Spagna

Last week was Spain. Monday through Sunday we traveled around Andalusia, eating tapas, lots of good fish (which is always a nice departure from landlocked, pig centered Parma), and plenty of jamon iberico di bellota (the most expensive ham in the world.) The sun was out all week and provided a nice background to all of our activities. We visited pigs, a caviar farm, a fish auction at an oldschool port, a brandy/sherry producer, and enjoyed a few days in Sevilla. Though Italy is still at the top of my list, Spain made a good showing and perhaps ranks in the top 5 of my favorite countries. I just need to learn Spanish and it might move up a spot or two.The Andalusian countryside

A caviar lunch. I'm really not as excited about the caviar as I look. Just thinking how great it is to be eating about 100 euros worth of organic caviar, like getting away with some sort of heist. Apparently, this is the appropriate way to taste caviar- place on hand then suck off of hand. Try it at your next cocktail party!

Sneaking a taste of the syrupy leakings from a REALLY old barrel of sherry...mmm....

BEFORE...

...AFTER

Film Fest

Last week after 2 days of class, I headed to Bologna for the annual Slow Food on Film. It's a festival that included shorts, documentaries, and everything in between, all relating somehow to food. It was not an actual planned school event, though they provided entrance (cool VIP type badges), a very basic hotel, and the all important convenience of no scheduled classes. It was fun to spend some time in one of my favorite cities and drop in for a film or two when something good was playing. So Wed. through late Saturday night I was in Bologna, and now I unpack, do laundry, and leave for Spain tomorrow.
In other exciting news, I have purchased a bike, a used thing that just needed a little love. The ride between Colorno and Parma takes about an hour, and in Parma, it is THE way to get around. Everyone and their mother (really, even if she is 90 years old) rides their bikes in Parma. Now I can fit in, get some good excersize, and fantasize about taking long distance bike trips all over Europe.

Liguria e il sole

I have been slacking with these updates, so quite a bit has happened since the last post. After Easter we had two days of class then headed out again. We attended "Slow Fish" in Genoa, which is an annual 3 day event to celebrate all things fishy and slow foodish. After all day Sunday at the convention, we loaded back onto the bus to head slightly south for our Liguria stage. We stayed in a hostel in Porto Venere, a beautiful town right on the water and not quite as "gone" as the Cinque Terre towns. We spent a day climbing the terraced vinyards that give their unique beauty to the Cinque Terre, visited the Cinque Terre co-ops, and walked the mandatory stretch on the Via del Amore from Manarolo to Riomaggiore.

View from the top

The second day we took a boat tour of the La Spezia gulf and visited some more local producers. The final day we visited some olive oil mills (I think that make about 20 since I've been here...and really they are all the same!), biodynamic wine makers, and a guy that makes testaroli in a shack decorated with slow food paraphanalia. Testaroli is an ancient form of bread that is a cross between a pancake and a crepe, made over a wood fire in a cast iron pan. It is cut in squares and tossed with olive oil, basil, and parmigiano. Tasty!


After returning from Liguria we have had classes on the history of wine, global Italian food (more like the cultural identity of food), and more semiotics. Except for a stretch of about 5 days, the weather has been beautiful (finally!) and I am lucky to have two friends who are also former high school athletes. We have procured a whiffle ball and bat, a frisbee, and a softball with 3 mits. There are plenty of nice parks in the area, and even though we get stares, it's so nice to get outside a play!