rebuild a positive, respectful relationship with it. Yes, humans need food to live, but it is so much more than that. It's a symbolically and emotionally charged item that has a major, though often invisible, impact of daily life. So I hope you don't mind if I take my blog occasionally into that direction. It is a passion and fascination of mine, and for me, writing has always been the best route of exploration because I am much more articulate and able to easily work through things in my head. I'd love to hear all your thoughts on it as well, so don't be shy with those comments! (Plus, I really like seeing mail in my inbox. Makes me feel loved:)
Alright, I suppose I should go, do, see, etc. I have some apartment pictures to show off, so come back soon!
~Namaste~
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