Coffee Update

As I'm sure you've noticed, I haven't been posting anything about the vending machine from hell lately. That's because I've been going to the bar lately - the coffee's nicer. Now, this should be easier, right? No automatic sugar, or resetting to deal with. Wrong. The problems are just of a different sort. I don't understand line ups. They completely baffle me. The main reason I get confused is that the time you arrive has very little to do with your place in line. A second problem with the bar at school is that I'm not exactly sure where the line is. I usually stand in front of the cash, though that's not the only place people go to.

This is the bar. Sorry it's so small, I'm not terribly skilled with Paint. You don't want to know how much time I spent on this.

I only go get coffee with it's not super busy and when no one else is there, there aren't any problems - I just hand the barista my money and he makes my coffee. But as soon as there's more than three people, we have difficulties. I go stand wherever I think the line is and wait for the people ahead of me to be served. Soon I'm standing directly in front of the cash. Whenever one of the baristas comes by I open my mouth to say "un caffe", but I'm always beaten by someone else shouting out their order, as everyone who arrived after me is now standing around me. I think part of the problem I have here is that I wait for the barista to look directly at me before I give them my order. This repeats a few more times before I start trying what I think is the other students' strategy - just give my order whenever. This may be less successful than my other strategy - I get quite a few "un momento"s. Usually, in the end the barista takes pity on me and refuses other orders so I have a second to tell him mine.

And that is getting coffee from the school bar. Always more difficult and time consuming than originally anticipated. I will try to figure out what the other students are doing, so I can try to follow what they do - it shouldn't be as much of a challenge as it is.

Photos of the Countryside

The next few days were spent eating, relaxing, watching movies, eating, going for walks, and ... eating. (Have I told you how much I ate here?). I actually might go into a bit more detail about how much food I ate, but first here are some photos of the Tuscan countryside.

And here is playing tombola. I wasn't terribly good at this game, despite it being essentially bingo.

I was going to tack food onto this one, but it will get a separate post. It deserves a post to itself.

Pisa

On Boxing Day my host dad and I went to Pisa, as he had some friends vactioning there, and I wanted to see the tower. After getting lost a little, and asking several people for directions, we found a parking space. Between the parking spot and the tower, we were asked if we wanted a "real" Prada purse, for less than €50, that some guys were selling off of tarps they'd put on the sidewalk. Seeing as neither my host dad, nor I were interested in a purse, we continued on. My first impression of the tower was that it was kinda small in comparison to the cathedral and baptistery, though that might have been because I was standing at the far end of the field.

From outside the wall

See, look at how small the tower is in the background.

So, pretty much this is the same set up as in Florence, you've got your baptistery (round building), cathedral (similar shape to Florence, though without the huge dome), and the bell tower (the one in Florence doesn't lean like this one). We couldn't go inside the cathedral because there was a mass going on, and we couldn't go up the tower because we had to head back in time for lunch, but I did manage to get some photos from the ouside. Including...

I felt silly. This photo is especially funny because of the amount of time we had to wait for a space to clear (as apparently Dec 26 is a popular day for tourists), and the amount of times my host dad tried to clear a space by shouting "Scusi!!" at the other tourists.

Not so many people on the other side, but the lighting was not as nice.

I felt really silly.

The cathedral, like many other things in Italy, is really really old, construction starting in 1064*. The tower was started in 1173, and by the third floor was starting to lean. When construction restarted they started making one side of the floors taller than the other to compensate for the lean. When it was finished the lean was 1%, this eventually increased to %5.5, before additional stabilizing reduced it to 4%.

This looks like a lot more than 4% to me.

In front of the baptistary.

The cathedral

Back of the cathedral and the tower.

Ok everybody, that's Pisa! Now you don't have to go!! (Kidding)

*I get probably 95% of the info I post here from the web. Just so you know.

