Jess 1-17-08

Ciao!

Well, I have been out the last few days due to sickness so not all that much exciting has happened since my last post. I found out on Monday night that I had a bad case of the stomach flu. I spent the next two days after that without leaving my bed or apartment until last night (Wednesday night) when I finally felt well enough to get up and go to Italian class with Bill. But after eating nothing on Tuesday or Wednesday but an apple and 3 cookies, and losing everything I had eaten on Monday, it was a long walk on weak legs and luckily Bill was there to help me the whole way. He helped me get better too, helping me to the bathroom, stroking my hair, and giving me water to keep me hydrated. I don't know what I would have done without him.

After Italian class, we had our first session with Italian cooking, the extra class that we paid for separately after school. I had to sit through much of it because it was too hard to stand, especially with feeling sick still and smelling all the delicious food. Luckily I was well enough to eat it and appreciate the taste, although I could only pick a little. Nonetheless, even with feeling ill the food was absolutely delicious. Money well, well spent. Bill's roommate is also in the class so it is a good chance to get to know him and everyone else at the table much better. How better to get to know people than around food?

For the meal, which cost ~30 euro for a 4 course meal and 3 hours of learning and good company, we had wine and water of course, braised rosemary and garlic pork (much like the way Bill's family makes their pot roast at home), garlic and rosemary roasted golden potatoes, creamy homemade mushroom sauce with pasta, marinated peppers that we marinated ourselves, and homemade tiramisu. I only wished that my appetite had come back a little sooner so I could have eaten more of it. And it was all so healthy for you too! No butter, no preservatives. Just vegetables and oil and herbs and meat. Very simple, but far from simple tasting. I already can't wait to get home and try out the recipes on my family. First I suppose I'll have to try it out on myself here. It's much better than pasta every night, which is all I've been able to manage so far, with being sick and having no idea where to go to buy meat.

The class is a great opportunity to speak with an Italian woman about where to go, how to buy food, what certain food is called (like bouillon cubes), what Italian life is like, etc. She says that unlike a lot of the states, Italians try to buy only enough food for one meal so that they have no leftovers. And what is leftover you use the next day in a different way -- like yesterday's refrigerated coffee, which you put into tiramisu (which means, literally, "pull me up", and since tiramisu has espresso, wine, and sugar in it you can see why).

My Italian continues to improve, especially with the very nice workers at the caffé bar down the street. They are always accommodating and willing to teach me more Italian since I am willing to try. Today I ordered a sfoglia mela -- an "apple leaf" which looks like apple filling wrapped in a big pastry leaf folded over the top. Almost like a crispy crepe... sort of.

So I still have not been to any of my classes, since this morning I could not figure out how to get inside my classroom... I figure I will catch the professore on the way out and explain what happened to me today and on Tuesday. The professori are very nice here -- my Italian teacher told me to call him by his name and not to come to class if I was not feeling well or I would be sick for a month. He sounded a bit like a mother hen cooing a sickened chick.

Anyway, I think that's it for now. I'm feeling better this morning and even had a little appetite, although my abdominal muscles still hurt and feel like bruises underneath my ribcage. I will have to keep an eye on them.

P.S. In Italian class the lady had the coolest kitchen tool ever that I'd never seen before in the states. It's called a mezzaluna (see picture above) meaning "half moon", and for good reason. It looks like some sort of weapon but she said it's the Italian version of that fast-chop with one hand the French (and the people on Iron chef) do. I have to admit with all the kitchen tools I've used to chop things finely this one had to be the easiest to use. All you do is rock it back and forth and voila! Chopped rosemary and garlic (garlic and onion is everywhere, by the way) and it stays nice and sharp. I think I will buy a decent one, she said they are cheap, starting at 10 euro. Maybe if I get a decently priced one I can use it for a while. The teacher said she never sharpens hers, never needs to. Sounds good to me!