Village Chronicles

In Rome, the pasta is so good and as I savored each forkful, I was trying to figure out why it was so tasty. When my husband and friends would ask about the pasta, the adjective I always thought of was “silky.” The pasta tasted delicious and was silky. Maybe it’s all the pure olive oil they use, maybe it’s the freshness, I don’t know but it is sensational. They don’t glop on the sauce either, it’s a gentle mix of pasta and sauce (and they don’t say “gravy” like some say here), it’s sauce.

Salads are full of mixed greens, not boring iceberg, and the salad dressing is always on the table (oil and balsamic vinegar) or served on the salad. And, by the way, did we Americans invent the Caesar Salad? Never saw that once on a menu. Don’t look for any creamy dressings—not even on the radar there.

I am not a tomato lover, but I do enjoy flavorful ones, and Rome had plenty of tasty ones. You know how around here you get those pale, tasteless ones in the winter? They are awful. In Roma, they serve vibrantly hued, tender, and juicy ones.

 Bread served in restaurants was so-so, nothing special, and it was usually an extra cost. Bottled water, if you chose it, was a bargain, still or sparkling, one liter usually cost just one euro. I was craving green vegetables, so I had peas with bow-tie pasta once, but green vegetables didn’t seem prevalent on menus.

We were invited to our French exchange student, Jean-Baptist Laurent’s house in Paris for dinner. I suppose it would be cosmopolitan to say, “We flew from Rome to have dinner with friends in Paris,” ha-ha. We had already planned on a quick trip to Paris, and to our delight, we were invited to dinner with the Laurent family. (Cheap flights via Ryan Air—yikes, the Wal Mart of airlines, another story!)

 JB’s parents, Odile and Bernard, served a lovely salad, steak with a fantastic sauce of au jus and wine, and spinach—ah, a green vegetable. They served homemade apple pie for dessert, and it was so very European, very thin and flavorful, almost like a thicker crepe. It was a wonderful meal in a gorgeous apartment in Paris—very cool to be there.

Portion sizes I saw in Rome, Florence, Vatican City and Paris have to be the reason you don’t see much obesity. The portions are regular size and not giant American size. A small drink there looks like the small size we used to buy, you know, six ounces, maybe eight. So after every meal, you are satisfied, and there isn’t a need to box your leftovers or make an attempt to finish your overly large portion of food.

Gelato was magnificent, and Rachael knew the good places. We steered clear of gelato chains and sought out the smaller places that were cheaper but extraordinary. The gelato I have tried here is not close to the texture and taste of it in Rome. The same with cappuccino. I was very spoiled with inexpensive, great-tasting cappuccino everyday.

Mayors, governors and other government officials should take a trip overseas to see how public transportation is done. It clearly outshines our system for the sheer number of locations and destinations. It doesn’t matter where you live, you have but a short distance to catch a bus or the metro to get anywhere. True, there is still crowding, graffiti, and delays (very timely for the most part) but it is just a very smooth operation. You must know your stops and know where you are going because signage is in Italian—it is Italy and not the U.S., so signs in English are rare. It is very easy to navigate around the metro. It was very clean and did not have the permeation of urine odor that our Chicago subways have. The only downside is that public transportation groups can strike on a whim and buses and or trains just stop running! Rachael was once on the other side of Rome and had to get back to school and wham!—a strike. So she had to take a taxi. I guess people there take it in stride.

After seeing how people can grab a hot, quick lunch of fresh pasta and bread with terrific cappuccino, it really made me think twice about our proliferation of fast food places when I got back. Sure, they are quick and cheap but so much fat and grease, and we are just so accustomed to it, and it’s sad.

 I wish we Americans ate healthier and had better options because here in the U.S., we have a 28 per cent obesity rate compared to ten per cent in Italy. That’s significant. Do you think Americans can ever give up the 32-ounce sized soft drinks, giant burritos and mega burgers? I sure hope so.

It was great to absorb a different culture and explore a region rich with historical value and beauty. I can’t imagine someone not enjoying themselves in that area if you like to discover and learn.

 I also respect their way of life because they seem to have a high regard for their health and families. It is not so rushed and busy with going to activity after activity. It’s more quality time than quantity. I like that.

Ciao!