Vita Mia in Italy: A Day Worth Noting

Yesterday, my Food, Culture, and Society class went on a little field trip around the city to a few of the best food markets, sandwich shops, and gelaterias.

We started our excursion at the San Lorenzo Mercato Centrale, where I fell in love with all things Italian. The market is indoors, and they have countless vendors selling EVERYTHING including: fresh/dried vegetables & fruit, pasta, cheese, bread, baked goods, quality balsamic vinegars & olive oils, a huge selection of sun-dried tomatoes/mushrooms, meats, fish, wine, limoncello, & even flowers. Oh, as well as whole ducks, whole baby pigs, pig heads/feet/ears, & cow stomach/liver/brains/intestines... I said everything, didn't I? If you're a vegetarian, I would use precautions when entering this market or looking at the pictures below. Everywhere you turn there's another [dead] duck head staring at you. I was fortunate enough to get a lovely view of a butcher, dressed in an apron stained with blood & guts, slamming his large knife into a pig and dismembering the head from the body. I'm sorry for the graphic details, but it's just not possible to make this sound beautiful.

Heads up!

Delectable livers, brains, & tongues

Assortment of cheeses

Fruits & Vegetables

Freshly prepared pastas

PEANUT BUTTER!!

Dried Fruits!

Needless to say, the food is to die for, and very reasonably priced. My class was given a balsamic vinegar, and olive oil tasting. We also tried delicious breads, and pastries. We weren't able to wander the market and shop so Jess, Katie, and I returned this morning to stock up on some yummy foods. As you can see above, my favorite and most unexpected find of the day was peanut butter!!! It's pretty much impossible to track down in all of the other stores, but because this market has a good mix of ethnic foods, we were able to score the most wonderful jarred food on earth. We were also given abnormally small bananas that we never want to go bad because they're just so damn cute.

Good thing we took a million pictures with them...

The markets are one thing about Italy that I can't get enough of. For me, it has more to do with the experience of interacting with the butchers & bakers, immersing myself in the culture, and purchasing fresh, organic products- rather then simply "grocery shopping." Sure, it is a lot easier and faster to walk two minutes to the local grocery store but you are sacrificing a lot in doing that. The food is not as fresh, the store isn’t the most appealing, the prices are higher, and you don't get to see pig heads.

The next stop on our little field trip was to Procacci.

http://www.procacci1885.it/index.php

Procacci is considered to be one of the most famous delicatessens in the city, and has been in business since 1885. It sells the most delicious little sandwiches with truffles that we inhaled, like ladies. I don't know if you've ever tried black truffles but if not, you need to get on that because you are seriously missing out on the most unique taste.

We ended our adventure at a specialty sicilian gelateria for a gelato tutorial. When we entered the kitchen, the only ingredients on the table were cucumbers, feta cheese, milk, coarse salt, garlic, and sugar. Just like anyone I thought, "now THAT'S a recipe for gelato." No. I did not think that, and to be honest, I was a little apprehensive in seeing what was about to go down. The chef himself whipped those ingredients effortlessly together in true Italian fashion, popped it in the ice cream machine, and out came a light green cucumber and feta gelato. He assembled the gelato with toasted brioche bun slices, a sprinkle of pepper, and handed it over. It. Was. Awesome.

The sweetness of the sugar, and savory of the feta/cucumber totally worked. I asked him what the craziest gelato combination he ever made was. He bounced back with, "There is no combination too crazy when you have a creative mind and preference. The best gelato is the one you prefer." Ditto, gelato man! But then he mentioned something about an oyster and chocolate combo he made for the President of Pakistan. Ooookay, I like seafood, and would marry chocolate but combining the two is where I draw the line. He wants to eventually open a gelato restaurant in New York City one of these days. Gelato meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Sounds like heaven to me.

As I made my way back to the apartment after class, I walked through the San Lorenzo outdoor market to browse their leather bags/jackets/wallets, clothes, shoes, etc. I had nothing planned for the rest of the day so I figured I'd take my time. I never usually look through the artwork but for some reason I decided to stop at one vendor to watch him paint water-color poppy flowers. They were so bright and beautiful, and I loved the fact that he was painting them right in front of me. Authenticity at it's finest. We started talking, and I learned that he has been painting for thirty years. I looked through his pieces and found one that I liked and wanted. He took the painting, put it down, and started a fresh one for me.

I love its color and simplicity. I love that it was painted for me, in front of me, on the streets of Italy, by an Italian painter. I love that I'll be able to hang this in my apartment or house one day and remember how it came about. It's the little things in life...

He sketched and painted me a business card, and told me to come back for a water-color lesson at some point. I will be doing that next week!

And as for our plans this weekend.... It involves a little of this: