Italy is famous for good food … we all know that. What I didn’t know is what exactly was involved in eating in Italy. There is a lot more to it than I would have imagined.
I’m not talking about which fork to use when, or which wine to order … there are little things here than I never knew about. For example, there are lots of different names for places … a ‘bar’ isn’t really a bar as we know it. It’s a coffee bar typically, that primarily sells coffee (cappuccino, espresso, etc.) and some alcohol, and sometimes some light snacks like croissants. The idea is to eat and drink while standing at the bar … typical in and out time would be less than five minutes. Some of these places have seats … if you want to sit down, it will cost you. Most items have two prices, and if you decide that you want to sit down, they’ll charge you the more expensive one. Learned that one the hard way.
I can’t remember the names of all of the places, but, there are the bars, there are also tabacchis that sell tobacco and a variety of other products, gastronomias that sell a bit of everything snackwise, and of course good old fashioned restaurants. None of the places will expect tips, but many of the restaurants will assess a cover charge … a few bucks for the pleasure of dining there. The expected way of eating is to order an appetizer, a first course (typically pasta), a second course (seems to be a lot of meat dishes), a dessert, a coffee, and of course wine and bottled water (with or without gas/bubbles) … all good, all can get a little pricey.
I’m not really into soft drinks, but, Michele will drink a can of Coke from time to time … she paid about 3 euro ($4) for a can of Coke a few days ago … could have had virtually anything else on the menu for less than that. While in a supermarket noticed a large bottle of wine selling for less than what Michele paid for her Coke … I guess that should be a lesson for us.
Our most recent eating experience was a good, but interesting one. We decided to change things up a little, and go for some Chinese food. The Chinese and Italians have been working together and sharing noodles for centuries. The food was good, though we were a little concerned at first, as the restaurant was completely empty, and it was 12:30pm. Within minutes, two tour groups (both Asian) showed up and filled the place … as noisy and demanding a group as you could imagine. Food was good, and we were able to get in and out before the real impact of the larger groups hit.
That’s the word for now about eating in Italy.
