Living to eat

Last Friday (13th) we went on a school organized trip to Modena and Bologna with a group of about 40 students. Our first stop was a family farm that produces traditional balsamic vinegar. The took us through their small facilities (which were all incredibly picturesque) and let us taste test their product at various stages. This balsamic vinegar is unlike anything I have ever tasted... it is syrup-like and sweet with a vinegar tang that cannot be compared to the industry produced vinegar we are used to... So, so good. We tasted 7, 12, 30, and 50 year old vinegar. Production of this vinegar is protected by Italian law- they have exclusive rights to the grape varieties and authentic label. The wife explained that producing traditional balsamic vinegar is a passion since the time required to produced such small volumes isn't exactly a solid business venture. She said that '...foreigners eat to live, while Italians live to eat'. From what I have tasted so far, I am partial to the Italian approach!

In a conversation with the husband, I asked to be adopted. My professor tried to see if it was possible for me to marry into the family but their son is only 9 :) The conversation was funny though choppy given the language barrier, but I think we decided that I could stay on as una sorella (a sister). Fine by me! They were the nicest Italians I have met so far and it was a very enjoyable visit. I really miss the grass, fresh air, and open spaces that are somewhat lacking in Firenze.

On Saturday (14th) we spent some time at a public library near our school, but they are only open in the morning. The business schedule of this society really forces leisure... which I will certainly adapt to. Libraries are usually closed on weekends, grocery stores are closed on Sundays, and many retail stores are closed on Mondays. There are major sales going on so we shopped some in the afternoon and met up at one of the girls' apartments that evening. Since it was Valentine's Day, they planned a dessert filled evening where Nutella was the featured ingredient. Nutella cookies and Nutella cake...but believe me, this product works its way into EVERY meal. Most of our WSU group (18 in all) came over and we had a fun evening.

Not surprising, the morning after a Nutella binge brings some guilt so four of us girls went for a hike. Our destination was Fiesole, a very old town north of Florence on a hill. We followed traffic signs and luckily didn't check the distance we were undertaking but I think it was over 9km up. The view was spectacular and the exercise felt great... but we canceled out the latter because there was a chocolate festival going on at the top. Oh well. There is a small Franciscan community at the peak which was very peaceful... look at a postcard, add birds chirping, a church bell ringing, and a robed Franciscan sweeping the stone steps. We wrote down their service schedule and I hope to go back for mass or a rosary, though I might take the bus next time.

That bring me to last night... again our entire group went out for dinner on a recommendation from Rick Steves, our constant companion. I have been very impressed with our group dynamics... we have a wide variety of personalities but we have been really good about making a solid effort to keep the peace and help each other out. We split up into tables by separating roommates. We literally filled over half the little restaurant and dinner was fabulous as always.

I need to study for an Italian quiz... turns out we are taking classes here! Hope all is well with each of you at home :)

Jenny