Nanaimo Bars and Christmas

As I mentioned in a past post, I had decided to make Nanaimo Bars as a gift for my family here, as it's one of my favourite desserts, and one that my mom makes around Christmas time. I had a few changes from normal - different cookies and no custard powder, as well as buying walnuts still in their shells - but I figured it would be alright just the same. Well, these ended up being the most labour intensive Nanaimo bars I have ever made. Between crushing the cookies, and deshelling the walnuts, I spent a good part of the afternoon on this dessert. Also, in case you didn't know, Italy doesn't use volume as a measure for anything but liquids, so when I say I need 1/2 c of sugar, people look confused, so then I say 125mL, then they think I'm crazy. "But... milliliters are for liquids..." they say, looking concerned for my sanity. So, of course the house I was staying at didn't have measuring cups, so I used a 1L jug to measure everything. The two cooks commented many times how "expensive" this dessert was - so many ingredients, three layers, so much time to make.

Another thing I'm not so sure anyone understood was the use of butter in desserts. Everyone complained I was trying to make them fat, or raise their cholesterol. Not sure how they could talk considering the amount of marzipan, ricotta, and cream in their desserts (not to mention the massive portions of everything at dinner and lunch, and the fact that we eat cookies for breakfast). Something I forgot to account for is that butter is unsalted here, so a pinch of salt might have made the bottom layer of Nanaimo bar a little nicer. Another thing that might have made the base layer a little nicer would be fewer pieces of walnut shell that accidentally got in. Ooops. And I how I forgot to score the chocolate while it was still soft. My mom had written it in the recipe, as well as reminding me on other occasions. So my host sister told me to serve them upside down, so no one would see the ugly broken chocolate.

One day I will remember to not wear this sweater in the reflective spots on it in photos. Note how the two choices I had for nut crackers were the pear with a screw inside, and a hammer.

Making the filling. The mixer decided that icing sugar and butter was just too great a challenge and stopped working.

Finished product! Cutting through hardened chocolate with a somewhat small, too flexible knife took a very long time. And left a bruise on my hand. I have learned my lesson.

Everyone said they liked them, and I hope they weren't lying. Although they might have been just because I spent so much time and energy making them and wanted me to feel good about myself.

So after all this was done, it was time for dinner. We had tortellini in broth (which is absolutely delicious as is, but even better with parmigiano-reggiano and a very small splash of wine on top), pork liver, "insalata forte", chicken salad, and various other dishes. We had a classic dessert from Sicily (actually, more specifically, from Palermo) that we had brought with us and kept in the freezer called "Cassata". It's made with a layer of sponge cake on the top and bottom, with a filling of ricotta and chocolate chips (similar filling to that in cannoli). The whole thing is then covered with green and white marzipan and a mountain of candied fruit. It's super delicious, but I find ricotta to be very filling for a dessert.

Making Nanaimo bars had exhausted me, so I was hoping to sneak away and go to bed early, but soon I was being called over to the veranda, as it was time to open gifts! We actually only opened half of them, but it still took us an hour and a half. It was pretty much the same as what we'd do at home, although without stockings, and on a different day. Normally, (and this makes me sound like a bit of a grinch) I'm not such a huge fan of the ridiculous gift giving at Christmas. Mostly because I find people seem to think that giving "things" is the answer. However, I was pleasantly surprised at the thoughtful gifts the different members of the family gave to each other. I was very lucky with what I got from everyone - many of them I'd met just days previously! The first night I got slippers which are super comfy and I've been wearing them pretty much nonstop since (and my host sister got a matching pair!), gloves, soap, a pin, and an Italian cooking book where each recipe also has the name of the region of origin (which is super great as cooking here can be incredibly regionalized).

The following morning we slept in late and I cut up my Nanaimo bars. Something I'm not sure I've described is how strange it was to have a cook/housekeeper. I felt like I was in a hotel or restaurant a little bit. Breakfast was always laid out for us each morning, dinner and lunch served, dishes washed, even tea each afternoon. It was a very different experience.

Before lunch we finished opening the rest of the gifts, and I got some more bath things, and a journal from my host parents. I've taken to writing in my journal almost religiously, and they gave me one with "My Adventures in Italy" written in the front page - an extremely thoughtful gift, and one I look forward to using.

