Day 4, didn't take tours
Just boarded the train
Took a nap with no fake snores
and escorted my brain
From a place that was empty
to sunny skies of Firenze
the event reads
week long gelato festiv-al
Came into the city in sweats
and came out dressed in style
Our squad's art's odd
Artois? Pour me a Stella
Lasagna forno and prosciutto
at Tratorria Nella
More food I order
until to fit the frame,
you'll have to move the borders
With a couple euro coins, keep your quarters
Opening more doors for myself than a porter
Standing taller than the statue of David,
though my patience is shorter
First hand on the second note
Stepping over Ponte Vecchio
Cursed by culture. That's how I'd describe it. My grandmother taught me right. It's worth spending a lot of money on a great meal, yet the rigorous constrictions of American diet perception has irrevokably altered my culinary exploration. This concept revolves around cheap food. McDonald's dollar menu, Denny's Grand Slam and the all you can eat buffet are American standards, so the concept of courses and a meandering pace is near blasphemy. Let us not speak such words in the chapel of IHOP. Preach! Tabernacle! If an American can't pronounce it, taste must be an after-thought in the dish The world is so much bigger and multi-layered than this foolishness.
Tolerance is the key word for tonight. To butcher a Gandhi quote, something like this: " Don't hate ignorance, pity it."
It's easier to understand the universal disdain for Americans now. Fear of elitism racks most of my country. God forbid someone find out you shun the Olive Garden in favor of a Michelin starred restaurant. Someone might think you're too big for your britches and are extremely legal. This is the end of my rant. Now. At this moment. The end. Ok, nevermind. Splitting the check crap, getting change, we're money grubbing fiends! Now, I'm done.
There are many different types of Italian restaurants and after eating at a few of the varieties, I feel it is important to share their distinctions.
- Tavola calda: A very informal (and sometimes self-serve) eatery where you usually choose from a pre-prepared selection of hot dishes—like an olde worlde cafeteria. Great for a quick, light meal.
- Trattoria: Usually a traditional, family-run establishment that serves fresh pasta and other home-cooked food.
- Pizzeria: A casual restaurants where you go to eat pizza. Pretty obvious, but here are a few Italian quirks. Traditional pizzerie are open only in the evenings, and they don't serve much beyond pizza. All Italian pizzas are pizzas for one, you don't order a pizza to split, or to share with the table. Each person orders his or her own pizza, and while they are pretty large, they usually have ultra-thin crusts so it's not too hard to wolf an entire one down. Plus, walking miles everyday will build up quite a hunger.
- Ristorante: Restaurant. Again, obvious, but it's useful to to know that eateries which call themselves "ristorante" usually have pretensions for high prices. This is in contrast to a (typically cheaper) trattoria or osteria.
- Paninoteca: Fancy way to say "sandwich shop." And by the way, since the term has gotten so popular in the U.S., some clarification: a single sandwich is called a "panino" . "Panini" is the plural. Asking for "a panini" is like asking for "some spaghettis"—it just sounds dumb.
- Osteria or hosteria: Usually an even simpler, down-home local's eatery than a trattoria—though sometimes fancy restaurants use the word to try and evoke a simple, trendy charm.
- Gelateria: An Italian ice cream shop—though calling Italy's thick, creamy, flavorful frozen treat something as banal as "ice cream" is deeply insulting to gelato.
- Caffé: Pretty much just another name for a bar, though there may be more of an emphasis on the coffee, and on outdoor tables.
Nearly all Italian restaurants have an unavoidable pane e coperto ("bread and cover" charge) of anything from €1 to €15—though most often €2 to €5—per person that is automatically added on to your bill. This is perfectly normal, and perfectly legal, despite the feeling of a scam.
Train stations are wonderous places. It amazes me that public transit can me measured to the exact minute. While the train station in Venice was packed to the gills with travelers, the process of getting a ticket was simple and inexpensive. Simply walk up to one of a score of automated ticket booths, pick your destination, choose payment method and voila, you are now ready to sit down for the next few hours. I'm also blown-away by the casual nature of the station. I'm really only used to travelling in airports and everybody knows the level of security one must pass before you can even get near a plane. At the train station, you just walk in from off of the street and storm the place. Even needing a ticket seems a formality; it is only ever checked once, by a very disinterested looking man in a too-tight cap. It can't be too difficult to stow away on a voyage. Not that it gives me any ideas.... Future reference though, if you head to Italy at any point, don't feel restricted to one particular region, as it's exceedingly easy and affordable to travel to one of Italy's distinctly different regions.
