This will be the last post of my blog. I must say that I miss Italy so much. I loved everything about the trip. It is such a beautiful country, with so much history and culture. I enjoyed so much watching and learning a different lifestyle, the food especially. I prefer the way that I ate in Italy so much more than how I do at home. I loved being away from fast food, frozen food, and preservatives. I dont think I will ever go to a Mcdonald's or Burger King again. From now on I am going to try to eat much healthier foods that havent been sitting on a shelf for the past 6 months. I loved how everything in Italy was so fresh. The fresh fruits, bread, and cheeses were staples in my diet. I can also say that I have found a new love for pasta. There is so much that you can do with it besides serving it with traditional red sauce. This is going to be a savior for me since I will be living in my first apartment next semester.
If I could bring back any foods to the U.S. with me I would have definately brought back kebabs. Even though they are not really itialian they are still so good. However I have the feeling that if I ate Kebabs all the time I would probobly get sick of them. I feel like kebabs for us would be like Taco Bell for Italians. They dont have it back home so the first couple months or so they would love it and then they would get sick of it. Gelato would be another thing I would bring back. I loved Gelato so much more than the ice cream we have at home. I guess Ben and Jerries Cherry Garcia can give it a run for its money, however with nutella flavored gelato its a close competition.
I found myself eating much healthier over in italy and eating smaller portions that still gave me the strenght and energy that I needed for hte day. I think that is the most valuable thing that I have taken back to the states. Its important to eat right and before I went on this trip my diet was pretty poor. I tried alot of new things while I was in italy and realized that I can eat really healthy with the foods that we have at home too. From now on I am going to try to eat much better than I did before.
I cant express enough how much I enjoyed my trip to italy. I wish I was back there right now. I definately plan on visiting Verona again. It became like a second home to me. Now if you will excuse me, Im hungry, I need to go get some Burger King. Haha Just kidding.
Friday 27 June 2008
Sunday 6/22/08
Today my friends and I decided to spend the last day in Italy at Lake Garda. It was perfect weather outside and the water was so nice. For lunch I made myself a ham sandwich with some fresh mozzarella cheese. It was so good. When we got back from the lake we all got together at Amanda’s house with a lot of people from the trip and all cooked up our leftovers. We had some really good pizza, pasta, rice, and salad. I must say that the pizza that Megan made was awesome. I wish I could cook like that. My cooking skills have definitely improved since we have been here but I don’t think I am ready to cook a pizza yet.
Saturday 6/21/08
When I woke up this morning it finally hit me that I would be going home soon. I don’t want to leave Italy I love it here. I think I could live here for a long time to come. I didn’t really like sitting inside I wanted to go out and enjoy the town while I still could. So for lunch I made myself another bologna sandwich using up the last of the meat and cheese. Later on my friends and I went to happy hour we got some drinks. I had an aperol spritz. The bartender gave us some toasted bread with tomatoe sauce and cheese and some chips. It held us over until it was time for dinner.
Around dinnertime, Nate, Gina, Mike, Amanda and I cooked dinner. We had some cheese risotto that Amanda brough over. Some pasta with red sauce and some Pork chops that Mike cooked again. It was a very good but somewhat sad meal. We all realized that we were all leaving soon. I don’t think any of us wanted to leave. After dinner we decided to go out to a bar and enjoy the night.
Around dinnertime, Nate, Gina, Mike, Amanda and I cooked dinner. We had some cheese risotto that Amanda brough over. Some pasta with red sauce and some Pork chops that Mike cooked again. It was a very good but somewhat sad meal. We all realized that we were all leaving soon. I don’t think any of us wanted to leave. After dinner we decided to go out to a bar and enjoy the night.
