megan&food.

I love good food. As such, a lot of my experiences so far have been related to food so I think it's the most appropriate way to share them.

La colazione- Mister Good brand "Crazy Rice"
It's amazing how quickly one becomes assimilated to a new place. It's only been two weeks but it's enough time for me to become shamelessly addicted to "Crazy Rice" cereal. It's also enough time for me to get accustomed to pane toscano. Dare I say it, I think I may have even grown to love it. On the topic of breakfast foods, don't make "Vert-mont" pancakes for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Ever.

Il pranzo- Tagliatelle alla bolognese
I didn't realize how different Florence was until after visiting Bologna. Because it has such a transient population from the abundance of tourists and study abroad students, it's easy to complain that Florence is very touristy. But I think its through doing things like walking around and letting yourself get hopelessly lost that you can really discover a city's culture. One of my best meals so far was when we wandered the streets of Bologna to find a tiny trattoria where we got fresh, homemade pasta. But what really made the meal memorable (other than the fact that the food was delicious) was that we befriended the waiter. He gladly explained all the dishes, told us about his sister, and gave us tips on where to shop.

La cena- Gnocchi alla gorgonzola, insalata mista, e tiramisù
I thought it was a good omen when I got here and Vincenzo had made tiramisù. Because if you know me at all, you know that my favorite dessert of all time is tiramisù. That said, I already know I'm going to miss our "family" dinners with Vincenzo, Angelo, Saqid (a Turkish ex-pat from Switzerland), Vivian, and I trying to cram into his tiny kitchen. It's a mish-mash of good food, Italian/English/Spanish/German/French, funny conversations about Madonna and Kylie Minogue, and ridiculous charades. Vincenzo getting on all fours to imitate a pig will forever be imprinted in my mind.

(Click title for photos).