The Italian Way

First, a few cultural differences between her and Italy. Some was downright culture shock.

Wine: We only realy enjoyed wine in Tuscany, the heart of Chianti region. I must admit I never cared much for the stuffi. Until I drank it from the makers. Not the runny, sour, headachy stuff I get here. Total loveliness and it went down super nice overlooking the meadows of Tuscany. But traditionally, wine is served in regular water glasses, usually home made and drank with only the meal. I asked for a wine glass in a "home style" restaurant outside of Rome and got laughed at. Other than my chianti and a glass of wine a had in Rome, wine was not a highlight.

Bread. I am still scratching my head over this one. OF COURSE the bread was to die for. It depended on where though. Some bread was better and softer than others and for only white bread, it was surprisingly diverse. That was the killer though. Only white bread. When I talked to English speaking relatives about brown bread, whole grains, multigrain, etc, they had no idea what I was talking about. Eventually, I found out that his type of bread is called "integral", meaning the integral part of the bread. You won't find it by the way, outside of the breakfast in your hotel. Italians do not struggle with diabetes and obesity like we do so is white flour the real culprit? Now, sit down. Guess what. In the Tuscany region, many years ago, Pisa and Florence were at war. As a boycott, Pisa stopped sending Florence salt. So they had to make bread without salt. They got used to it and to uphold the tradition, very unfortunately, they still, to this day, use NO salt when baking bread. ALL the bread we ate for four days in Florence, Pisa and Tuscany - just flour, water and yeast. It truly was the most putrid thing I've eaten. So sad. Blend paper and water together, and it will be the same mouthful.

Coffee. This is not an easy one to convey. Forget everything you know and have come to understand about coffee and coffee culture in North America. Wipe it clean from your mind. Now, only introduce espresso machines in restaurants and coffee bars (more on that later) and stove top espresso percolators at home. A 'coffee' is a shot of espresso. Period. End of story. Traditionally, it is served with hot milk on the morning, either in the form of a latte or cappuccino. I asked for a latte in mid afternoon and was kindly educated. There are no coffee shops. There are coffee bars, where you stand, order your shot, drink it and leave. If you want to sit down at a table if the place has them, then you will be served by a waiter. I have never seen so many people eating and drinking while standing. I am a fan of milk in my coffee, so would ask for a cafe machiatto, which means a 'marked' coffee, or a drop of milk in your espresso shot. I must admit, I have come to appreciate this 'refined' coffee culture and will miss it.

Water. You would think this was simple. No. I always get pissed off when I come to Europe, because how caveman Canada still is about water. EVERYWHERE you go in Europe, even ghetto gas stations, have a choice of sparkling or regular water. In restaurants, same. In Canada, you have a choice of regular water, or pop. Very rarely, I'll spot a Perrier her at home, but I'm talking about regular Dasani water, but with gas in it. NO WAY JOSE. And another thing...it is illegal for restaurants to serve water from the tap in Italy. It must be bottled. And you must pay for it. No free water with your pasta. At my in-laws, I always wondered why they have bottled water on the super table all the time....oohhh, that's why!

Traffic: Nuts. Nuts. Nuts. Calling the vehicles in Rome 'cars' is too generous. They are ALL tiny, and there is a sea of them where ever you go. Either parked or moving and honking. The mopeds will run you down if you let them, that's if you can wiggle yourself out from between two parked cars when you cross the street.

The pee pee thing. Or Bidet, invented by the French. It's in every bathroom I saw, except for public washrooms. Hotels and our relatives had it everywhere. For the first time, I felt like a cave person. Scratching my head and grunting above a foreign object. I have seen them before but not in this abundance. I know what they're for, but refuse to go there. I don't know what's grosser....using one or not using one. There is even special soap! for them. When I told my cousin they don't exist in Canada, she asked how we wash 'down there'. Maybe we take more showers or something.

The best part of Rome, Tuscany, Isernia, Amalfi Coast, Florence? meeting Stef's family. And yes, we were asked about kids, with Stef's 90 year old grandmother rubbing my belly asking "niete?" So I said "Proviamo", or "we're trying". Speaking of which...stay tuned for news this summer on the transfer of our little one in Denver. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures using this link.
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