Week 1 The Culture of Dining
From eating the largest calzone I’ve ever seen, to drinking various wines, to eating gelato (shamelessly almost every day), Orvieto, Italy’s dining culture has done it all. Many of the wonderful cuisines here are unlike any other food in the world; it’s local, authentic and downright good. One of the biggest shocks, however, was how drastically different authentic Italian food was compared to my expectations. But, this has been a pleasant surprise! As an American, I am used to going into a restaurant, eating as fast as possible, and leaving even faster. That is not how Italians eat. They participate in the Slow Food Movement. Essentially, they eat locally grown food, delight in their meals, take their time eating and appreciate the good company of their friends and family. It is a much different atmosphere than I am used to, but I have come to love it all the more.Orvieto has many small, family-owned restaurants that have a happy and family-oriented atmosphere. They are kind when you go into their restaurants and they do their best to help out, because honestly, my Italian is not the best. This experience reminds me much of my own family’s meals. While they are not always at the dining table, good conversation and family time is usually spent during dinner.
Something I have not had much experience with but am learning to enjoy is wine. Before coming to Italy, I had tasted a few wines, but could not tell you what a good wine was compared to a bad one. Now, I would say that sweet wines would have to be my favorite. I ordered a Moscato at Bar Duomo (pictured to the right) and absolutely loved its sweet flavors and wonderful aroma. I have also tried other sweet wines and some dry wines. At first dry wines were not my favorite thing (and honestly, I still don’t particularly like them), however, I am learning to appreciate the flavors, after I get past the initial bitter taste. |
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The food has been quite a pleasant surprise! Everything, with the exception of one hamburger meal, has tasted immaculate. I have had many different types of pastas and pizzas and have delighted in it all. The one aspect of Italian food that is much different than what I am used to is the portion sizes. Americans tend to eat large portions and want more. However, here in Italy, they serve the correct portions, and I’ve found that after eating I felt full. This may be due to the slow food culture, so I have been eating my food slower, but I enjoy that I can eat less and feel just as full!
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Another way I have been able to save money is by living with a host family. The mom prepares authentic, delicious Italian meals and I am always excited to see what she has in store for us and how good it will be. One day for lunch, she prepared meatballs and greens and it was very delicious! You can check it out to the right of this! We've also had lasagna, pasta, salad, pheasant (which by the way, is amazing!) and tortellini in beef broth. I would highly reccommend living with a host family if you ever get the chance!
- While Orvieto has been great, our excursion to Rome opened my eyes to how different cities can be within Italy. I guess I am lucky to live in such a small-knit community. While Rome’s attractions and sites were beautiful, the fast pace life was a characteristic that I didn’t particularly enjoy. I also noticed quite a bit more hamburger joints. This may have been because Rome is catering more to it’s tourists, but it did detract from Italy’s culture a tad bit. I also noticed more seafood options on the menus, which I haven’t seen much of in Orvieto. While eating lunch on Friday, I also noticed (and took great joy in) that they put ice in my Fanta (pictured on the left)! Most restaurants do not serve ice in their beverages! This may not seem like a huge deal, but in Orvieto that don’t use ice, so I was extremely happy when that happened!
Overall, I am so excited that I have had the opportunity to be here in Italy, experiencing such a unique way of living and dining! If you would like to learn more and perhaps visit Orvieto yourself, check out this awesome website here!
Ciao for now!
Ciao for now!
A fun array of all the gelato that I have consumed (there's more, but you get the gist)!!!