Lunch was our big meal, and other relatives came to join us. We had lasagne (I could probably eat the ragu used to make it straight from the pot with a spoon. That good.), lamb, carrots, beef (which Italians call "roast beef", using English words), potatoes, panettone, and my Nanaimo bars. After a few hours of sitting around, watching movies, talking, and reading, we had dinner. (I love Italian holidays.) We had spaghetti in broth, artichokes, dried tomatoes, "insalata forte", and more meat from making the broth.

And that was my Christmas in Italy! Everyone says that the holidays are the worst, but I didn't feel all that sad on Christmas. I got along really well with everyone in the family, and I really enjoyed spending time with everyone - even if it was just watching movies together. Just the same, I did call my family back in Canada.

Next post: Pisa!

PS Looking back at this post I realised it is pretty 95% about food. Sorry.

Toscana: Part 3

(One day I'll think of more creative titles for these...)

After spending several days in Florence, we headed to my host aunt's country house outside of Pisa, about an hour from Florence. The first thing my host sister and I were ordered to do (actually, they demanded that we do this immediately, it couldn't wait), was decorate the tree. I was super excited because it was a real tree, so the first thing I did was stick my face between the branches and breathe in. (Because I'm clearly a weirdo.)

Me decorating the tree.

The next day we went into the nearby town to get the last of our Christmas gifts. We were definitely cutting it close here, as by this time it's Christmas Eve. I had decided to make Nanaimo Bars as a gift to my family, so attempted to find the ingredients. I got most of the right stuff, except for graham crumbs, and custard powder (both of which were in the package my mom sent me that got to Florence two days too late). That afternoon I got some photos of the house and went for a walk, though it was raining, and I missed my hiking boots.

Veranda

Living Room

Room Olimpia (host sister) and I shared. The blankets had a tendency to slide to one side. Plus for some reason the duvet is approximately one foot too short. Good thing there was at least three other blankets.

View from my bedroom window

House I was staying at.

Toscana: Part 2

My host mom and sister had lived in Florence before moving to Palermo, and a benefit aside from knowing the city, and having relatives who make delicious food in the area, is insta-friends! I got along really well with friends of my host sister, seeing as we are the same ages. The second night in Florence we had dinner with two other families, one being half American, half Italian, who spoke English with such perfect American accents I thought they had lived there all their lives. We helped one of the Italian girls with a Christmas wordsearch for her English lesson, and quizzed her on the meaning of words such as "dancer" and "sack of toys". I was asked to describe "prancing", to which I promptly responded "you know, prancing!", and waved my hands in front of myself in a way that can only be described as prancing. This answer, however, was not satisfactory, so they asked the Italian-American mom, who immediately did exactly as I had done. Try it some day, folks. Go out and ask random people to describe prancing. I was crying from laughing so hard.

I also took a walk around where we were staying, as I was still super pumped on the snow, and I love walking and being outside.

My host sister and I did the tourist thing again, and went to the centre to check out a few more interesting sites. First, however, we came across this stone dragon in the horticultural garden.

And here's another photo of the cathedral and bell tower, this one with me in it, cause, you know, a photo without a person in it is a postcard.

Next up: Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge)

Just kidding. My host sister was saying "ok, you can see the old bridge from here," so I got out my camera and took a photo, thinking, "this looks like all the other bridges". Then she said, "No, that one, over there". Right. (Remind anyone of anything? "Uncle Geoff, be sure to get the whole lighthouse in the picture".) In my defence, the old bridge doesn’t really look like a bridge. It looks like buildings.

The bridge is covered with jewellery and art shops, and on one side there is a corridor to connect two old palaces. It is also the only bridge not destroyed during world war two (which is why all the other bridges look the same, they were rebuilt at the same time). This is the narrowest point of the river, so it’s believed that this point was used originally by Romans for a bridge, before being used again by other peoples. The bridge has been swept away and rebuilt several times, and was damaged in the flood of 1966.

Me sitting on bridge I thought was Ponte Vecchio, actual Ponte Vecchio in the background.

Standing on Ponte Vecchio (other non-Ponte Vecchio in background)

Me and the jewellery shops.

