There are some things that I knew would be different over here and food in general was one of them. But you know me; I had to try to make my favorite American dish in hopes that it would be just like back home. Ha. Wouldn’t that have been great? I tried to make cheesecake and it was so terrible. First, I had to look everywhere to find the right ingredients. I couldn’t find sour cream so I substituted it with Greek yogurt. It turned out so wrong. Then, I used a different recipe and it was slightly better but it was really thin. When I finally got it right it was because I bought a no-bake cheesecake mix at an over priced grocery store that sells American foods. I also bought a small jar of peanut butter that was a whopping 4 Euro, about $6. Yea for me. I then tried to make strawberry sauce for my cheesecake and I added way too much sugar and they came out really sweet. It was a mess. But it was pretty good at the same time.
Now, I have tried to be more Italian and eat their food and it hasn’t served me wrong yet. I tried something that we don’t really have in America, not that I am aware of anyway. It’s called a kabob but its not what we think of as a kabob. They take chicken and turkey and alternate it on a skewer and cut along the meat so that you get a mixture of chicken and turkey. Then they put it on a bun with some other crap and its really good. They also make pizza with potatoes on it and that had proven to be the best thing since sliced bread in my life. I love potatoes; what could be better than potatoes on a pizza? And of course the infamous gelato. I have tried a bunch all over town and I don’t really have a favorite. I used to but they started to suck and I started going to blue ice but I don’t like their lemon. Its hard to find a good lemon that isn’t too tart and also isn’t too sweet.
But above everything, or as they say sopratutto, my favorite piece of Italy I will be taking home is pumpkin sauce. I am going to give you all a recipe just because I am that nice but pay extra close attention to everything that I say or you will mess it up terribly.
Pumpkin Sauce
Ingredients:
Half a medium sized pumpkin
2 heads of garlic
Olive oil
Tomato sauce (8 oz. can Hunts, not diced or whole but sauce)
Salt, pepper, peperoncini (optional; can be substituted with chili powder)
Preparation of pumpkin:
Cut pumpkin in half, gut the inside, and cut off the skin. Cut the pumpkin into small cubs about 1’x1’x1’.
Directions:
Press both head of garlic and place in a pan of hot olive oil to sauté. After about 7 minutes add the pumpkin cubes and turn the heat down considerably, med-low should be perfect. Be sure to get the olive oil to cover the pumpkin cubes, add more if needed. Continue to stir and while you stir try mashing the pumpkin. It will be very tough at first but it will get easier. When it is mostly all mashed you will need to add a little tomato sauce. Only add enough to turn the sauce a pink color, not a red orange. Then add salt, pepper, and peperoncini (chili pepper) to taste. Peperoncini is optional, recommended for those that like things a little spicier. Can also add oregano but its not necessay. Goes well with freshly grated parmesan. Buon appetito.
lunedì 7 aprile 2008
Guest lectures
Arcadia sets up all these little things for us to attend and they are really cool. One of the things for us to do is go to guest lectures which are really insightful. The first one was with a man who works for National Geographic. He was telling us about all the hidden treasures of Rome, places for us to visit, museums, little things like that. He was really nice and entertaining.
The next lecture that we went to for photo journalism and how things have gotten harder for real photo journalists in the real world because of the use of digital cameras and camera phones. He was interesting. I met him before the lecture at the Arcadia office. This is what he looked like.
The next lecture that we went to for photo journalism and how things have gotten harder for real photo journalists in the real world because of the use of digital cameras and camera phones. He was interesting. I met him before the lecture at the Arcadia office. This is what he looked like.
Trip with Accademia to Pompei and Sorrento (2/16 and 2/17)
My school is so amazing. I technically have two schools that I work with over here, Arcadia and Accademia, and Arcadia is my favorite of the two but I don’t attend school through them, just chill with them. Anyway, both schools have organized trips for us and for this particular trip we went with Accademia. We went to visit two different cities, Pompei and Sorrento. I took a ton of pictures, some of which need no caption, and I’ll try to explain some of them.
Here we have POMPEI (spelled with one I in Italian).
Just me in front of one set of ruins.
Nicole and me.
The mountain in the background is Vesuvius.
These miniature house things are burial grounds. One of the girls here thought they were houses for small people and was walking in them. When we told her what they were she got really freaked and thought that she was gonna be cursed or something.
This is the group of kids that decided to go AND stay with the tour guide.
We jumped the fence so that we could get up into the stands of the stadium. It was very cool. These were the steps that lead from the inside of the halls out to the seats.
This is from the very top of the stadium.
The hallway under the stadium.
The walkway between the houses
From inside the brothel.
