campo di fiori ( of the flowers ) - one of rome's most famous open-air markets. took a walk there this morning for the first time and about wept for joy. the coLORS of the food...the variety of vegetable and cheese and meats and flowers and sunglasses and clothing! i took a walk around the piazza, which is lined with bars and restaurants as well, of which i will CERtainly be returning to...in the end i decided to pick up things for lunch/other weekend meals, but the goal being to buy for the day, as many of the italians do (these markets are open mon-sat from 8-1). the verdict: paglia e fieno, or hay and straw, a roman dish made with both spinach and regular semolina pasta (hence the name.) i bought the pasta, zuchinni with gorgeous, orange flowers attached (also very tasty), garlic, and a GIANT hunk of parmiggiano reggiano (only 6 euro!) fyi: learned in my class that parmiggiano reggiano (the super stong, salty, crumbly one ) comes specifically from reggio, which is very close to parma in the region of emilia-romanga, which is north of rome and veraciously celebrated for its cuisine. to accompany the meal, purple and white faggioli (beans), tiny strawberries and a bottle of balsamic vinegar (only aged one year..baby steps up to the big stuff). this all cost about 16 euro...or $21. add some anchovies, bread, and a glass of ruffino chianti from yesterday and i am in gastronomic heaven. took a while to figure out how to get the gas working on my TINY stove (pictures coming later), but all in all a great success.
there is an election coming up very soon here, and as a result there are large political posters everywhere. they paste them onto rows of large boards that either line the walls or are put up in the streets. but instead of taking the old ones down, they paste up the new ones over the top. this results in inches-thick paper protruding from the walls. and when it becomes too heavy, they all fall down and litter the streets. fascinating. anyway, there were two street parties last night due to the elections. the first one was the party of the right, with passioned speakers and canned music (either bad american pop or bad italian pop) in the piazza san cosimato, where i had truffle & porcinis in pasta. the other (sinistra liberte, or liberty of the left), was in a piazza with off of trastevere (my street), with live music, drinks, and merchants. we went to a bar called mr. pucce (non significa, apparently...we asked), and drank prosecco in an outdoor area packed with funky chairs and small tables. very cool to be immersed in the political scene.
out now to see piazza nuvona and other sites...ciao amici!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
today's episode: claire learns not to let her pride get in the way of making it to class on time!
my first flustered morning in rome:
i set my alarm for 19:00 instead of 9:00. my exhausting day at the vatican museum (i have no words...mind-blowing, maybe) yesterday resulted in a deep sleep filled with bizarre dreams. i woke up at 11:15, with a half hour to get ready and make it to class. the added downpour was complicating the situation, and as i tried to figure out how to eat, buy an umbrella, and make it up the several hills to class on time, i neglected to use my head & my intuition- two votes for taking the bus. but NOOOO, "i must walk everywhere" cries the id inside me...nevertheless, after buying an umbrella, being awkward with said umbrella, and hitting a child as a result of my awkwardness, i arrived at school five minutes late to find the auditorium door locked. the professor wasn't kidding when he said he didn't tolerate lateness! after a mild cry (i missed the screening of rome, open city) i headed to the villa sciarra park for a much needed walk among the trees and fountains. next, off to get a cappuccino and pastry before heading back to catch the lecture. and, as i have been learning little by little, not all bars/trattorias/ristorantes are created equally! the bar/pasticciaria i happened to stop at served burned espresso and slightly stale pastries...luckily the store a few stops down had great bread and cheese for under 3 euro to satisfy my gastronomic needs. and...made it to the second half of class in order to catch the lecture and notes. when all was said and done, the day improved.
i'm starting to be able to identify the people here as romans/locals versus americans. there is just something about certain people (i have not yet deciphered what exactly) that marks them as locals. and because i live in a working-class neighborhood, i see the same people each day. there is a woman with short dreads and ballooning pants that walks her dog. and because it is a career here to work in a cafe or ristorante, the same people work at the same places each day. even the policeman (many times armed with giant guns) are recognizable in my area now. however, the most fascinating groups of people are the elderly and the homeless. here in italy, grandparents are caretakers: of their children/grandchildren, of the city, of the culture. no care centers here for those that have been plagued by western diseases (can we say food culture = longer lives? ... yes, yes we can). they are active, kind, and involved, especially in the raising of their grandchildren. arguments in italian had between grandfather and granddaughter: fascinating and entertaining. the homeless here set up camp and have groups of other homeless friends. they have mattresses that are set up in one place all day long, as if they have marked their territory. they have pets (dogs everywhere in rome), relationships with others, and a "schedule" of sorts. they will be up and living their lives, albeit within a small area, each day. and not necessarily begging for money the whole time (although that does happen). the importance of community here is really lovely.
so, make friends with your neighbors! i miss you all.
i set my alarm for 19:00 instead of 9:00. my exhausting day at the vatican museum (i have no words...mind-blowing, maybe) yesterday resulted in a deep sleep filled with bizarre dreams. i woke up at 11:15, with a half hour to get ready and make it to class. the added downpour was complicating the situation, and as i tried to figure out how to eat, buy an umbrella, and make it up the several hills to class on time, i neglected to use my head & my intuition- two votes for taking the bus. but NOOOO, "i must walk everywhere" cries the id inside me...nevertheless, after buying an umbrella, being awkward with said umbrella, and hitting a child as a result of my awkwardness, i arrived at school five minutes late to find the auditorium door locked. the professor wasn't kidding when he said he didn't tolerate lateness! after a mild cry (i missed the screening of rome, open city) i headed to the villa sciarra park for a much needed walk among the trees and fountains. next, off to get a cappuccino and pastry before heading back to catch the lecture. and, as i have been learning little by little, not all bars/trattorias/ristorante
i'm starting to be able to identify the people here as romans/locals versus americans. there is just something about certain people (i have not yet deciphered what exactly) that marks them as locals. and because i live in a working-class neighborhood, i see the same people each day. there is a woman with short dreads and ballooning pants that walks her dog. and because it is a career here to work in a cafe or ristorante, the same people work at the same places each day. even the policeman (many times armed with giant guns) are recognizable in my area now. however, the most fascinating groups of people are the elderly and the homeless. here in italy, grandparents are caretakers: of their children/grandchildren, of the city, of the culture. no care centers here for those that have been plagued by western diseases (can we say food culture = longer lives? ... yes, yes we can). they are active, kind, and involved, especially in the raising of their grandchildren. arguments in italian had between grandfather and granddaughter: fascinating and entertaining. the homeless here set up camp and have groups of other homeless friends. they have mattresses that are set up in one place all day long, as if they have marked their territory. they have pets (dogs everywhere in rome), relationships with others, and a "schedule" of sorts. they will be up and living their lives, albeit within a small area, each day. and not necessarily begging for money the whole time (although that does happen). the importance of community here is really lovely.
so, make friends with your neighbors! i miss you all.
listening to french music, satisfied with lamb and potatoes with garlic.
so i've finally done it, following the many who've come before me. you know- micah, nikki, and julie powell. this is the official beginning of my blog. now of course, there cannot be (as i have learned) a healthy launch into the future without a quick look back, to solidify those reasons for creating change. so the following entries will be those i posted as facebook "notes" while in italy this past summer, where i began to cultivate my love of food writing. this of course developed into writing about the culture and life in general, so no worries if you are not one to read endless comparisons of gelato textures and flavours. yes, i am aware i wrote flavours. sometimes i like to do things more european-like. it's fun, and a bit silly and pretentious. whee. welcome and thanks for reading.
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