Introduction

Despite my culinary inferiority upon entering the Food and Culture program in Rome, Italy, I considered myself consciously involved and relatively knowledgeable when it came to quality, types, and variety of food I consumed. That being said, it wasn’t until I rounded my first month of living abroad in Rome, Italy that I began to truly realize A.) That I really knew nothing about food and B.) The role that food plays in our daily lives, traditions, and most importantly, our cultural identity. While I could tell you a good bacon cheeseburger from an okay one, I realized I had no relationship with food—and no, don’t worry, I’m not referring to emotional eating (though Nutella and Kinder Bars have become weaknesses.) Creating a “relationship with food” is about grasping the importance of not only the meal itself but its preparation and consumption as well.


In our second cooking class with chef Christina we were preparing open-faced sandwiches with buffalo mozzarella, sundried tomatoes and anchovies. As the class stared at the intimidating bowl of whole anchovies on the table, Christina explained that she could have opted for canned pre-cut anchovies instead of whole fish but that wouldn’t allow us the opportunity to become involved in the process and would essentially defeat the purpose of cooking our own meal. Although I still wasn’t crazy about gutting the anchovies, Christina’s point resonated with me. A lot of what food is about is our involvement—the preparation, the consumption, and the people with whom we enjoy it.My mini epiphany about the importance of food onset by living in Rome has encouraged me discover how culture permeates through other mediums of expression—and even further, this discovery has allowed me to fully absorb all of the rich and differing cultures I’ve been able to experience abroad. Cultures manifest themselves in so many facets of everyday life that sometimes I found myself becoming almost desensitized to them. However, after spending significant time immersed in a country where cultures can differ even from town to town, I have become better at recognizing these facets of culture and how the manifest themselves.
The following four posts recount some of my experiences I've had in Italy within my four months living here--the places I've been, the food I ate, people I met, things I saw, and a variety of cultural encounters.

Slow Food: Cheese Farm

The other week the program made a trip to a slow food farm south of Rome that specializes in a number of types of cheese. We learned, got to watch cheese being made and even have a little bit of a hand in the cheese-making ourselves.


Their Method:


One thing I found very interesting was that the farm has been essentially using the same method for hundreds of years. Specifically, I learned that in order to harden the milk into cheese it requires an enzyme to catalyze the process. The farms uses enzymes from the stomach of a goat which I found slightly odd and confusing because that doesn’t seem to be of what I would consider normal vegetarian practices. It only took a couple of minutes of the enzymes being stirred with the milk for the mixture to begin to harden into a jelly like substance. Then, mixture was broken up with a stick into smaller pieces and then strained to rid it off any excess water (this is a part of the process that we got to try ourselves).

The Taste:

We were also able to taste all of the types of cheese that the factory produces. It was apparent after the first bite the difference between the processed cheese I usually eat at home and fresh cheese. One of the main differences I found was that the fresh cheese was much less salty than your typical Kraft single. I also felt as though the majority of the fresh cheeses made at the farm had more of a muted flavor.

Trying the cheese/ezyme mixture

(Cheese after being drained)

Overall:

Visiting the cheese factory gave me a greater appreciation for slow food farmers. It’s simple, easy and most likely much more financially beneficial to succumb to the overuse of preservatives and fancy machinery in the production of foods like cheese, jams, or meat, so witnessing the factory’s respect for the animal, the philosophy and the traditional and antique process was refreshing to see firsthand.  Overall, I think our program's visit was extremely beneficial and most definitely fun.

Roma vs. Napoli

Playing Peroni hands in preparation for the game

I've always loved soccer.  In fact, I've played it ever since I was five years old.  So when someone on the program suggested buying tickets to the Rome vs. Naples, I jumped at the opportunity to see my first live European soccer match.

Getting There:


I don't think I'll ever be able to say that I've tackled Roman public transportation, but any progress I had potentially made before we left for the game was shot down quickly as we tried to navigate our way to the stadium.  Two buses, one tram and significant amount of walking later we finally were picked up with the wave of rowdy Roma fans hustling their way to watch the game begin.