This is in the Villa of Mysteries. I don’t know what exactly is a mystery about it but it was pretty cool.
Now we head to the hotel, which was in a town that I cant for the life of me remember what it was called. But I do remember that it was very small and you could probably walk from one end of the town to the other in half an hour tops.
This is out the bus window. It is another view of Vesuvius.
This was my hotel room. Fun, fun, fun.
Our room had a balcony and this was the view from it. Pretty sweet. Too bad it was freezing cold so we couldn’t swim but it was still very nice. I would go back.
We finish at the hotel and make our way to Sorrento.
This is a two way street and we were on a huge bus and I swear I almost shit my pants having to drive with people coming on the other side and bikers everywhere and turns. It was too much.
This is the coast of Sorrento. It was freezing cold and windy. But don’t I look oh so cute?
Sant’Antonino was the patron saint of this town and there were statues of him everywhere. There is a dolphin under his foot which makes me think he is related to fishing or something along those lines.
This was one of the churches there and the only reason I was drawn to it was for its lack of frescos and color. In Rome every church is very Baroque and covered in artwork; nothing is this simple.
This was my pizza. It had all kinds of seafood on it and it was amazing.
Here we have POMPEI (spelled with one I in Italian).
Just me in front of one set of ruins.
Nicole and me.
The mountain in the background is Vesuvius.
These miniature house things are burial grounds. One of the girls here thought they were houses for small people and was walking in them. When we told her what they were she got really freaked and thought that she was gonna be cursed or something.
This is the group of kids that decided to go AND stay with the tour guide.
We jumped the fence so that we could get up into the stands of the stadium. It was very cool. These were the steps that lead from the inside of the halls out to the seats.
This is from the very top of the stadium.
The hallway under the stadium.
The walkway between the houses
From inside the brothel.
This is in the Villa of Mysteries. I don’t know what exactly is a mystery about it but it was pretty cool.
Now we head to the hotel, which was in a town that I cant for the life of me remember what it was called. But I do remember that it was very small and you could probably walk from one end of the town to the other in half an hour tops.
This is out the bus window. It is another view of Vesuvius.
This was my hotel room. Fun, fun, fun.
Our room had a balcony and this was the view from it. Pretty sweet. Too bad it was freezing cold so we couldn’t swim but it was still very nice. I would go back.
We finish at the hotel and make our way to Sorrento.
This is a two way street and we were on a huge bus and I swear I almost shit my pants having to drive with people coming on the other side and bikers everywhere and turns. It was too much.
This is the coast of Sorrento. It was freezing cold and windy. But don’t I look oh so cute?
Sant’Antonino was the patron saint of this town and there were statues of him everywhere. There is a dolphin under his foot which makes me think he is related to fishing or something along those lines.
This was one of the churches there and the only reason I was drawn to it was for its lack of frescos and color. In Rome every church is very Baroque and covered in artwork; nothing is this simple.
This was my pizza. It had all kinds of seafood on it and it was amazing.
Spare Time
Well, I generally don’t have a ton of spare timer around here. But these are a few things that I do when I have a free minute. I am a youtube junkie. Check out these sites and put yourselves in my shoes. They make me laugh. Hope they do the same for you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_UoIuArBVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4nsI02gnUk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bqxnm6t3QMw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FCub8r1T5Rs&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_UoIuArBVE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4nsI02gnUk
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Bqxnm6t3QMw
http://youtube.com/watch?v=FCub8r1T5Rs&feature=related
giovedì 3 aprile 2008
Buon San Valentino
Valentine’s day had only ever really had one meaning for me my whole life: Aunt Stella’s birthday. But this year it took on something new, it became a day for the soul. I woke up at 4:30 to shave my legs and straighten my hair. When that was taken care of, I made a few calls. The first person that I called was my lovely Stelly Belly. It was her birthday and I didn’t want her to think that I forgot. When I finished talking to her I called my Nana and then my Mom to wish them both a Happy Valentine’s Day. I got dressed, left the house and headed for the bus stop. As I walked I called my father but he didn’t answer so I called Aunt Mare. I was so caught up in talking to her that I missed my bus stop and then I missed the bus that I needed to take to get to where I was going. It was such a mess. I ended up taking a different bus to Termini station where I could go underground to Piazza Barberini.
I was off in the direction of the Trevi Fountain. I have no idea how many times I go here but I wanted to do something fun so early in the morning and I wanted to see things in a different perspective. That is exactly what I got. I had never seen the place so deserted. I know that people would think me crazy if they knew I was 1) up so early and 2) at a tourist attraction by myself. But everything was very safe. It was me, a small group of Asian tourists, and some cops. Nothing to worry about. I got my pictures and headed to school.