Thursday 6/19/08
Today was another trip. This time to some towns along Lake Garda. Again I packed a lunch. Bologna and cheese again and a little treat, a Nutella Sandwich. Of coarse I was hungry again later on so I decided to try some ketchup flavored potato chips. I have never seen these before. They were pretty good. It just tasted like French fries with ketchup. I liked them but don’t know if I would ever get them again. After that I tried some of Gina and Erin’s snowballs. These were so good. They are a big ball of dough that’s are covered with chocolate and stuffed with some kind of cream. I was in heaven because Erin didn’t want to finish hers and gave the rest to me. They were so good. These are another thing that I need to bring back to the states.
When we got back we went right to cooking dinner. Amanda decided to eat dinner with Mike and I tonight which was nice. We cooked up some ham tortellini again with pesto sauce, and some regular pasta with a type of meat sauce from Pam.
For desert we had a slice of an ice cream roll that mike purchased at Pam. Vanilla and Chocolate, cant go wrong with that. I think that this was the first actually Ice cream that I have had this trip instead of Gelato. I like the ice cream but Gelato is by far way better. I am definitely going to miss Gelato when I am home.
When we got back we went right to cooking dinner. Amanda decided to eat dinner with Mike and I tonight which was nice. We cooked up some ham tortellini again with pesto sauce, and some regular pasta with a type of meat sauce from Pam.
For desert we had a slice of an ice cream roll that mike purchased at Pam. Vanilla and Chocolate, cant go wrong with that. I think that this was the first actually Ice cream that I have had this trip instead of Gelato. I like the ice cream but Gelato is by far way better. I am definitely going to miss Gelato when I am home.
Wednesday 6/18/08
Today I was really rushed for lunch because of one of my photo assignments. I made a quick bologna and cheese sandwich for while I was out photographing. I also picked up some cherries from one of the vendors in Piazza Erbe. Those were the best cherries I have had on the trip. They were just right. Nice and dark on the inside.
For dinner Mike and I cooked a meal. I cooked some ham tortellini that I got from Pam. I added a pesto and tomato sauce mix to the top. Mike cooked some pork chops. We didn’t have any spices except salt and pepper for the meat. However it was good though. It made me realize how much salt and pepper can do for taste while cooking. The pork chops were very tasty. We also had the traditional bread, olive oil, and cheese.
Later on that night I had a Tiger energy drink. I found it in Pam next to the Redbull’s. It just seemed like a knockoff version that was much cheaper. After trying it though It was really good. This was one of the first soda’s I had on the trip though. I kind of felt “dirty” after having it like I did after eating Mcdonald’s in Rome. I guess I just don’t miss American food and our fast and unhealthy way of eating very much.
For dinner Mike and I cooked a meal. I cooked some ham tortellini that I got from Pam. I added a pesto and tomato sauce mix to the top. Mike cooked some pork chops. We didn’t have any spices except salt and pepper for the meat. However it was good though. It made me realize how much salt and pepper can do for taste while cooking. The pork chops were very tasty. We also had the traditional bread, olive oil, and cheese.
Later on that night I had a Tiger energy drink. I found it in Pam next to the Redbull’s. It just seemed like a knockoff version that was much cheaper. After trying it though It was really good. This was one of the first soda’s I had on the trip though. I kind of felt “dirty” after having it like I did after eating Mcdonald’s in Rome. I guess I just don’t miss American food and our fast and unhealthy way of eating very much.
Thursday 26 June 2008
Monday 6/16/08 and Tuesday 6/17/08
Tuesday 6/17/08
Today we started off the day by getting on a bus and heading to a cheese factory. This was one of the coolest experiences of the trip. We got to see how a couple different cheeses and meats were made. The best part was that we got to try them. First we had fresh Salami. It was so good and tender. I don’t know if tender is the best word to describe it however that’s the only one I can think off. The Salami was awesome with a piece of bread. I wish that I could of eaten some more of it, it was just that good. Next we tried three different cheeses. One of the cheese’s was aged in red whine. It was good however it had a very strong taste. Gina who was sitting next to me didn’t like it so I got to eat all of hers. I thought that the taste was a little much too by itself but with a piece of bread it was perfect. We also had a few glasses of wine that complimented the cheeses perfectly. Then we had fresh ricotta cheese right before we left. I have never eaten ricotta cheese by itself before. It was very good. The cheese doesn’t have a strong flavor too it, it is very mild. The texture of the cheese is different but nice, and it too tastes awesome on some bread.
