So far the food in Rome has been amazing. I had an amazing penne all’ arrabbiata with my parents and it was super spicy. I had a great vegetarian lasagna that was crispy and cheesy. Usually, when I eat foods that are supposed to have meat, they taste like they are missing something but this lasagna was extremely flavorful. I have also tasted a lot of wine and while I am usually not a fan of red wine, I have enjoyed all of the red wine that I have tried. It has been strong but not in an overwhelming way and ordering the house wine has been the perfect way to get the best and usually most affordable option.

I expected to have access to more vegetables here, however, I have kind of felt a carb overload. While I love pizza and pasta, I really want a good salad. I am sure I could find one at a restaurant but I am not a huge fan of the salads and vegetable options at Mensa.

In the reading for this week, I learned that Italian foods are associated with different regions of Italy. Italian food from the North and the South is extremely different. Someone from the North of Italy will have a hard time adjusting to food from the South of Italy even though it is still the same country. Italian recipe books are labeled usually according to the region they originated from and the names of certain dishes are named after cities they became famous in. However even if the dishes are named after cities, the ingredients being used are produced in the more rural areas that can’t afford to produce the dishes that use the ingredients.