taste buds

So since arriving in Italy my oober sensitive taste buds have been exposed to a wonderful array of foods. Some of them new, disgusting, divine, sweet, bitter, etc, etc. I decided I would compose a list of memorable things I have eaten here, many of which fall into a category of "never eat again" or "refuse to eat unless in Italy" sections. This particular entry might only have significance to those closest to me that know of my troubles with taste and texture, as well as my preferences when eating. The list is as follows:

1)Finocchi-this definitely lands the spot of #1. The best way for me to describe it is an onion on steroids with celery-like shoots coming off the top of it. What about that sounds appetizing? It is one of Fiorella's favorite vegetables to include in dishes, she even makes entire appetizers containing finocchi and only finocchi. One gem of a dish was a finocchi lasagne--baked finocchi and a cheese sauce. The cheese sauce was actually pretty good, the finocchi on the other hand was not.

2)Tomatoes. This particular confused red fruit/vegetable lurks in everything I eat here. I even ate it on bread and didn't gag. Mother-you would be so proud. They are starting to grow on me, to the point of tolerance not quite to the point of like, but I am afraid this won't carry on to my taste back home in the states.

3)Beets. Yes, beets. As in the magenta-bleeding vegetable. Not half bad with oil and pepper on top. Definitely wouldn't choose to eat it ever, but I can force myself to eat it to please Fiorella.

4)Cheese of every sort. Italian cheese will change your life. Enough said.

5)Fruit. The fruit in Italy is of the highest quality. Peaches are wonderful, clementines tangy with the perfect amount of sweetness, and apples crisp and delightful. Dinner is accompanied by a piece of fruit almost every night. The only let down is the fact that "seedless" doesn't seem to exist. Who knew grapes had such large seeds? They can create a huge inconvenience, but the fruit is still always juicy and divine.

6)Roasted chesnuts. They have the texture and taste similar to that of mashed potatoes, surprisingly. When they are hot and fresh of the fire it is the best. I actually ate them by choice the other night and got seconds. Yes, grandma, I know you are in shock right now. I was too.

7)Pumpkin. Apparently this orange member of the squash category has more uses than being carved into a scary Halloween face or being added into yummy holiday treats. We have pumpkin risotto frequently (typical rice dish that has variations of added vegetables…Fiorella prefers pumpkin in hers). We even had a dish of olive oil and pumpkin heated on the stove in a pan. I never imagined dishing up spoonfuls of plain pumpkin- it was a little strange if I must say.

8)Raw meat. Like I mentioned before, we have the wonderful blessing of having a meat slicer in our kitchen. Fiorella finds it very useful and our table is quite often blessed with thinly sliced raw meat options.

9)Gelato. Magnificent. Delectable. Creamy. Smooth. Rich. Delicious. End of story.

10)Foccacia. I am not one to just eat a slice of bread when hungry, but man- italians know how to do foccacia well. My favorite was pesto topped foccacia in Cinque Terre--so satisfying.

11)Normal every day bread. Hard as rock on the outside and completely flavorless on the inside. I do feel that my jaw has grown stronger from all the gnawing. Bread and my gums are not friends.

12)Chocolate. The chocolate here is life changing- I think it’s a European thing. Hershey's will never again be completely satisfying. Dang.

13)Pasta. Pasta is life. The pici is wonderful and only found in Tuscany--a thick spaghetti type noodle.

14)Pesto. Who knew that a green creamy sauce made from pine nuts and olive oil could be so delicious?

15)Olive oil. They put it in everything- and I mean EVERYTHING. If something doesn’t taste quite right, just add some oil!

Well I feel as though the above 15 will be good for now, but I will continue to add more as I experience new things. Like I said before, this is just a list of the most memorable, there are a ton of other potential candidates, but if I were to include all of them I might as well write a novel.