After our cheese tasting we thanked the owner and got back on the bus. I was still hungry so I pulled out one of the sandwiches I made for the trip. It was a bologna and cheese sandwich. Neither the bologna nor cheese was up to par with what I had just eaten. I must say that the sandwich was a rather disappointment.
The next destination of our bus was Padua. While we were here Gina and I got hungry again so we decided to venture to find something to eat. We came across this little fast food place. It was a cone, kind of like an ice cream cone except made out of pizza dough. They had many fillings for the cones. In mine I got Procutto Crudo, Tomato Sauce, and Mozzarella cheese. It was so tasty. It tasted just like a pizza that you could walk with and eat. By the time I got to the bottom of the cone there was only mozzarella cheese left. It tasted like I was eating a mozzarella stick mmmhhmm. I am going to bring these back to the U.S. and make my own fast food place. I will be rich.
Again for dinner tonight I decided to be lame and heat up some leftovers from the day before. This time with the pasta I finished up the mozzarella sauce that tasted like Spaghetti O’s. I didn’t really care for it that much however I didn’t want to waste the food, or take the time to cook something new. For dessert, I guess you could call it dessert, I tried two the craziest beers I have EVER had in my life. While in Padua Mike found a specialty beer store and bought two different types of beer. The first one that we tried tasted like a loaf of bread it had so much of a strong wheat taste to it. I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely buy it again. However it was the second beer that really knocked my socks off. This was a smoked beer, the owner of the shop explained to Mike. We weren’t really sure what to expect. When we opened the bottle we were hit with the strong smell of a backyard BBQ. It was crazy, we spent about 5 minutes just smelling the beer and wonder how such a strong smell could come from it, before we even poured ourselves a glass. The beer tasted like smoked ham. That was the best way that we could describe it. I know it sounds kind of gross however I enjoyed it. It was weird to drink something and taste smoked wood. I felt like I was going to smell like fire afterwards. We were both amazed at the taste and by the end of the bottle we both were disappointed that Mike had only brought back one.
Monday 6/16/08
Today for lunch I heated up some pasta leftover from yesterday. I still haven’t found the best way to heat up pasta without a microwave. The two options I have found is too run the pasta under extremely hot water or two heat it up in a pot with some vegetable oil. I chose to heat it up in the pan. I added a little pesto sauce in the pot. The pesto sauce was really good. It was a “Mediterranean” flavored pesto. It was somewhat spicy and I believe it may have had a little eggplant in it judging by the small picture on the oustide of the container. However I’m not too sure.
Tonight’s dinner was delicious. Gina, Nate, Megan and Erin came over to Mike and I’s apartment to eat. We had fresh mushroom and cheese, and spinach and cheese tortellini’s. They were so good. We also had regular pasta with a mozzarella pasta sauce. The sauce was really sweet though and kind of tasted like Spaghetti O’s. Mike also decided to cook some Steak with the meal. Now steak is something I haven’t had since we have been here. That was a nice treat. I watched him cook the steak. He added lots of teriyaki sauce, with some salt and sugar and cooked it in a pan. It was delicious. There was also some salad and bread with olive oil for appetizers. For Desert we had a strawberry shortcake roll that I found at Pam. It was really good however it tasted just like the ones you could get back in the states. I was excited when there was still some left. That’s means that I have a little desert snack for later on.
