this post is food-centric! my european culture class was talking about this 'slow food culture' and i saw it all first hand this week. food should be local and be prepared slowly and with great care. the end product will be tasty and rewarding. so true. the italians really know their food. all in one week i saw the market, took a cooking class and went to the chocolate festival! i think these events are best described in pictures.
there is a long street of venders selling leather goods and such on the way to the market.
this was our first encounter as we entered the market. you enter a door and its 2 floors. Meat and cheese on the ground level and produce on the top floor. this is apparently the proscuitto king! (proscuitto is cured ham) the meat floor was not for the faint of heart. lets just say, you could tell what most of the meat was...and was not cut up and packaged like in the states.
the produce floor, much prettier. everything was so fresh and cheap!
cute little bananas!
it was a big market! lots to see.
cooking classmates! and our professor Tom.
prepping the parmesan cheese for the risotto!
Emily helped make the chicken florentine!
Chef Max. our wonderful..pretty...Italian cooking instructor.
Finally enjoying our made from scratch authentic Italian meal!! BEST MEAL I HAVE EVER EATEN!!! We cooked artichoke risotto, chicken florentine with spinach, pine nuts and parmesan and for dessert, almond biscotti and of course, WINE!
first glimpse of heaven.
rows and rows of venders. each had samples!!! all the chocolate was different. i even had a peice that had hot peppers! yuk
classic italian culture, coffee sculptures made of chocolate. what's not to love?
some of the truffles and chocolates were really intricate! i just wanted to eat them. yum
of course... a chocolate pig..or wild bore. the Italians also LOVE pig.
So we have been doing things besides eating. my roomies and i cooked dinner and watched the inauguration from our apartment. it was surreal. when Obama was making his speech i got goosebumps. It was amazing to watch history in the making and to experience it in such a unique setting. i will remember that night forever. I am so excited for the next 4 years and I hope Obama gets this country back on track. I won't get on a soap box..sorry back to Italy.
So this week we saw some more churches learned about the Piazzas, or plazas, and saw the Piaza della Signoria. Also we learned about the political center in Florence and saw the Orsanmichele which was a monastery, turned grain market turned church. and we saw the old palace of the Medici family who pretty much ran Florence.
This weekend is Ravenna and VENICE!!! we are staying at a 4 star hotel! its called Hotel Al Codega Venice. google it. its freaking sweet! i can't wait. more on venice later!
ciao
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