The People:

It's a pretty typical universal notion that all soccer fans are crazy.  And when you're speaking about European soccer fans this so-called crazy fandom is heightened x100.  While I couldn't really understand their what they were saying during the match, judging by both the tone and the laughter from other fans in response to specific cheers led me to think that the Rome fans have a pretty witty and likely offensive chant archive, (if you will).
Another interesting thing about the Rome soccer fans was that they weren't decked out in Roma gear.  Unlike any home game of a professional sports team in the U.S., the stadium was filled with people in mostly black or gray--not the bright red and orange of their teams jerseys.  That being said, the 20 of us that arrived at the game sporting our new Roma jerseys stuck out as a sore thumb even more that we usually do.

Overall:

photo cred: http://www.italy.dk/politik/img/Forza-Roma.jpg

While I wasn't terribly fond of the excessive amount of painfully crowded and smelly forms of public transportation it took to get to the Roma vs. Napoli soccer game, the experience I had interacting with the Roman crowd, glomming on to "Odio Napoli chants, and watching my first European soccer match made it an event in Rome that I would both recommend to other and do again.  Although Rome lost to Naples, 2-0, that night will go down as one of the most fun and crazy nights I had during my 4 months abroad.


And for your viewing pleasure.. and little taste of the amazing soccer player that is Totti.

Napoli, Italy

The Food:

· Da Michele Pizzeria

photo credit: cellartours.com 


• The only serve two kinds of pizza: Margherita and Marina. I opted for the Marina and although I was at first a bit skeptical about a pizza with no cheese it turned out to be an excellent choice. The pizza was thin but not soggy and the sauce was accented with fresh herbs and bits of garlic. I ate the entire thing and washed it down with a beer for only 7 euro. Best pizza I’ve tried in Italy, hands down. As previously mentioned the interior was modest but comfortable. The dough-throwing and wood firing oven was exposed for all customers to see so we watched as our pizza being made from start to finish making the experience feel even more special.

· Hosteria Toledo

Ellen, Maggie, Gina and I at Da Michele

• Recommended by our Federico, this restaurant was on a side street off one of the main drags in Naples. The interior was dark, wood paneled and had a number of antique and interesting future pieces and elements that enhanced the authentic Italian atmosphere. Food style was that of a typical Hosteria. The main meals had little on the plate besides what it read on the menu but it was supplemented by the delicious contorni of grilled eggplant I also ordered. While we ate a street performer with a guitar came in and serenaded our table with classics such as “That’s Amore”—definitely heightened the Italian experience.

Miscellaneous:

• The differences that rest between Northern and Southern Italy most definitely became apparent during my visit to Naples. I felt as though the lack on industrialization in comparison to the South came through everything from the demeanor of the people to street configurations. One of the most significant differences I noticed was the people. In general, I found they were kind and more willing to help and be hospitable.

· Pompeii

Exploring Pompeii with our new canine companion

• Much larger than what I had originally anticipated. Pompeii expanded for what seemed like miles with narrow corridors as well as wide and sunlight streets.
• Wholly, I think of the gray of the stones that make up the walkways, walls, buildings, even the ash encasements of the poor individuals who were suffocated alive for the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, however this idea of all gray is disrupted with the foliage and vineyards that Pompeii still keeps intact even to this day.

· Mount Vesuvius

Flowers used to celebrate Women's Day in Italy

•  In order to get to the base of Mt. Vesuvius we needed to take a train to small town on the coast. The town (which I didn’t even get the name of) felt truly authentic. Men of all ages were gathered in parks where they just seemed to sit and talk with one another for hours. Little kids ran up to us and commented on the colors of our hair—they seemed like they had never seen red or blonde hair before.
• When I think of mount Vesuvius I think of yellow. This is largely because while we were waiting for our bus to the summit of the volcano 3 young girls came up to us and gave us small flowers with yellow petals (which I found out were flowers that celebrate women’s day)

Before I left, multiple people warned by that Naples was dirty, unsafe and scary but I ultimately really enjoyed my experience there. While I was prudent after hearing these warnings, I found that the people were very warm and willing to help (not to mention they allowed you to speak Italian with them as opposed to many Romans who automatically switch to speaking English without giving you a chance to try and communicate.) Although the streets weren’t as clean or developed as what I’ve experienced in Northern parts of Italy they held a sort of authenticity and character that made me feel as though I was truly being immersed within a culture. I look forward to more trips along the Amalfi coast and exploring more areas of Southern Italy.

