Italy Food Diary

So, I just realized I haven't posted any of my eating adventures in Italy! What a shame. Considering the fact that today is my day off and I have no desire to do anything constructive, here I am! So far today I have not gotten out of bed, it's lunch time, and I've eaten a Tronky bar (it's an Italian chocolate bar), some cookie dough, and some leftover chicken. Doesn't it just make you sick? I love vacationing at home. Anyways, here's a chronology of my food consumption in Italy. Keep in mind it took me two weeks to eat it all. Ok it's still a LOT of food, but give me a break, it's Italy! Diet starts Monday...

So, when I got to Italy I was pretty wiped out. The time change really gets ya, plus I flew overnight. So I had a hard time eating at regular meal times for a few days. The two things that didn't make me sick: pizza and aranciata (orange soda). The night I got there I went to have pizza with Linda, one of my mission companions who I stayed with that week, and Karin, another former mission companion and her husband, Antonio, who also served in our mission. It was so fun and their baby is so cute! They made fun of me because all I wanted was a margherita pizza (cheese!). It was delish!

During the next few days I had a few adventures. I quickly learned to eat what I wanted when I wanted because I had to eat something and regular mealtimes were not working! Let me explain something about Italian hot chocolate. It's not a huge mug of runny, hot, chocolate milk. Italian hot chocolate is thick and dark, almost like a hot pudding but thinner. It is SO AMAZING. We went to Bellagio, you know, the place the hotel in Vegas is named after. There was this adorable little bar (like a coffee shop in our terms) and it was FREEZING so we decided to get a hot chocolate. Well, this is what came to the table:

We were SO excited. Hands down the best chocolate I have ever consumed in my entire life. And that's quite a statement. I have eaten a lot of chocolate!

I also enjoyed consuming the salami and cheese I have missed for so long. Even the imported stuff here just doesn't cut it because it's not fresh and/or locally made. Here's an example:

I also had another pizza. Big surprise there. It was so delish, with artichokes and ham, my favorite. And Italian ham is SO good!

On a non-food related note, here is a shot of my friend, Karin, and the cutest baby to ever live (sorry nieces and nephews, and Kevin Ball's baby). Her name is Shineha and she is insanely cute. So cute it hurts. Karin is also gorgeous, but that's nothing new.

Back to food. I experienced a meal I had never heard of before. Karin and Antonio live in Campione d'italia, which is actually in Switzerland but is part of Italy. So they introduced me to something called a Raclette. Basically you make potatoes and then grill meat and veggies and pour melted cheese over all of it before you eat it. Sounds divine, right??? It is! I'm totally buying one. You can get them here. It was amazing!

Two things I love and miss terribly from Italy: veal and ravioli. I realize you can get both of those things here, but it isn't the same. Veal is much harder to come by here in Phoenix, and is so much more expensive. And fresh ravioli... yum!!! Here is my Christmas Eve dinner:

Christmas day was quite the event. I'm not kidding when I say that eating lunch took 3 whole hours. We had antipasti-- cheese and meat and all kinds of stuff I can't even remember. Then for our first plate we had ravioli in broth-- so good! Then we had roasted chicken and I don't know what else... then nuts and cheese, then panettone (cake).


Now, off to Sicily! Of course I ate a TON of arancini. Basically an arancino is a ball of saffron rice filled with meat sauce and cheese, then breaded and fried. Sounds strange, I know, but it is proof that God loves his children. It is the perfect portable meal for street consumption, so you can imagine how many I ate as a missionary. The best arancino in all the land (this is extremely arguable, especially by Sicilians) is from Savia. Here's a selection:

I also had a strawberry granita Messinese with a brioche. I'll let the picture speak for itself on this one:

I also went to a chocolate shop in Catania that thankfully didn't exist when I was there (talk about a distraction). They have free truffles out on the counter for sampling, and then they have EVERYTHING made of chocolate: shoes, trains, toolboxes, nativities... you name it! The gelato was specatcular:

We ate with Salivina, who was baptized when I was in Catania. Her daughter owns a pasticcieria- pastry shop. Check out the dolci:

Then I went to Ragusa to see the Chines family. They were the office couple when I was in Catania, and I love love love love them so much! Elena cooked for me, of course! Schiacciata, pizza, pasta asciutta with ricotta salata, almond chicken, we also had cornetti and hot chocolate for breakfast... in 2 days I ate my own body weight! It was amazing, and I miss them so much!!! It was the highlight of my trip!

I then headed to the YSA conference in Verona. The food was good, not spectacular, but good. I enjoy a good italian meal, even if it's not gourmet. In fact I think I will have some pasta today for lunch. :) The crowning event of my trip was my last night. Eva, Karin, Antonio, Shineha, Linda, Fanny, and I all went out for pizza. They messed up our orders and took forever, but the pizza was still great!

I was then home to pack my suitcase. All the boxes are chocolate. And there is a kilo of spaccatelle, my favorite sicilian pasta. I don't know why it's so delish but it is!

Thanks again to everyone who participated in my trip. It was one of the highlights of my life. I'm planning to go back in the Summer of 2010 to hit the beaches! I am so blessed to have known so many amazing people across the world. Vi voglio tanto bene!