Toscana: Part 1

On my map of Italy, Florence is a rather long way away from Palermo, so I was curious about the trip there, however the answers I received were often vague. How long is the trip? Long! How much time will we be in the car? Practically ALL DAY! What time are we leaving? EARLY!! Now, I've done my share of long drives, so the thought of being in a car all day doesn't phase me too much, but I was starting to get a little nervous; maybe this was "early" like how my dad means - on the road before five. My host parents didn't wake me up until after 7, though, and it took us nearly an hour to pack the car, so we weren't on the road until after 10 - not quite the early start I had imagined.

We drove for a little over 2 hours before taking the ferry across to the mainland. The strait isn't actually very wide, and the ride was about 20 minutes. I'll save you from a play by play of the next 10 hours - it was just a lot of driving, randomly pulling over for coffee or gas. We packed sandwichs for lunch and dinner, and they were amazing despite the simple ingredients - one being a frittata and prosciutto (recipe: make frittata using one egg, seasoned with salt and pepper, put in sandwich with slice of prosciutto), the other a boiled egg (recipe: hard boil egg, peel, slice, put in sandwich). Ok, maybe I'm just weird and like eggs. And bread.

Ferry to take us to the mainland.

Approaching Calabria.

We arrived in Florence pretty late that night. My host sister and I sated with her dad and grandmother, while my host parents stayed with my host sister's other grandmother. This was fabulous because it meant I could spend the morning out walking around the city, or searching for random parks, or going to a museum, then come back to a delicious, hot lunch made by one of my Italian grandmothers. The first few days I spent wandering around the city with my host sister finding the last of our Christmas gifts and seeing a bit of the city. It had snowed a few days before we arrived, and there was still some traces left behind, which I loved.

Ok, a few notes about Florence. It is smaller than Palermo, and most historic sights are within easy walking distance from each other, and from where we were staying. It's centre is very pedestrian friendly, as there is limited traffic allowed in. (Some taxis are allowed, though, and the drivers look very angry when the large groups of people block their way.) Florence was the birthplace of the European Renaissance and so the art, and architecture reflect this. It is a very desirable city for tourism purposes - during the tourist season outsiders outnumber the native population! It was not unusual to see signs posted in multiple languages, and many store workers spoke English (and I guess I don't look very Italian as the street vendors always called out to me in English). Now for some of the sights:

First up: The Cathedral.

I was actually speechless when I turned the corner to see this. Construction started in 1296, and its dome is the largest made out of brick in the world. The square also includes the bell tower and baptistery, all three made from white, green, and pink marble. Each are also incredibly detailed. It's just amazing. I really can't describe how amazing it is. Inside are more paintings, sculptures and stonework. Ok, I'll just show the pictures. Sorry about the poor quality, I do what I can.

The Baptistery.

Bell Tower

The inside of the dome.

Details above the door. Um. Wow.

After seeing the cathedral we went to the market downtown. I don't have any photos, however, sorry. It's a small maze of vendors selling purses, scarves, figurines, souvenirs, and many leather items. Then we headed over to Nonna Lisa's house for lunch. Yum. Pasta. (What? No I didn't gain weight over the holidays, why do you ask? Well, maybe a little... Not my fault! I'm blaming my Italian grandmothers' liberal use of olive oil and high fat meat. And multi course meals. And rich desserts. And it had nothing to do with the seconds I took of everything.) Random food note: bread is usually unsalted in Toscana. And I'm not sure if this is related or not, but its texture is completely different. It's a nice change, and is really nice when it's topped with something salty, but I prefer salted bread when eating it plain.

Ok, I've covered the first two days here, expect quite a few more posts to come!

Posts Soon

Hello everyone!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday season - I know I did! I'll be posting on my time in Tuscany as soon as I can. A note: I'll probably go in chronological order, as that is how my photos and diary entries are organized, but that means I'll be jumping from place to place a little.

I'm not sure how long it'll take me to get through the three weeks, but based on my procrastination skills, I'll probably still be going at it in May. I might break it up a little with some more food posts (I have one planned entirely on olive oil... ok that one might never see the light of the internet....)