Coffee

Alright here we go...

Coffee made it's first appearance in Italy in Venice around 1570. It was very expensive, so only rich people could buy it and it was sold in chemist's shops. Then, in 1640 the first coffee shop opened in the same city and expanded to other cities including Turin, Genoa, Milan, Florence, Rome and Naples. And the rest is history!

The coffee beans are not grown here, but they are blended here in famous Italian torrefazioni. There are two main types of coffee: Arabica, from Coffea Arabica, and Robusto, from Coffea Canephora, generally stronger. Each coffee is different, with a different mixture of types and beans from different countries. It's really like wine in that way, there are even such things as coffee tastings.

Here's a list of the different types of coffee you can get in Italy (I'm pretty sure this is not a complete list, but I think I got most of them):

• Caffè - espresso, a small cup of very strong coffee
• Caffè Macchiato - espresso "stained" with a drop of milk
• Caffè Corretto - espresso "corrected" with a shot of liquor
• Caffè di Orzo - espresso with Barley, no caffeine
• Caffè Freddo - iced coffee (not very common here)
• Caffè Latte - half espresso, half hot milk
• Latte Macchiato - hot milk "stained" with a small shot of espresso
• Cappuccino - espresso with hot milk and steamed milk froth on top

I'm not a coffee drinker, so I haven't tried most of these (I think an espresso would be way to strong for me). We do have a coffee vending machine in school buildings though and I tried a cappuccino with ginseng once, it was good (I think because the sugar was set higher).

Oh! I also added another recipe for Pasta al Ragu that we ate for dinner tonight. Vivaldo told me how to make it, and it was amazing :D

Caitlin

     

Italian Laws

Thanks to John, who gave me the idea of writing this post, here are some interesting laws in Italy!

• There are regulations for the number of hours in a day the heater can be turned on. And I wonder why I'm so cold a lot... But seriously, this really conserves energy.
• In Lucca kebab shops are banned within the city walls. Other cities only allow these shops if they also sell traditional northern food, such as polenta. This law was put in place by the Lega Nord party, who have been linked to political remarks against southerners and immigrants. Interestingly, the Italian Minister of Agriculture, Luca Zaia, of the Lega Nord party has partnered with McDonalds to create a McItaly burger. His reasoning is to help Italian farmers, who will provide the ingredients for this burger. But what happened to preserving local foods? It seems that American and Japanese restaurants are safe while African and Middle-Eastern ones are not. There is a line between preserving biodiversity (such as with the Slow Food movement) and practicing gastronomic racism.
• I've read about other crazy Italian laws too, such as it being illegal for men to wear skirts (but what about kilts??), in Rome eating or drinking outside in the historic center is not allowed, and some cities banning the feeding of pigeons in the center to preserve the buildings (I like this one, they are so annoying!).

Through conversations with my 2nd conversation partner, Valentina, (due to personal reasons, I had to get a new one) in the school cafeteria, I learned more about certain "rules" Italians have towards food. She thought it was so strange that Americans drink a cappuccino in the afternoon. For her, it didn't make any sense, and she didn't even understand HOW they could do it. Valentina said that the milk is too heavy for after breakfast, so she almost flipped when I told her kids in the US drink milk with their lunch. Another time she commented that another girl was eating her fruit before her sandwich for lunch. Valentina also found this very weird. I have noticed that Italians are very particular about food. This includes the order as well. I believe I've mentioned before that Vivaldo didn't understand how the Americans they've hosted could mix the primo (pasta) and secondo (meat) dishes because they are supposed to be eaten separately.

Speaking of cappuccino, I think today or tomorrow I will do a coffee post for you all.

Until then,

Caitlin

     

Italian Expressions

A list of some verbal and non-verbal expressions in Italian that I find fun and I would like to share :D

Phrases

• In bocca al lupo = Literally - Into the mouth of a wolf. Really - Break a leg. The response to this is "Crepi!" (Die!)
• Piove a catinelle = Literally - It's raining buckets. Really - It's raining cats and dogs.
• Non vedo l'ora = Literally - I don't see the hour. Really - I can't wait.
• Mi prendi in giro? = Literally - Are you taking me for a spin? Really - Are you making fun of me?
• Che cazzo = WTF
• Boh - perhaps my favorite expression :) It's used to express "I don't know" or "Whatever"
• Ai-yah! = Ouch!
• Ciccia = Literally - Flesh. Really - a term of endearment. Graziella says this to us all the time.

Gestures (sorry if these are hard to picture...)

• Tracing a line down your cheek, usually accompanied by frowning and looking down = Sono triste (I'm sad)
• Pulling your lower eyelid down with your index finger = Ti guardo (I'm watching you)
• Holding your hand palm up, in front of you so it's next to your stomach and moving it in circles that go away from you = Che noioso (How annoying). Graziella also uses this when talking about Vivaldo, haha.
• Making an L with your hand and shaking it back and forth = C'è da fare o no? (Yes or no?)

I have found that Italians are more animated in general and they do talk with their hands. The stereotypical image of an Italian shaking his hand with his fingers together while saying "Mamma Mia!" is somewhat true. They do the greeting kisses too, which can be awkward for me (when I forget which cheek is first). Italians can be more touchy too. One time while in the Gucci store (no I did not buy anything) an older salesman said something funny so we were laughing. Then he put his hand on my cheek, like I was his granddaughter...

Caitlin
    

Verona

We finally made our way to Verona when dad and Pat came to visit!! Going back to Verona brought back a lot of memories...

After we got off the train and were walking to the hotel, we recognized this place because we used to get our books for school here.

Olio di Oliva

November was the start of olive oil season, and here there was an abundance of Olio Nuovo (New Oil) in Tuscany. This Olio Nuovo is pretty different from what I'm used too. When the olive oil is new, it has a green color before it turns golden-yellow and the after-taste is pretty spicy.

I thought I would share with you some interesting facts about olive oil that I learned in my cooking class.