Firenze, Italy

The Food:

Florence played host to some of the best restaurants I've been to in Italy. Of these amazing restaurants came the most amazing meal--pear ravioli with asparagus from Quattro Leoni (www.4leoni.com) The unlikely pairing of sweet pear with a salty and creamy cheese sauce reminded me of the "balance" concept of food we learned about in our Food and Culture course. The quaint yet modern decor subtly complimented the innovative and delicious food. On their website they even provide the recipe for their famous "Pear Flakes with a Sauce made of Soft Cheese and Asparagus":

Serves: 4

Ingredients
Ingredients: Pasta: gr.400 semola gr.100 flour 00 3 eggs spoon of extra virgin oil and salt
the stuffing: 200 gr of ricotta 100 gr.mascarpone 1 pear kaiser formaffio parmigiano salt and white pepper
the sauce: 200 gr. Asparagus tips 100 gr. Fresh cream 50 gr. grated parmigiano cheese 30 gr. butter 1 spoon of flour, salt and "di foglioline di maggiorana" o "aneto" to add in the end.


Preparation
the pasta, light beat 3 whole eggs and add to the flower mixed with a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt formed in a fountain. Mix well until reaching a suitable consistency, if necessary add water or flour depending on the need. Left everything rest in a napkin. The stuffing, peel the pear and cut it into small cubes to add to the ricotta and mascarpone, with the parmigiana, salt and pepper. Take the pasta and draw it very thin (with hammer or with a machine), derive disks of about 10 cm in diameter and in the center place a teaspoon of stuffing previously prepared, then close the flake as if it were a caramel. The sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan, combining a tablespoon of flour and then the fresh cream. As soon as it boils, add the taleggio cheese in small pieces and also the grated parmigiana cheese, salt and pepper, let rest making the taleggio melt completely, mixing well, and finally, adding the asparagus points cut into tiny disks (that you previously boiled for 3 or 4 minutes in a little water). At this point cook the fiocchetti in plenty of salted water. When they are "al dente," in a frying pan combine the prepared sauce, adding the asparagus.



In addition to the amazing restaurants, Florence had an interesting assortment of street food. Kiosks serving waffles and Nutella or fresh suppli could be found on every street without fail. While I'm pretty confident these kiosks were aimed to please the tourist population of Rome, I couldn't resist a Nutella waffle.

The Colors:

Claire, Corinne and I after our climb

Climbing 463 steps to the top of the Dumo!

When I think what colors I believe represent Florence the muted pink and green of the Duomo come to mind. Unlike many of the monuments I’ve seen thus far in both Italy and Europe the uniqueness of the pink and green marble used to decorate and construct the Duomo was striking and unusual. I also think of the view I had after I climbed the 463 steps of the Duomo—orange terracotta rooftops stretching for what seemed like miles.

Miscellaneous: 

The Ponte Vecchio was beautiful. While unfortunately I couldn’t afford to purchase any jewelry, the window-shopping was amazing and the stores were beautifully tucked into the bridge overlooking the river.

Some of the girls on Ponte Vecchio

•  Less urban 
•  I rarely had to dodge cars and mopeds. Perhaps because I think Florence caters more toward tourism than Rome does. The street were cleaner and clear of sporadic and crazy parking. Much calmer. 
• Sculptures 
• Much more prevalent in Florence that Rome. The statue “garden” (as I like to call it) outside of the Uffizi was vast and fascinating. Moreover, the statue of David still resonates in my mind as one of the most amazing pieces of artwork I’ve ever seen. In particular, I remember staring in amazement at the veins on David’s hands and imaging the precision and patience it must have took Michelangelo.

Conclusion

In my opinion Italy is the universal hub of pure and untainted culture.   Traditions and customs spanning from the 100 year old process of making cheese to the gathering of thousands of fans to cheer on the country’s favorite sport demonstrate both how history permeates through the layers of time as well as the significance of everyday practices as vehicles for cultural communication.  

So why do I cite Erica Jong’s quote referring to the “fatal charm” of Italy.  The four simple words “permission to be human.”  The culture in Italy is so raw and indulgent that sometimes it’s easy to become swept away in it.  Food becomes an art form, time becomes irrelevant and relationships are more than just nuclear, they’re rich and overpoweringly intricate.  This “permission to be human” indeed can be “fatal.”  While sometimes we can allow ourselves to get lost in the romanticism of Italian culture, it is not meant for everyone.   Sometimes I get frustrated with the slow paced lifestyle of many Italians or annoyed with the absence of certain foods on all of the menus in Rome, but at the same time this lifestyle has shown me the importance of taking time to focus and attend to basic human needs such as food, family and relaxation.