The bus that I jumped on took my straight to the McDonald’s by my school, less than 2 blocks away. The school wasn’t open yet so I went to the little café bar down the blocked called Pasquinos. I had a shot of espresso and a cornetto while I sat at a table writing in my journal that my mom bought me. It didn’t take me long to have breakfast so when I was finished I headed back to the school to wait for someone to show up. It gave me plenty of time to continue writing.
When I had finished my day of school I went to get a panino with Chelsea, Jacqueline, and Megan. We thought it would be best to eat it at Piazza Navona, better ambiance, and we were given free flowers just for being there. I was so happy about having a flower that when I got home I went ahead and drank a Smirnoff Ice so that I would have a vase to put my flower in.
I relaxed at home for a little bit before going to the office to meet up with Fabi. She and I were going to have a caffè at a little place that she knows about. We had a bet that she knew the guy that was the waiter in Under the Tuscan Sun when they are celebrating the divorce of Francis. She, Dora and I walked to the train station and rode together until we got to Stazione Spagna where she and I left Dora and met up with Renato. We walked around for a little before going to the bar. She took us to a cute courtyard that I said would be perfect for a wedding reception. Then we went to Tiffany and Co. and there were no diamonds to be found. I thought it was pretty boring.
We arrived at what looked like a combination flower shop/furniture store/clothing store/salon/caffè bar. We got inside and sat down. Now, before I go any further let me explain the entirety of this bet that Fabi and I had. It was that she did not actually know the guy in the movie. And if she did I had to buy her a cappuccino and if she didn’t she had to buy me a hot chocolate. Well, low and behold she did know the guy and he did work where she took me. But the kicker was that this was the same bar that was in the movie. I thought there was no way this could be the same place but lucky for us I had brought my laptop and the movie. We watched the scene over and over again. Renato and I could not believe that it truly was the same place, but it was. Now, she had failed to mention that this happened to be where she used to work so she knew damn well that it was the same place. All she said was, “I know that guy” and I told her that she couldn’t because it was filmed in San Fran. Boy was I wrong. But, in my defense, she wasn’t fully honest.
After we were done verifying that it was the same place, we got into enjoying our drinks. I had a small glass of wine and Renato and Fabi each had a cappuccino. They got a side of pie and I got some sort of potato-salmon mixture to eat with my wine. It was surprisingly good. Fabiana was out and about talking to her old coworkers to I was simply enjoying Renato’s company. We had a good talk about his best friend, Massimo, and my family. It was fun. When Fabi returned the waiter walked up to us with a phone in his hand. The guy that was in the movie was sick the night that we went so they called him to tell him that we had come to see him. He asked to speak with Fabi and she was talking to him in Italian telling him why we came and explained the bet. He then asked to speak with me and in English we conversed about the next that I come and how I need to check to make sure he is there before we venture out. He was really nice and had a sweet voice. We finished and went to pay for the bill and the waiter looks at us, crumbled up the bill, threw it in the trash, and says to Fabi, “what bill?” It was awesome.
We headed for the train but said our goodbyes to Renato. He and Fabi did the classic kiss on the cheek and then he turned to me and we did the kiss goodbye! This was the first time that Renato and I had kissed goodbye. Now, it wasn’t a romantic sweep you off your feet kiss and it meant nothing more than the simple kiss you are forced to give each and every single family member when you arrive at a family event but it still meant something to me. It was the first time that we had moved to the next step of our friendship. And I have to be honest, I don’t think that I will be able to go back to America and not do the double kiss to everyone I meet. Its just so… nice.
Fabi and I jumped on the train to go back home. We spent our time talking about our ideal man and what I miss about home. We kissed goodbye as I went to the Chinese food place and she headed to Tina’s for dinner. I got food for Nicole and I and went home to crash. It was the most perfect Valentine’s Day ever. I cant exactly say what was the best part because it was filled with so many good things. Probably the kiss, yes, that’s it.
I was off in the direction of the Trevi Fountain. I have no idea how many times I go here but I wanted to do something fun so early in the morning and I wanted to see things in a different perspective. That is exactly what I got. I had never seen the place so deserted. I know that people would think me crazy if they knew I was 1) up so early and 2) at a tourist attraction by myself. But everything was very safe. It was me, a small group of Asian tourists, and some cops. Nothing to worry about. I got my pictures and headed to school.