Today we started off the day by getting on a bus and heading to a cheese factory. This was one of the coolest experiences of the trip. We got to see how a couple different cheeses and meats were made. The best part was that we got to try them. First we had fresh Salami. It was so good and tender. I don’t know if tender is the best word to describe it however that’s the only one I can think off. The Salami was awesome with a piece of bread. I wish that I could of eaten some more of it, it was just that good. Next we tried three different cheeses. One of the cheese’s was aged in red whine. It was good however it had a very strong taste. Gina who was sitting next to me didn’t like it so I got to eat all of hers. I thought that the taste was a little much too by itself but with a piece of bread it was perfect. We also had a few glasses of wine that complimented the cheeses perfectly. Then we had fresh ricotta cheese right before we left. I have never eaten ricotta cheese by itself before. It was very good. The cheese doesn’t have a strong flavor too it, it is very mild. The texture of the cheese is different but nice, and it too tastes awesome on some bread.
After our cheese tasting we thanked the owner and got back on the bus. I was still hungry so I pulled out one of the sandwiches I made for the trip. It was a bologna and cheese sandwich. Neither the bologna nor cheese was up to par with what I had just eaten. I must say that the sandwich was a rather disappointment.
The next destination of our bus was Padua. While we were here Gina and I got hungry again so we decided to venture to find something to eat. We came across this little fast food place. It was a cone, kind of like an ice cream cone except made out of pizza dough. They had many fillings for the cones. In mine I got Procutto Crudo, Tomato Sauce, and Mozzarella cheese. It was so tasty. It tasted just like a pizza that you could walk with and eat. By the time I got to the bottom of the cone there was only mozzarella cheese left. It tasted like I was eating a mozzarella stick mmmhhmm. I am going to bring these back to the U.S. and make my own fast food place. I will be rich.
Again for dinner tonight I decided to be lame and heat up some leftovers from the day before. This time with the pasta I finished up the mozzarella sauce that tasted like Spaghetti O’s. I didn’t really care for it that much however I didn’t want to waste the food, or take the time to cook something new. For dessert, I guess you could call it dessert, I tried two the craziest beers I have EVER had in my life. While in Padua Mike found a specialty beer store and bought two different types of beer. The first one that we tried tasted like a loaf of bread it had so much of a strong wheat taste to it. I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely buy it again. However it was the second beer that really knocked my socks off. This was a smoked beer, the owner of the shop explained to Mike. We weren’t really sure what to expect. When we opened the bottle we were hit with the strong smell of a backyard BBQ. It was crazy, we spent about 5 minutes just smelling the beer and wonder how such a strong smell could come from it, before we even poured ourselves a glass. The beer tasted like smoked ham. That was the best way that we could describe it. I know it sounds kind of gross however I enjoyed it. It was weird to drink something and taste smoked wood. I felt like I was going to smell like fire afterwards. We were both amazed at the taste and by the end of the bottle we both were disappointed that Mike had only brought back one.
Monday 6/16/08
Today for lunch I heated up some pasta leftover from yesterday. I still haven’t found the best way to heat up pasta without a microwave. The two options I have found is too run the pasta under extremely hot water or two heat it up in a pot with some vegetable oil. I chose to heat it up in the pan. I added a little pesto sauce in the pot. The pesto sauce was really good. It was a “Mediterranean” flavored pesto. It was somewhat spicy and I believe it may have had a little eggplant in it judging by the small picture on the oustide of the container. However I’m not too sure.
Tonight’s dinner was delicious. Gina, Nate, Megan and Erin came over to Mike and I’s apartment to eat. We had fresh mushroom and cheese, and spinach and cheese tortellini’s. They were so good. We also had regular pasta with a mozzarella pasta sauce. The sauce was really sweet though and kind of tasted like Spaghetti O’s. Mike also decided to cook some Steak with the meal. Now steak is something I haven’t had since we have been here. That was a nice treat. I watched him cook the steak. He added lots of teriyaki sauce, with some salt and sugar and cooked it in a pan. It was delicious. There was also some salad and bread with olive oil for appetizers. For Desert we had a strawberry shortcake roll that I found at Pam. It was really good however it tasted just like the ones you could get back in the states. I was excited when there was still some left. That’s means that I have a little desert snack for later on.
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