The bus that I jumped on took my straight to the McDonald’s by my school, less than 2 blocks away. The school wasn’t open yet so I went to the little café bar down the blocked called Pasquinos. I had a shot of espresso and a cornetto while I sat at a table writing in my journal that my mom bought me. It didn’t take me long to have breakfast so when I was finished I headed back to the school to wait for someone to show up. It gave me plenty of time to continue writing.
When I had finished my day of school I went to get a panino with Chelsea, Jacqueline, and Megan. We thought it would be best to eat it at Piazza Navona, better ambiance, and we were given free flowers just for being there. I was so happy about having a flower that when I got home I went ahead and drank a Smirnoff Ice so that I would have a vase to put my flower in.
I relaxed at home for a little bit before going to the office to meet up with Fabi. She and I were going to have a caffè at a little place that she knows about. We had a bet that she knew the guy that was the waiter in Under the Tuscan Sun when they are celebrating the divorce of Francis. She, Dora and I walked to the train station and rode together until we got to Stazione Spagna where she and I left Dora and met up with Renato. We walked around for a little before going to the bar. She took us to a cute courtyard that I said would be perfect for a wedding reception. Then we went to Tiffany and Co. and there were no diamonds to be found. I thought it was pretty boring.
We arrived at what looked like a combination flower shop/furniture store/clothing store/salon/caffè bar. We got inside and sat down. Now, before I go any further let me explain the entirety of this bet that Fabi and I had. It was that she did not actually know the guy in the movie. And if she did I had to buy her a cappuccino and if she didn’t she had to buy me a hot chocolate. Well, low and behold she did know the guy and he did work where she took me. But the kicker was that this was the same bar that was in the movie. I thought there was no way this could be the same place but lucky for us I had brought my laptop and the movie. We watched the scene over and over again. Renato and I could not believe that it truly was the same place, but it was. Now, she had failed to mention that this happened to be where she used to work so she knew damn well that it was the same place. All she said was, “I know that guy” and I told her that she couldn’t because it was filmed in San Fran. Boy was I wrong. But, in my defense, she wasn’t fully honest.
After we were done verifying that it was the same place, we got into enjoying our drinks. I had a small glass of wine and Renato and Fabi each had a cappuccino. They got a side of pie and I got some sort of potato-salmon mixture to eat with my wine. It was surprisingly good. Fabiana was out and about talking to her old coworkers to I was simply enjoying Renato’s company. We had a good talk about his best friend, Massimo, and my family. It was fun. When Fabi returned the waiter walked up to us with a phone in his hand. The guy that was in the movie was sick the night that we went so they called him to tell him that we had come to see him. He asked to speak with Fabi and she was talking to him in Italian telling him why we came and explained the bet. He then asked to speak with me and in English we conversed about the next that I come and how I need to check to make sure he is there before we venture out. He was really nice and had a sweet voice. We finished and went to pay for the bill and the waiter looks at us, crumbled up the bill, threw it in the trash, and says to Fabi, “what bill?” It was awesome.
We headed for the train but said our goodbyes to Renato. He and Fabi did the classic kiss on the cheek and then he turned to me and we did the kiss goodbye! This was the first time that Renato and I had kissed goodbye. Now, it wasn’t a romantic sweep you off your feet kiss and it meant nothing more than the simple kiss you are forced to give each and every single family member when you arrive at a family event but it still meant something to me. It was the first time that we had moved to the next step of our friendship. And I have to be honest, I don’t think that I will be able to go back to America and not do the double kiss to everyone I meet. Its just so… nice.
Fabi and I jumped on the train to go back home. We spent our time talking about our ideal man and what I miss about home. We kissed goodbye as I went to the Chinese food place and she headed to Tina’s for dinner. I got food for Nicole and I and went home to crash. It was the most perfect Valentine’s Day ever. I cant exactly say what was the best part because it was filled with so many good things. Probably the kiss, yes, that’s it.
A difference in… food
So, today I bought a Milky Way because they had them here. I’m not crazy about the MW but I wanted some American food and I wanted to compare it to their standards. Boy was it different.
This is what it looked like and maybe I’m mistaken but I thought that there was something caramely in Milky Ways. I thought that the 3 Musketeers is what was all fluffy in the middle. What gives?
This is what it looked like and maybe I’m mistaken but I thought that there was something caramely in Milky Ways. I thought that the 3 Musketeers is what was all fluffy in the middle. What gives?
Photo Class
I love my photo class. We go all over the place and we talk such fun pictures. The instructor is great. Every time he looks at my pictures he tells me that I did exactly what he wanted me to do and that I have good pictures and blah, blah, blah. It’s so nice to hear that I’m doing something right. The other teachers don’t really give pats on the back so Mario has become my favorite teacher. Love him!
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